Stop! Your Lease Extension in Barking Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Barking 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 Barking 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 commence your Barking lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Barking lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Barking property value

The only way is down when it comes to Barking lease terms. Barking flats that have a lease term fewer than 80 years will de-escalate in value even faster, and the cost to extend your lease will go up.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold properties in Barking with over 100 years left on the lease are often regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such circumstances there is often little upside in purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and service charges warrant it.

Mortgage lenders may not issue a mortgage on a short lease

Most banks have constrained their lending criteria in the last ten years and borrowers are finding it increasingly difficult to raise finance or re-mortgage against property with shorter lease terms, particularly below 75 years as they are considered to be insufficient security.

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

Why use us for your lease extension in Barking?

Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Barking,the lease extension lawyers that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Barking valuers.

Barking Lease Extension Example Cases:

Harvey, Barking, Essex

Last year Harvey, came critically near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his garden apartment in Barking. In buying his flat two decades ago, the lease term was of minimal concern. by good luck, he became aware that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Harvey was able to extend his lease just in the nick of time last January. Harvey and the freeholder via the managing agents ultimately agreed on sum of £6,000 . If the lease had slipped lower than eighty years, the premium would have become more costly by at least £1,100.

Barking case:

Last Spring we were e-mailed by Mrs K Johnson , who completed a ground floor apartment in Barking in September 2004. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would likely be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable homes in Barking with a long lease were valued around £232,800. The average amount of ground rent was £45 billed quarterly. The lease ran out on 27 January 2091. Taking into account 65 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £13,300 and £15,400 not including costs.

Decision in Newham

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Barking premises is 240 Strone Road in January 2014. the tribunal held that the price to be paid for the freehold interest was£23,538 of which£13,017 is attributable to the ground floor flat and £10,521 to the first floor flat. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 65.5 years.