Stop! Your Lease Extension in Chesterton Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Chesterton 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 Chesterton 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.

Top reasons for Chesterton lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Chesterton property value

Chesterton leases on residential deteriorating in value. if your lease has about 90 years unexpired, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. If lease term is under eighty 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 your landlord. Marriage value is the amount of extra value that a lease extension will add to the property. Flat owners in Chesterton will usually be legally entitled to a lease extension; however a solicitor will confirm your eligibility. In some circumstances you may not be entitled. There are prescribed timetables and procedures to comply with once the process has started so it’s prudent to be guided by a lawyer during the process.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is generally accepted that a property with over 100 years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to any lease with more than 35 years unexpired, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

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

Many banks and building societies require a lengthy amount of time remaining on any leasehold property before they will contemplate it as adequate security. Regardless of whether you need a mortgage, you should bear in mind that it is likely that someone wishing to purchase your property in the future might well do, so if they can't secure a mortgage, then the financial worth of your property could be adversely impacted. Since 2008 the majority of mortgage lenders have increased the required minimum lease length that they are prepared to accept

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

Why use us for your lease extension in Chesterton?

Retaining our service will provide you better control over the value of your Chesterton leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in respect 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.

Chesterton Lease Extension Example Cases:

Jacob, Chesterton, Staffordshire

Last Christmas Jacob, came dangerously near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his garden apartment in Chesterton. Having bought his flat twenty years ago, the lease term was of no interest. by good luck, he noticed he would imminently be paying an escalated premium for a lease extension. Jacob arranged for a lease extension at the eleventh hour last May. Jacob and the freeholder ultimately agreed on a premium of £5,500 . If the lease had fallen below 80 years, the figure would have gone up by a minimum £975.

Chesterton case:

Mr and Mrs. B Lee completed a first floor flat in Chesterton in January 2005. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would likely be for a 90 year lease extension. Identical premises in Chesterton with 100 year plus lease were valued about £275,000. The average ground rent payable was £45 invoiced monthly. The lease termination date was in 2095. Considering the 69 years outstanding we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus legals.

Chesterton case:

Mr and Mrs. R Stewart moved into a purpose-built flat in Chesterton in January 2001. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparable properties in Chesterton with 100 year plus lease were valued about £216,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced every twelve months. The lease concluded on 18 October 2084. Considering the 58 years unexpired we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £28,500 and £33,000 exclusive of legals.