What is a free house?
A free house is a pub whose operator has no supply tie to a brewer or pub company, so it can buy its beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks from any supplier it chooses; Dashmote tracks 28,000+ UK pubs as of October 2026. Its opposite is a tied pub, which must buy some or all of its drinks through the company that owns or leases it, and a managed pub, which is run by employees of a pub group.
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The tie, in practice
The tie is what separates the models. A tied pub agrees to buy drinks through its landlord, usually a pub company or brewer, in return for the lease and often a lower rent. The tie can be full or partial:
- Wet tie: beer and cider, and sometimes other drinks, bought through the landlord.
- Dry tie: food and other goods, less common.
- Guest beer: a slot that lets a tied pub stock a beer from outside the tie.
In England and Wales, tenants of the largest pub companies can, in set circumstances, ask to go free of tie under the Pubs Code; Scotland has its own rules. A pub's model can change when a lease is renewed, so treat it as a dated fact. The full managed, leased and free house comparison is on UK pub data.
How to measure it
Free house share (%) = free houses in the area / all pubs in the area x 100
The hard part is the numerator. Managed pubs are usually visible, because pub groups list their sites. Tie status is not published for most pubs, so a pub that is not managed can be tied or free. Treat a free house list built from outside data as a set of candidates, and confirm the tie with the licensee before planning a listing.
Worked example
Take one area and a craft brewer.
- The area has 120 pubs. 30 are managed by pub groups, 54 are leased or tenanted with a tie, 36 are free houses.
- Free house share = 36 / 120 = 30%.
- For the brewer, the 36 free houses are doors a rep can open directly. The 54 tied pubs need its beer on the pub company's list or in a guest beer slot. The 30 managed pubs are decided at group level and go to the key account manager.
One area, three different sales jobs, which is why the operating model belongs on the prospect list.
Free house is not freehold
Freehold is about property: the operator owns the building and the land. Free house is about supply: no one dictates where the drinks come from. They often go together but not always. A freeholder can still be tied through a loan or supply agreement with a brewer, and a leaseholder of a private landlord can run a free house. Likewise, an independent operator is not automatically free: many independent outlets are tied tenants.
How Dashmote data helps
DashLeads shows UK pubs with their location, menu and, where a public record names one, the managed group behind them, so reps separate group-run pubs from those they can approach themselves, and know which doors to knock on first. The same pubs on delivery apps are in food delivery insights. See UK pub data, restaurant chain and operator data and who really runs London's managed pubs.
Frequently asked questions
What does free house mean on a pub sign?
It means the pub is not tied to a brewer or pub company and chooses its own suppliers. Historically it told drinkers they would find more than one brewer's beer inside.
Can a free house sell any beer?
Yes. A free house can buy from any brewer or wholesaler, though it may still have commercial deals, such as discounts or equipment, that favour one supplier.
What is the difference between a free house and freehold?
Free house is about supply, freehold is about property. A freehold pub can still be tied through a loan or supply agreement, and a leased pub can be free of tie.
What is a tied pub?
A tied pub must buy some or all of its drinks through the pub company or brewer that owns or leases it, usually in return for a lower rent or other support.
How do I find free houses in my area?
Start with the pubs that are not run by a managed group, then confirm the tie with each licensee. Tie status is rarely published, so any list is a starting point, not a verdict.