Pitsea Lease Extension - Free Consultation

Before you progress with your lease extension in Pitsea
Get a quote from one of our lease extension experts with over 20 years experience.

Let them guide you for FREE on the various options available to you.

It may end up saving you thousands.

Top reasons for Pitsea lease extension


Main reasons to start your Pitsea lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Pitsea property value

The market value of a leasehold property in Pitsea depends on how long the lease has left to run. If it is near to or less than 80 years you should envisage problems on re-sale, so it is advisable to arrange for the lease to be extended before buying. It is preferable to commence the lease extension process when a lease still has 82 years unexpired so that a lease extension can be addressed well before the eighty year mark. Current legislation enables Pitsea qualifying lessees to acquire a new lease which will be for the current unexpired lease term plus a further term of 90 years. The reason of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the premium payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.

Pitsea property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with more than one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Lending institutions may decide not to loan monies with a short lease

Banks and building societies are making their criteria more stringent and many now require flats to have at least 60 if not 70 years left at the expiry of the mortgage. Considering a number of flats in Pitsea were built in the fifties, sixties and seventies as a result many now require lease extensions if they wish to get a mortgage.

Lender Requirement
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;
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.
Godiva Mortgages 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.
The Mortgage Works Minimum unexpired lease term is 70 years with 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
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

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 70 years
- 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 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 70 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 1.0% 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
- 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
- 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 reviewed and altered on any review basis or methodology

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 1.0% 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 the 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.

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

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Pitsea,the lease extension solicitors that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their in-depth market knowledge and the close ties they enjoy with Pitsea valuers.

Pitsea Lease Extension Case Studies:

Ben, Pitsea, Essex

During the course of the last few months Ben, started to get near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his ground floor flat in Pitsea. Having bought his home two decades ago, the lease term was of little relevance. As luck would have it, it dawned on him that he would imminently be paying an escalated premium for a lease extension. Ben extended the lease just ahead of time in May. Ben and the freeholder via the managing agents eventually settled on a premium of £5,500 . If the lease had fallen to less than eighty years, the premium would have become more costly by a minimum £1,150.

Pitsea case:

In 2011 we were phoned by Ms Morgan Stewart who, having moved into a purpose-built flat in Pitsea in November 2003. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative properties in Pitsea with a long lease were in the region of £260,200. The average ground rent payable was £65 collected quarterly. The lease ended in 2091. Considering the 66 years unexpired we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £16,200 and £18,600 not including fees.

Pitsea case:

Dr Abigail Baker owned a ground floor flat in Pitsea in November 2005. The question was if we could approximate the price would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Similar homes in Pitsea with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £198,800. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 collected every twelve months. The lease expired on 14 November 2080. Having 55 years unexpired we calculated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £33,300 and £38,400 plus fees.