This is the same as in England, the leasehold vs freehold system is difficult to differentiate in practice, a bit like common law vs civil law. You buy a house

This is the same as in England, the leasehold vs freehold system is difficult to differentiate in practice, a bit like common law vs civil law. You buy a house, there are expectations it's yours. Each time it's been tested the government had a choice between murdering desperate owners or accepting to just renew on the same terms. They chose to renew. Freehold offer no more security: I come from a civil law, freehold country, well, the government can seize houses it wants at low cost any time anyway. Sometimes to build a highway, sometimes to rent to immigrants.