Owning a apartment usually means owning a lease of the property, which has a set term of years. your lease will ordinarily be granted for a fixed period of time , usually 99 or 125 years, although we have seen longer and shorter terms in Great Dunmow. Inevitably, the period of lease remaining reduces over time. This may pass by relatively unnoticed when the flat or house has to be disposed of or refinanced. The shorter the lease the less it is worth and the more it will cost to obtain a lease extension. Qualifying leaseholders in Great Dunmow have the right to extend the lease for a further 90 years in accordance with the 1993 Leasehold Reform Act. Do give due consideration before delaying your Great Dunmow lease extension. Putting off that expense now only increases the price you will eventually have to pay for a lease extension
It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years remaining is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years left, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.
| 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. |
| Barnsley Building Society | 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term. |
| 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 |
| TSB | Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption. |
Engaging our service gives you better control over the value of your Great Dunmow leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in respect of lease length should you wish to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with have a wealth of experience of handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.
Nathan was the the leasehold proprietor of a high value apartment in Great Dunmow being marketed with a lease of a few days over fifty eight years unexpired. Nathan on an informal basis approached his freeholder a well known Bristol-based freehold company for a lease extension. The freeholder was keen to agree an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to a new rent to start with set at £200 per annum and increase every twenty five years thereafter. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Nathan to exercise his statutory right. Nathan procured expert legal guidance and was able to make a more informed judgement and deal with the matter and sell the flat.
Dr R Smith owned a one bedroom flat in Great Dunmow in July 1995. The question was if we could estimate the premium would likely be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Comparative properties in Great Dunmow with an extended lease were in the region of £265,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £50 collected annually. The lease ran out on 22 April 2099. Considering the 73 years as a residual term we approximated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £9,500 and £11,000 plus expenses.
In 2009 we were contacted by Mr Blake Ward who, having took over the lease of a first floor flat in Great Dunmow in March 2002. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would likely be to extend the lease by ninety years. Comparative residencies in Great Dunmow with 100 year plus lease were worth £264,000. The average ground rent payable was £60 billed per annum. The lease elapsed in 2079. Taking into account 53 years as a residual term we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £37,100 and £42,800 exclusive of legals.