As the purchaser of leasehold property, you acquire the right to occupy and use the leased property for the time period stated in the lease agreement. In return for this right, you agree to make rent payments to the lessor and abide by the other terms of the lease.
This article is concerned with the ground lease and with those leases related to the ground lease, such as an apartment lease. The ground lease is a lease of land only, usually for a long term (55 years or more, from the original date of the lease). It is a means used to separate the ownership of the land from ownership of the buildings and other improvements constructed on the land. In many cases, a developer enters into a master ground lease with the fee simple owner, agreeing in the lease to construct a residential project within a certain period of time. The developer or cooperative Corporation, or in some cases the ground lessor, then enters into a sublease or a new lease of the land with the apartment owner. The developer may lease the improvements to the apartment owner by way of an apartment lease or sublease, or sells the improvements to the apartment owners by way of a condominium conveyance or apartment deed.