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Why you should commence your Selhurst lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Selhurst lease extension today:

A Selhurst leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Selhurst leases on residential properties are gradually decreasing in value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and as a result any extension of your lease becomes more expensive. Legislation has been in place for sometime now which permits qualifying Selhurst residential leaseholders to extend the terms of long leases. If you are a leasehold owner in Selhurst you would be well advised to investigate if your lease has between 70 and 90 years remaining. In particular once the remaining lease term slips under eighty years, the compensation to the landlord for any lease extension increases dramatically as an element of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is generally considered that a property with more than one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for many years ahead.

Lending institutions may not grant a mortgage on a short lease

Whether or not the lease is be regarded as a short lease varies by mortgage company, yet banks and building societies start to get jittery at around 75 years. This may be problematic as and when you need to market or refinance your flat as it will be practically unmortgageable. You might not have an immediate desire to sell but when you do your buyer must wait 2 years before being able to start the legal procedures for a lease extension.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

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

Lease extensions in Selhurst can be a difficult process. We recommend you secure guidance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area.

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 a wealth of experience dealing with Selhurst lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Selhurst Lease Extension Example Cases:

Tyler, Selhurst, South London

Two years ago Tyler, started to get close to the 80-year threshold with the lease on his first floor apartment in Selhurst. In buying his flat 18 years previously, the lease term was of minimal importance. by good luck, he became aware that he would imminently be paying way over the odds for Extending the lease. Tyler extended the lease at the eleventh hour last June. Tyler and the freeholder via the managing agents in the end agreed on an amount of £6,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the premium would have gone up by a minimum £1,075.

Selhurst case:

In 2010 we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. F Nguyen who, having purchased a basement apartment in Selhurst in November 2012. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would be to extend the lease by 90 years. Comparable homes in Selhurst with an extended lease were worth £176,200. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected quarterly. The lease ran out in 2080. Considering the 56 years remaining we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £29,500 and £34,000 not including expenses.

Decision in Bromley

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Selhurst residence is Flats 55, 67 & 70 Melbourne Court Anerley Road in July 2013. The tribunal calculated that the premium for the extended lease at £48,366.00 for at 55, and £88,329.00 for ats 67 and 70 combined. This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 26.38 years.