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Main reasons to start your Chorlton lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Chorlton property value

Chorlton leases on residential deteriorating in value. if your lease has approximately ninety years left, you should start thinking about a lease extension. 80 years is a significant number: when the unexpired term of a lease dips below this level then you start paying an additional element called marriage value. Flat owners in Chorlton will usually qualify for a lease extension; however a solicitor will confirm if you qualify. In some circumstances you may not qualify. There are also strict timetables and formalities to follow once the process is initiated so it’s prudent to be guided by a lawyer during the process.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Lending institutions may decide not to loan monies on a short lease

Almost all banks and building societies require a lengthy amount of time left on any leasehold property before they will consider providing a mortgage on it. Regardless of whether you need a mortgage, you should be mindful that it is likely that someone wishing to buy your property in the future might well do, so where they can't secure a mortgage, then the financial worth of the property will likely suffer. Since 2008 most mortgage lenders have increased the required minimum lease length that they are willing to accept

Lender Requirement
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

Where the unexpired lease term is different to that recorded on the mortgage offer, the following clarifies if we need to be informed:

Second hand property:
- If the unexpired lease term on the offer is 85 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 85 years
- if the unexpired lease term on the offer is less than 85 years – advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported
- For equity share applications - advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

New build property:
- If the unexpired lease term stated on the offer is 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house) or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 125 years (flat) / 250 years (house)
- For equity share applications - always advise us if the actual lease term is different than reported on the offer

Lease terms such as ground rent and event fees must be reasonable at all times during the term of the lease and adhere to our requirements below. If you’re unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable or onerous, please refer the details to us in plain English for Valuer consideration. If the potentially onerous terms are in relation to the ground rent please include the current ground rent figure per annum, how often it will be reviewed and the price structure it will be reviewed against. See the guidance below.

SECOND HAND PROPERTIES

Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined):
- Unexpired lease term less than 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- Less than 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term
- Ground Rent greater than 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent doubles less than every 20 years (e.g. doubles every 5, 10 or 15 years) - acceptable if doubles every 20 years or more
- Ground Rent is compounded RPI
- Ground Rent review period is less than or equal to 5 years

Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Unexpired lease term is 55 to 85 years
- Ground Rent greater than 0.1% and less than or equal to 0.5% of the property value
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to any indices greater than RPI
- Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building*
- Ground Rent review period is greater than 5 and less than 10 years
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial, etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything that appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary

Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than 85 years (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- Ground Rent less than or equal to 0.1% of the property value
- Ground Rent review period greater than or equal to 10 years
- Ground Rent escalation less than or equal to RPI

NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)

Unacceptable - advise Issuing Office (Will be declined)
- Unexpired lease term less than 125 years on a new build flat or less than 250 years on a new build house (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- Any lease which is subject to a Ground Rent (or Annual Rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis
- Any lease which is subject to a Ground Rent (or Annual Rent) being charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

Refer to Issuing Office (Valuer will consider any impact on valuation figure and marketability):
- Event clauses exist for normal use e.g. changing the carpet, installing a TV aerial etc
- Estate Rent Charges greater than £500 p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Service Charges greater than 1% of property value p/a (please provide details of what the charges cover)
- Anything else appears onerous, unusual or out of the ordinary

Acceptable (no requirement to advise Issuing Office):
- Unexpired lease term greater than or equal to 125 years on a new build flat or greater than or equal to 250 years on a new build house
- A lease subject to a peppercorn Ground Rent (Annual Rent) charges

For the avoidance of doubt, any New Build properties completed but not sold pre-30 June 2022 will only be acceptable if the Lease conforms to the above guidance.

* Where the Ground Rent escalation is linked to the value of the building, please provide the following:
- How is the value of the block/unit currently calculated and if the assessment relates to the block(s), how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned per property?
- The current valuation and Ground Rent for each unit
- What is the mechanism for future valuations of the block and how is the Ground Rent calculated/apportioned?
- What is the right of appeal? And is this a documented process within the lease?
- Who bears the cost of the valuation (and appeal) process?
- Confirmation the review period is not less than twenty years.

Lease Extensions

We require all Lease Extensions to be completed under the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and to meet the above criteria as a minimum. Where you become aware that it does not meet these requirements, please refer to Issuing Office.

Please ensure that all lender enquiries are submitted (with full documentation/requirements) at least 2 weeks prior to exchange to allow sufficient time for review and decisioning.
Santander You must report the unexpired lease term to us and await our instructions if:
1. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is between 55 and 82 years, but the actual unexpired term differs by more than one year (whether longer or shorter); or
2. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is more than 82 years but the actual unexpired term is less than 82 years; or
3. no valuation report is provided
However, we will not accept a lease where on expiry of the mortgage:
(i) less than 50 years remain and all or part of the loan is repaid on an interest-only basis: or
(ii) less than 30 years remain and the loan is repaid on a capital and interest basis

We will accept a lease that has been extended under the provisions of the Leasehold Reform Act 1993 provided statutory compensation would be available to the leaseholder.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

Get in touch with one of our Chorlton lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Chorlton,the lease extension experts that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Chorlton valuers.

Chorlton Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Alisha, Chorlton, Greater Manchester,

In the wake of eight months of lengthy correspondence with the landlord of her ground floor flat in Chorlton, Alisha initiated the lease extension process as the 80 year threshold was fast approaching. The transaction was concluded in November 2015. The freeholder’s fees were negotiated to approximately 700 GBP.

Chorlton case:

In 2014 we were called by Dr Eliot Bell who, having purchased a ground floor apartment in Chorlton in October 2012. We are asked if we could estimate the price would be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparative residencies in Chorlton with an extended lease were valued about £275,000. The average amount of ground rent was £55 collected quarterly. The lease came to a finish on 21 August 2102. Considering the 77 years remaining we approximated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £13,300 and £15,400 plus fees.

Chorlton case:

Ms B Cooper took over the lease of a one bedroom apartment in Chorlton in October 2012. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price would be to prolong the lease by an additional years. Similar residencies in Chorlton with an extended lease were in the region of £183,600. The average amount of ground rent was £65 invoiced yearly. The lease expired on 15 February 2082. Given that there were 57 years remaining we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £28,500 and £33,000 not including fees.