Stop! Your Lease Extension in Armthorpe Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Armthorpe 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 Armthorpe 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.

Why you should start your Armthorpe lease extension


Why you should commence your Armthorpe lease extension today:

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

Unfortunately that a Armthorpe residential lease is a deteriorating asset. As the lease term diminishes so does the value of the property. The extent of this is not fully appreciated in the early years due to the depreciation being disguised by increases in the Armthorpe property prices.Where your lease has approximately 90 years left, you should start thinking about a lease extension. If lease term drops below 80 years, you will end up paying 50% of the property's 'marriage value' in addition to the usual cost of the lease extension to the landlord. Marriage value is the amount of additional value that a lease extension will add the property The majority of flat owners in Armthorpe will be able to extend under the legislation; however a conveyancer will be able to clarify whether you are eligibility. In some situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict timetables and procedures to follow once the process has commenced and you will need to be guided by your lawyer throughout the formalities.

Armthorpe property with a lease extension has roughly the same value as a freehold

Leasehold premises in Armthorpe with in excess of 100 years outstanding 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 premises. In such situations there is often little upside in purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges merit it.

Lending institutions may decide not to finance a property on a short lease

Whether or not the lease is be regarded as a short lease varies by mortgage company, yet mortgage lenders start to become concerned at around 75 years. This may cause difficulties once you need to market or remortgage your property as it will be practically unmortgageable. You might have no immediate plan to sell but when you do your buyer must hold off for two years before being able to commence the legal procedures for a lease extension.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

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% 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 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.
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
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

Why use us for your lease extension in Armthorpe?

Lease extensions in Armthorpe can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help 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 in-depth market knowledge dealing with Armthorpe lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Armthorpe Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Isaac, Armthorpe, South Yorkshire,

Isaac was the the leasehold owner of a conversion flat in Armthorpe on the market with a lease of a few days over 61 years outstanding. Isaac on an informal basis approached his landlord a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The landlord was prepared to grant an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of a rise in the rent to £50 per annum. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Isaac to exercise his statutory right. Isaac procured expert legal guidance and secured satisfactory deal without going to tribunal and ending up with a market value flat.

Armthorpe case:

Last Summer we were contacted by Dr R Ramírez , who was assigned a lease of a one bedroom flat in Armthorpe in April 2003. The dilemma was if we could approximate the premium could be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparable properties in Armthorpe with 100 year plus lease were worth £255,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £50 collected per annum. The lease finished in 2097. Taking into account 71 years left we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of fees.

Armthorpe case:

Last Christmas we were contacted by Mr Jasper Morgan , who bought a garden flat in Armthorpe in October 2002. The question was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be for a ninety year lease extension. Similar residencies in Armthorpe with a long lease were in the region of £254,200. The average amount of ground rent was £60 billed yearly. The lease came to a finish on 10 June 2077. Given that there were 51 years outstanding we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £43,700 and £50,600 not including legals.