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Top reasons for Great Baddow lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Great Baddow lease extension today:

A Great Baddow lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Great Baddow leases on domestic deteriorating in value. Where your lease has approximately ninety years left, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. 80 years is a significant number: when the unexpired term of a lease drops below this level then you begin paying an additional element called marriage value. Flat owners in Great Baddow will mostly qualify for a lease extension; however it’s a good idea to check with a conveyancing solicitor to confirm if you qualify. In some cases you may not be entitled. There are prescribed deadlines and procedures to comply with once the process is triggered so it’s best to be guided by a conveyancing solicitor during the process.

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

Leasehold residencies in Great Baddow with over 100 years left on the lease are often regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such circumstances there is often little to be gained by buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.

Lenders will not grant a mortgage on a short lease

Banks and building societies vary in their lending criteria. Some set the bar at 75 years remaining on the lease; others may be prepared to lend with anything with more than seventy years. With less than 60 years, it may be problematic to get a mortgage at all.

Lender Requirement
Accord Mortgages 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage. Please ensure that you explain the implications of a short term lease to the borrower.
Bank of Scotland 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.
Skipton Building Society 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage

For Buy to Let cases:
- lettings must not breach any of the lessee’s covenants; and
- consent of the lessor to lettings must be obtained if necessary
Yorkshire Building Society 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage. Please ensure that you explain the implications of a short term lease to the borrower.

Why use us for your lease extension in Great Baddow?

The conveyancers that we work with undertake Great Baddow lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The conveyancer we work with provide it.

Great Baddow Lease Extension Case Studies:

Jude, Great Baddow, Essex

16 months ago Jude, came seriously near to the 80-year threshold with the lease on his studio flat in Great Baddow. Having purchased his home two decades ago, the lease term was of minimal concern. Fortunately, he noticed he needed to take action soon on a lease extension. Jude arranged for a lease extension just under the wire in August. Jude and the freeholder via the management company ultimately agreed on a premium of £6,000 . If he not met the deadline, the figure would have increased by a minimum £1,150.

Great Baddow case:

In 2011 we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. T Hill who, having owned a one bedroom flat in Great Baddow in October 2001. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparative homes in Great Baddow with an extended lease were worth £280,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 collected per annum. The lease terminated on 5 March 2103. Given that there were 78 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £13,300 and £15,400 plus expenses.

Great Baddow case:

Dr E Bailey was assigned a lease of a studio apartment in Great Baddow in October 2009. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price would be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Comparative residencies in Great Baddow with a long lease were valued around £191,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 invoiced monthly. The lease lapsed on 1 February 2083. Considering the 58 years outstanding we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £23,800 and £27,400 plus professional charges.