Stop! Your Lease Extension in Whitchurch Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Whitchurch are unaware that their original lawyer had a duty to warn them about future mortgageability and saleability issues. Before you pay thousands to your freeholder, let us audit your purchase history. You might have a claim that pays for your lease extension in full

If you are facing a significant premium because your lease in Whitchurch has dropped toward the 80-year mark, your previous lawyer may be at fault. Our panel of experts specialise in recovering lease extension costs from negligent firms who failed to protect your investment.

Main reasons to start your Whitchurch lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Whitchurch lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Whitchurch property value

The market value of a leasehold property in Whitchurch depends on how many years the lease has left to run. If it is near to or fewer than 80 years you should envisage problems on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for the lease to be extended ahead of purchasing. It is preferable to start the lease extension process when the lease still has 82 years unexpired so that all matters can be addressed ahead of the eighty year cut off point. Current legislation enables Whitchurch qualifying lessees to obtain a lease extension of 90 years on top of the remaining lease term at a peppercorn rent (that is, rent free). The reason of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the premium payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the acquisition of the lease extension.

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

Leasehold premises in Whitchurch with in excess of 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 premises. In such circumstances there is often little to be gained by purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges warrant it.

Lending institutions will not finance a property on a short lease

Most banks have constrained their lending criteria in recent years and borrowers are finding it increasingly difficult to raise funding or re-mortgage against property with shorter lease terms, particularly below 75 years as they are deemed to be inadequate for lending purposes.

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.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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

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.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

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

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

Whitchurch Lease Extension Example Cases:

Alicia, Whitchurch, Bristol,

In the wake of eight months of lengthy negotiations with the landlord of her ground floor apartment in Whitchurch, Alicia started the lease extension process as the eighty year mark was quickly advancing. The lease extension completed in June 2006. The freeholder’s fees were negotiated to about five hundred pounds.

Whitchurch case:

Mr and Mrs. T Thompson owned a ground floor apartment in Whitchurch in August 2005. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparable properties in Whitchurch with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £200,800. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected monthly. The lease elapsed on 13 November 2086. Considering the 60 years as a residual term we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £20,900 and £24,200 plus costs.

Whitchurch case:

Last Autumn we were e-mailed by Mrs S Mason , who acquired a one bedroom apartment in Whitchurch in October 2000. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Identical premises in Whitchurch with an extended lease were worth £255,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 billed annually. The lease ran out in 2097. Considering the 71 years as a residual term we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of professional charges.