Stop! Your Lease Extension in Bodelwyddan Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Bodelwyddan 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 Bodelwyddan 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 commence your Bodelwyddan lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

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

The re-sale value of a leasehold property in Bodelwyddan is impacted by how many years the lease has remaining. If it is close to or fewer than eighty years you should foresee difficulties on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for a lease extension prior to buying. It is ideal to start the lease extension process when a lease still has 82 years to run so that a lease extension can be concluded prior to the eighty year cut off point. Statute entitles Bodelwyddan qualifying lessees to an additional term of 90 years in addition to the remaining term, at a nominal rent (no ground rent). The purpose of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the amount payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the acquisition of the lease extension.

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

It is generally accepted that a property with more than one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Banks and Building Societies may decide not to lend on a short lease

Banks and building societies are really clamping down as regards to homes in Bodelwyddan with short leases. For instance you may find that their lending requirements are stricter and that they adjust interest rates depending on the unexpired lease term. Some may even refrain from lending completely, so where you wanted to sell, your remaining options would be to find a cash buyer, or try your luck at auction thus limiting your market.

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.
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date 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.
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.

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

The lawyers that we work with handle Bodelwyddan 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.

Bodelwyddan Lease Extension Case Studies:

Rory, Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire,

Rory was the the leasehold owner of a studio flat in Bodelwyddan being marketed with a lease of just over 72 years left. Rory informally contacted his landlord a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder was keen to agree an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to an increased rent to £50 yearly. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Rory to exercise his statutory right. Rory obtained expert advice and was able to make a more informed decision and deal with the matter and readily saleable.

Bodelwyddan case:

In 2011 we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. H Dupont who, having bought a first floor flat in Bodelwyddan in August 2011. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparable homes in Bodelwyddan with an extended lease were valued around £250,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 collected every twelve months. The lease ran out on 15 March 2095. Having 69 years outstanding we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional charges.

Bodelwyddan case:

Ms S Brown acquired a one bedroom apartment in Bodelwyddan in September 2005. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would be to extend the lease by an additional years. Identical flats in Bodelwyddan with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £285,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 billed every twelve months. The lease lapsed in 2106. Given that there were 80 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £12,400 and £14,200 plus legals.