Cinderford Lease Extension - Free Consultation

Before you progress with your lease extension in Cinderford
Get a quote from one of our lease extension experts with over 20 years experience.

Let them guide you for FREE on the various options available to you.

It may end up saving you thousands.

Top reasons for Cinderford lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Cinderford leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The market value of a leasehold property in Cinderford is impacted by how many years the lease has left to run. If it is close to or less than 80 years you should envisage difficulties on re-sale, so it is advisable to arrange for a lease extension ahead of buying. Ideally one should start the process of extending the lease is when the lease still has 82 years to run so that formalities can be concluded ahead of the eighty year mark. Leasehold Reform legislation enables Cinderford qualifying lessees to acquire a new lease which will be for the balance of the existing lease plus a supplemental term of ninety years. The purpose of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the sum payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is generally accepted that a property with more than one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.

Banks and Building Societies may not loan monies with a short lease

Banks and Building Societies have set criteria when lending monies secured on leasehold homes. Some will simply refuse lend at all once the residual lease term goes beneath a specified unexpired lease term. Many Mortgage lenders will not regard property with an unexpired term of less than seventy years as acceptable security. As well as impacting your ability to sell, it is also relevant if you are intending to remortgage your Cinderford home.

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.
Chelsea 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.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.
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

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

Lease extensions in Cinderford can be a difficult process. We recommend you get guidance from a conveyancing solicitor and valuer well versed in the legislation and lease extension process.

We provide you with an expert from a selection of lease extension solicitors, which ensures a targeted and efficient service as you have a dedicated port of call with an individual lawyer. Our lease extension solicitors have a wealth of experience dealing with Cinderford lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Cinderford Lease Extension Example Cases:

Riley, Cinderford, Gloucestershire

Half a year ago Riley, started to get near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his one bedroom flat in Cinderford. Having bought his flat two decades ago, the lease term was of no concern. As luck would have it, it dawned on him that he needed to take steps soon on a lease extension. Riley arranged for a lease extension just under the wire last July. Riley and the freeholder via the management company in the end settled on an amount of £5,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the amount would have escalated by at least £975.

Cinderford case:

Last May we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. O Laurent , who took over the lease of a one bedroom apartment in Cinderford in May 2007. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Similar flats in Cinderford with a long lease were valued about £255,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 invoiced quarterly. The lease came to a finish in 2095. Taking into account 71 years left we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £9,500 and £11,000 plus legals.

Cinderford case:

Mr and Mrs. G Bertrand acquired a newly refurbished apartment in Cinderford in September 1999. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price could be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparable properties in Cinderford with an extended lease were valued about £254,200. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 billed annually. The lease end date was on 8 August 2075. Having 51 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £43,700 and £50,600 exclusive of fees.