With a long leasehold premises in Harefield, you effectively rent it for a certain period of time. In recent years flat leases are usually granted for 99 years or 125. Many leasehold owners are unconcerned as this seems like a lengthy period of time, you should think about a lease extension sooner rather than later. Accepted thinking is that the shorter the number of years is the cost of extending the lease increases markedly especially when there are less than eighty years remaining. Leasehold owners in Harefield with a lease nearing 81 years remaining should seriously think of extending it as soon as possible. Once a lease has fewer than 80 years left, under the relevant legislation the landlord can calculate and charge a larger premium, assessed on a technical computation, known as “marriage value” which is payable.
Leasehold premises in Harefield with over 100 years remaining on the lease are sometimes regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such situations there is often little upside in purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges warrant 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. |
| Halifax | Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Virgin | 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion. |
The conveyancers that we work with procure 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.
Off the back of protracted discussions with the freeholder of her purpose-built apartment in Harefield, Mollie commenced the lease extension process just as the lease was approaching the crucial 80-year mark. The lease extension completed in May 2009. The freeholder’s costs were kept to an absolute minimum.
Mr and Mrs. V Collins bought a ground floor apartment in Harefield in July 2008. We are asked if we could estimate the price would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Similar premises in Harefield with a long lease were in the region of £166,800. The average ground rent payable was £50 invoiced yearly. The lease lapsed in 2076. Considering the 50 years unexpired we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £32,300 and £37,400 plus professional charges.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Harefield flat 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 affected 3 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 71 years.