The market value of Harefield leasehold residential property falls as the lease term becomes shorter and this will have an impact on its saleability. The cost of a lease extension can increase materialy once the unexpired lease term is less than 80 years
Leasehold residencies in Harefield with more than one hundred years left on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such circumstances there is often little upside in buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Coventry Building Society | A minimum of 70 years unexpired lease at completion for all scheme types apart from Lifetime Mortgages (Equity Release), which require a minimum unexpired term of 80 years at completion. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
The conveyancing solicitors that we work with handle Harefield 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.
Connor was the the leasehold proprietor of a studio flat in Harefield on the market with a lease of just over sixty years unexpired. Connor on an informal basis contacted his freeholder being a well known Manchester-based freehold company for a lease extension. The freeholder indicated a willingness to grant an extension taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of a new rent at the outset set at £150 per annum and doubled every twenty five years thereafter. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Connor to exercise his statutory right. Connor obtained expert legal guidance and was able to make an informed decision and handle with the matter and readily saleable.
Last month we were called by Mr Dexter Wright , who completed a ground floor flat in Harefield in November 2005. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable properties in Harefield with an extended lease were in the region of £300,000. The average ground rent payable was £50 collected monthly. The lease expired on 18 January 2100. Taking into account 75 years left we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harefield property is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case related to 3 flats. The unexpired term was 71 years.