Stop! Your Lease Extension in Burnham On Crouch Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Burnham On Crouch 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 Burnham On Crouch 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 Burnham On Crouch lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Burnham On Crouch property value

It’s an underpublicised truth that a Burnham On Crouch residential lease is a deteriorating asset. The lease value reduces in proportion to its lease length. The extent of this is not fully appreciated in the first few years due to the deflation being disguised by increases in the Burnham On Crouch property prices.Where your lease has approximately 90 years left, you need to start considering a lease extension. If lease term drops below 80 years, you will then be required to pay 50% of the property's 'marriage value' on top of the usual cost of the lease extension to the landlord. The marriage fee is the amount of additional value that a lease extension will add the property The majority of leasehold owners in Burnham On Crouch will be able to extend under the legislation; however a conveyancing solicitor should be able to confirm whether you qualify for an extension. In some cases you may not be entitled. There are also strict timeframes and procedures to follow once the process has commenced and you will need to be guided by your conveyancing solicitor throughout the process.

Burnham On Crouch property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold properties in Burnham On Crouch with over one hundred years left 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 to be gained by purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.

Lending institutions may not lend with a short lease

Mortgage companies do not like short residential leases. You most probably encounter problems where you need to sell your flat in Burnham On Crouch if the remaining term of your lease is below the criteria set by the majority of lenders. Different mortgage companies have varying requirements but in the main theyrequire an unexpired term of at least 65 years.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Burnham On Crouch?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Burnham On Crouch,the lease extension solicitors 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 Burnham On Crouch valuers.

Burnham On Crouch Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Leon, Burnham On Crouch, Essex

Last year Leon, came seriously close to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his ground floor apartment in Burnham On Crouch. In buying his home two decades ago, the lease term was of little bearing. Fortunately, it dawned on him that he needed to take steps soon on a lease extension. Leon extended the lease just ahead of time last April. Leon and the landlord who owned the flat above eventually agreed on sum of £5,000 . If he not met the deadline, the premium would have escalated by at least £975.

Burnham On Crouch case:

Mr U Petit owned a studio flat in Burnham On Crouch in May 2008. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparative premises in Burnham On Crouch with a long lease were valued around £245,000. The average ground rent payable was £45 collected monthly. The lease expired on 1 February 2094. Considering the 68 years outstanding we approximated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £9,500 and £11,000 not including costs.

Burnham On Crouch case:

Last month we were contacted by Dr Y Alexander , who took over the lease of a studio flat in Burnham On Crouch in March 1996. The dilemma was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar residencies in Burnham On Crouch with a long lease were worth £280,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 invoiced annually. The lease end date was in 2105. Having 79 years left we calculated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £13,300 and £15,400 not including costs.