Stop! Your Lease Extension in Blackfen Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Blackfen 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 Blackfen 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 Blackfen lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Blackfen lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The re-sale value of a leasehold property in Blackfen depends on how long the lease has remaining. If it is near to or fewer than eighty years you should expect difficulties 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 a lease still has 82 years remaining so that a lease extension can be concluded ahead of the eighty year cut off point. Current legislation enables Blackfen qualifying lessees to a 90 year extension added to their unexpired lease term (ie if your lease has fifty years left the statutory lease extension will provide a new term of 140 years). The intention of the valuation is to determine the sum payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

Leasehold properties in Blackfen with in excess of 100 years unexpired on the lease are sometimes regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such circumstances there is often little upside in purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and service charges merit it.

Banks and Building Societies may not finance a property on a short lease

Mortgage lenders have specific criteria when lending funds charged on leasehold property. Many will simply refrain from lending at all once the remaining lease term falls below a specified unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not consider property with a remaining term of less than 75 years as adequate security. As well as this being important when selling, it is also relevant where you are wanting to remortgage your Blackfen property.

Lender Requirement
Barclays plc Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage are not acceptable.

Leases with fewer than 70 years should only be referred to the issuing office where the following scenario applies, as discretion may be applied subject to bank approval:

• Property is located in any of the following prestigious developments: Cadogan, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Portman or Wellcome Trust Estates in Central London AND
• The value of the property subject to the short remaining term is £500,000 or more AND
• The loan to value does not exceed 90% for purchases, 90% like for like re-mortgages, 80% for re-mortgages with any element of capital raising and 80% for existing Barclays mortgage borrowers applying for additional borrowing;
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.

For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 75 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset of the mortgage.
TSB Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

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

Engaging our service gives you enhanced control over the value of your Blackfen leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Blackfen Lease Extension Case Studies:

Courtney, Blackfen, South East London,

Off the back of lengthy correspondence with the landlord of her purpose-built flat in Blackfen, Courtney started the lease extension process just as the lease was approaching the all-important 80-year mark. The lease extension was concluded in September 2015. The freeholder’s costs were kept to an absolute minimum.

Blackfen case:

Ms T Nelson bought a garden flat in Blackfen in July 2009. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price could be to extend the lease by ninety years. Identical premises in Blackfen with a long lease were in the region of £235,200. The mid-range ground rent payable was £45 collected yearly. The lease ran out on 24 July 2092. Given that there were 66 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £12,400 and £14,200 exclusive of fees.

Decision in Greenwich

An example of a Lease Extension case for a Blackfen premises is 103a Footscray Road in January 2014. The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the extended lease should be £34,500 according to the expert witness valuation calculation This case affected 1 flat.