I have indicated before the potential profit in leasehold properties.  Here is an example of the opposite side of that coin, where leashold costs owners their investment.

Residents at the 18-unit The Kailuan are caught between the expiration of the condo’s ground lease and the landowner’s rejection of their bid to buy the property. They have until Dec. 31 to vacate their condos and enter a real-estate market they say they can’t afford. Last year Kaneohe Ranch Co., which owns the 6.5 acres under the buildings, sold most of this property — but not The Kailuan — to the local Schuler Division of Texas-based home builder D.R. Horton. The plan is to demolish these affordable rentals starting in January and replace them with mid-priced, for-sale condos.