ground rent

American

noun

the rent at which land is let to a tenant either for a long term or perpetually.

ground rent British

noun

law the rent reserved by a lessor on granting a lease, esp one for a long period of years

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of ground rent

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Occupants pay up to $55,000 upfront, plus annual ground rent and service fees.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The English Housing Survey estimated that in 2023/24 the average annual ground rent was £304 a year.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

Woods is being asked to pay service charges and ground rent, with the possibility of a debt recovery agency being brought in to collect the money.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

It criticised the ground rent cap as a "wholly unjustified interference with existing property rights".

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

The park men charge a small ground rent plus fees for water and electricity.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023