# Demised premises

The property a lease actually grants to the leaseholder: their flat, as the lease and its plan define it.

Also called: the demise, the flat, the property.

"Demise" is the old legal word for a lease. The demised premises are what the leaseholder has the right to occupy, and usually what they must repair themselves.

## Why it matters to directors

The boundary between the flat and the rest of the building decides **whose repair it is**, and whose cost.

- Leases often say the flat includes things like the inside of the windows, internal walls, floorboards down to the joists, and pipes and wires that serve only that flat.
- They often exclude the structure, the roof, the foundations, the main walls and anything shared.

Every lease is different. Check the definition (often in a schedule) and the **lease plan**, which usually outlines the flat in red. When a repair is reported, deciding whether it's within the demise is the first question.

Everything not demised to any flat is usually kept by the landlord: the structure and the [common parts](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/common-parts).

## Related terms

- [Common parts](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/common-parts)
- [Leaseholder](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/leaseholder)
- [Apportionment](https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/apportionment)

## Sources

- [LEASE: free advice on leasehold law](https://www.lease-advice.org/)

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Updated 22 October 2026. Source: https://runyourblock.co.uk/glossary/demised-premises