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Why you should start your Carlisle lease extension


Why you should commence your Carlisle lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Carlisle property value

Unfortunately that a Carlisle residential lease is a deteriorating asset. The lease value reduces in proportion to its lease length. The extent of this is taken for granted in the first few years due to the loss of value being disguised by increases in the Carlisle property market.Where your lease has approximately ninety years left, you should start thinking about a lease extension. If lease term drops under 80 years, you will end up paying half of the property's 'marriage value' in addition to 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 Most leasehold owners in Carlisle will be able to extend under the legislation; however a lawyer should be able to confirm if you are eligibility. In some situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict deadlines and procedures to follow once the process is instigated and you will need to be guided by your conveyancer throughout the process.

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

Leasehold properties in Carlisle with over one hundred years remaining 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 property. In such situations there is often little upside in purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and service charges warrant it.

Mortgage lenders may not lend on a short lease

Mortgage lenders have specific criteria when lending monies secured on leasehold homes. Many will simply refuse lend at all once an unexpired lease term slips below a certain unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not consider property with a remaining term of less than 75 years suitable security. As well as this being important when selling, it is also relevant where you are intending to remortgage your Carlisle property.

Lender Requirement
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Halifax 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.
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

What makes us experts in Carlisle lease extensions?

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

Carlisle Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Jessica, Carlisle, Cumbria,

Following protracted correspondence with the landlord of her basement apartment in Carlisle, Jessica commenced the lease extension process just as her lease was nearing the all-important 80-year deadline. The lease extension completed in August 2009. The freeholder’s fees were kept to an absolute minimum.

Carlisle case:

Mr and Mrs. I Thomas acquired a garden apartment in Carlisle in February 1995. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Comparable residencies in Carlisle with a long lease were in the region of £198,800. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 invoiced annually. The lease concluded in 2080. Considering the 55 years left we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £33,300 and £38,400 exclusive of expenses.

Carlisle case:

In 2009 we were phoned by Mr and Mrs. J Walker who, having bought a garden apartment in Carlisle in May 1997. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would likely be to extend the lease by 90 years. Comparable premises in Carlisle with a long lease were valued around £295,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 invoiced per annum. The lease ended in 2100. Having 75 years outstanding we calculated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus fees.