Owning a flat usually means owning a lease of the property, which has a set term of years. your lease will ordinarily be granted for a prescribed period of time , ordinarily 99 or 125 years, although we have come across longer and shorter terms in Northolt. Clearly, the period of lease left shortens as time goes by. This may slip by relatively unnoticed when the flat or house needs to be disposed of or re-mortgaged. The fewer the years remaining the lower the value of the property and the more it will cost to extend the lease. Eligible long lease owners in Northolt have the legal entitlement to extend the lease for a further ninety years under legislation. Please give careful deliberation before delaying your Northolt lease extension. Holding off the cost now simply increases the price you will ultimately have to pay for a lease extension
Leasehold properties in Northolt with over one hundred years unexpired 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 upside in buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and service charges merit it.
| 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. |
| Barclays plc | Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage should be declined (see exception below). Leases with greater than 70 years but fewer than 85 years remaining must be referred to issuing office. Leases with fewer than 70 years should only be referred to the issuing office where the following scenario applies, as discretion may be applied subject to bank approval: • Property is located in any of the following prestigious developments: Cadogan, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Portman or Wellcome Trust Estates in Central London AND • The value of the property subject to the short remaining term is £500,000 or more AND • The loan to value does not exceed 90% for purchases, 90% like for like re-mortgages, 80% for re-mortgages with any element of capital raising and 80% for existing Barclays mortgage borrowers applying for additional borrowing; |
| 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. |
| 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 |
The conveyancing solicitors that we work with handle Northolt 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.
Benjamin was the the leasehold proprietor of a 2 bedroom apartment in Northolt being marketed with a lease of a few days over 72 years outstanding. Benjamin informally contacted his freeholder being a well known local-based freehold company for a lease extension. The landlord was prepared to give an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to a new rent to start with set at £100 per annum and doubled every 25 years thereafter. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Benjamin to invoke his statutory right. Benjamin obtained expert legal guidance and was able to make an informed decision and handle with the matter and sell the flat.
Last Summer we were approach by Mr and Mrs. C Howard , who completed a ground floor flat in Northolt in January 2008. We are asked if we could estimate the price would be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparative premises in Northolt with a long lease were in the region of £166,400. The average ground rent payable was £60 invoiced per annum. The lease terminated on 3 October 2078. Considering the 54 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £32,300 and £37,400 exclusive of legals.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Northolt residence is GFF 1 Holyrood Avenue in May 2014. The Tenant wished to acquire a new (extended) lease and applied to the Willesden County Court who granted a vesting order on 20* March2013. The Tribunal decied that the premium to be paid was £9,062 This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 79 years.