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Why you should start your Stapleton lease extension


Main reasons to start your Stapleton lease extension today:

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

Stapleton leases on domestic properties are gradually losing value. if your lease has about ninety years unexpired, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. Eighty years is a significant number: when the remaining term of a lease falls below this level then you start paying an additional element called marriage value. Leasehold owners in Stapleton will usually be legally entitled to a lease extension; however a solicitor will confirm your eligibility. In some circumstances you may not be entitled. There are prescribed timetables and formalities to follow once the process has commenced so it’s prudent to be guided by a conveyancer during the process.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is generally considered that a property with over one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders may decide not to issue a mortgage on a short lease

The definition of a short lease varies by mortgage company, yet mortgage lenders start to become jittery at around 75 years. This may cause difficulties when you come to sell or remortgage your flat as it will be effectively unmortgageable. You might have no imminent intention to sell but when you do your purchaser must wait a couple of years before they can exercise the right to a a lease extension.

Lender Requirement
Chelsea 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.
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
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Stapleton?

The lawyers that we work with undertake Stapleton 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 lawyer we work with provide it.

Stapleton Lease Extension Example Cases:

Jacob, Stapleton, Bristol

Half a year ago Jacob, came critically close to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his garden flat in Stapleton. Having bought his property 18 years ago, the length of the lease was of little interest. by good luck, he realised he needed to take steps soon on Extending the lease. Jacob extended the lease at the eleventh hour in June. Jacob and the landlord who owned the flat above in the end settled on a premium of £5,000 . If he not met the deadline, the sum would have gone up by at least £1,100.

Stapleton case:

Ms Phoebe Clark bought a ground floor apartment in Stapleton in October 2004. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price would be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Comparative flats in Stapleton with a long lease were valued around £257,800. The average ground rent payable was £65 billed annually. The lease elapsed in 2089. Given that there were 65 years left we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £17,100 and £19,800 plus legals.

Stapleton case:

Last Winter we were approach by Mr Ryan Pérez , who bought a one bedroom apartment in Stapleton in September 1998. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would be for a 90 year lease extension. Identical properties in Stapleton with an extended lease were worth £191,400. The average amount of ground rent was £55 invoiced monthly. The lease end date was on 16 October 2078. Taking into account 54 years remaining we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £34,200 and £39,600 not including fees.