Stop! Your Lease Extension in Cleobury Mortimer Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Cleobury Mortimer 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 Cleobury Mortimer 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.

Why you should start your Cleobury Mortimer lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Cleobury Mortimer lease extension today:

A Cleobury Mortimer leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Cleobury Mortimer leases on residential properties are gradually losing value. Where your lease has about ninety years remaining, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. 80 years is a significant number: when the unexpired term of a lease dips below this level then you start incurring an additional element called marriage value. Flat owners in Cleobury Mortimer will usually qualify for a lease extension; however it’s a good idea to check with a conveyancer to check if you qualify. In some situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict deadlines and steps to follow once the process is initiated so it’s sensible to be guided by a conveyancing solicitor during the process.

Cleobury Mortimer property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold premises in Cleobury Mortimer with over one hundred years unexpired on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your premises. In such situations there is often little to be gained by purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.

Mortgage lenders may not loan monies on a short lease

Mortgage companies do not like short residential leases. You most probably experience problems where you need to sell your flat in Cleobury Mortimer if the unexpired term of your lease is below the criteria set by most mortgage companies. Different lenders have different criteria but on the whole they are looking for an unexpired term of at least 65 years.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Coventry Building Society A minimum of 70 years unexpired lease at completion for all scheme types apart from Lifetime Mortgages (Equity Release), which require a minimum unexpired term of 80 years at completion.
Halifax 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.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

What makes us experts in Cleobury Mortimer lease extensions?

Lease extensions in Cleobury Mortimer can be a difficult process. We recommend you secure professional help from a lawyer and surveyor with experience in this area.

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 in-depth market knowledge dealing with Cleobury Mortimer lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Cleobury Mortimer Lease Extension Example Cases:

Tommy, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire

Half a year ago Tommy, came perilously near to the 80-year threshold with the lease on his purpose- built apartment in Cleobury Mortimer. In buying his home two decades ago, the length of the lease was of little interest. As luck would have it, it dawned on him that he would imminently be paying way over the odds for a lease extension. Tommy extended the lease just ahead of time last July. Tommy and the landlord in the end settled on a premium of £5,500 . If he had missed the deadline, the premium would have increased by a minimum £1,100.

Cleobury Mortimer case:

Dr Oliver Bell moved into a one bedroom apartment in Cleobury Mortimer in May 2010. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price would likely be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparative flats in Cleobury Mortimer with an extended lease were in the region of £243,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £65 invoiced monthly. The lease ended on 17 February 2089. Considering the 63 years outstanding we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £20,000 and £23,000 plus expenses.

Cleobury Mortimer case:

Last year we were contacted by Mr W Rose , who owned a ground floor apartment in Cleobury Mortimer in November 2007. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord could be to extend the lease by ninety years. Identical homes in Cleobury Mortimer with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £181,600. The average amount of ground rent was £55 billed monthly. The lease expired in 2078. Taking into account 52 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £30,400 and £35,200 exclusive of professional charges.