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Why you should commence your Hanham lease extension


Main reasons to start your Hanham lease extension today:

A Hanham lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

With a residential leasehold property in Hanham, you effectively rent it for a certain amount of time. These days flat leases typically tend to be for 99 years or 125. Many leasehold owners become complacent as this seems like a lengthy period of time, you may think about a lease extension sooner as opposed to later. The general rule is that the shorter the lease is the cost of extending the lease increases markedly notably once there are fewer than eighty years left. Residents in Hanham with a lease nearing 81 years unexpired should seriously consider extending it without delay. Once the lease term has less than eighty years left, under the current statute the landlord can calculate and levy a larger premium, assessed on a technical calculation, strangely termed as “marriage value” which is payable.

Hanham property with a lease extension has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is generally accepted that a property with in excess of one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders may not loan monies on a short lease

Whether or not the lease is be regarded as a short lease depends on the specific mortgage company, yet lending institutions start to get jittery at around 75 years. This may be problematic when you come to dispose of or remortgage your property as it will be practically unmortgageable. You might have no immediate desire to sell but when you do your buyer will have to hold off for two years before being able to exercise the right to a an extension to the lease.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.
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.
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

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

Lease extensions in Hanham can be a difficult process. We recommend you obtain guidance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in lease extensions.

We provide you with an expert from a selection of lease extension solicitors, which ensures a targeted and efficient service as you have a dedicated port of call with an individual lawyer. Our lease extension solicitors have in-depth market knowledge procuring Hanham lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Hanham Lease Extension Example Cases:

Courtney, Hanham, Gloucestershire,

After lengthy negotiations with the landlord of her studio flat in Hanham, Courtney commenced the lease extension process as the 80 year mark was fast coming. The transaction was finalised in September 2005. The freeholder’s costs were negotiated to approximately 450 pounds.

Hanham case:

In 2014 we were contacted by Ms Rebecca Morel who, having moved into a garden flat in Hanham in March 2008. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparable residencies in Hanham with an extended lease were valued around £275,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £55 invoiced monthly. The lease ran out on 22 October 2100. Given that there were 76 years left we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 not including fees.

Hanham case:

Dr E Lefebvre owned a recently refurbished apartment in Hanham in April 1997. The question was if we could estimate the premium could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable residencies in Hanham with a long lease were valued about £176,200. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £65 collected quarterly. The lease expired on 16 March 2080. Having 56 years as a residual term we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £29,500 and £34,000 exclusive of costs.