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UK House Buyers Glossary - L

This page of our online a to z glossary is for UK house buyers terms beginning with the letter 'L'.

• Land certificate - a certificate issued by the Land Registry that confirms who owns a property.
• Land Registry - the government department which maintains the register of all the properties in England and Wales which have registered titles.
• Lath - strips of wood on which to put plaster work - metal lath is a mesh used for the same purpose.
• Leasehold - ownership of a lease for a limited number of years after which the ownership returns to the freeholder. A flat is usually leasehold.
• Lintel - the upper horizontal length of timber, stone or steel which spans an opening such as a window.
• Load-bearing Wall - a strong wall which is capable of supporting weight.
• Loan to Value (LTV) - this is the percentage of a property's current value being borrowed as a mortgage.
• Local search - an application to local authorities for information on a property and the area around it. Normally it is the responsibilty of the solicitor handling the conveyancing to ensure this is done and warn you if any problems or potential problems are found.
• Louvre - a ventilating door or window of inclined horizontal slats.
• Low-start mortgage - a mortgage which starts with low monthly repayments that rise to a set percentage each year until the full level of repayment is reached.