Stop! Your Lease Extension in Cleveleys Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Cleveleys 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 Cleveleys 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 Cleveleys lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Cleveleys property value

There is no doubt about it a leasehold flat or house in Cleveleys is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. Where the residual term has, beyond 100 years to run then this decrease may be fractional nevertheless there will become a stage when a lease has under than eighty years left as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could increase sharply the cost. It is the main rational as to why you should extend the lease without delay. Most flat owners in Cleveleys will qualify for this right; nevertheless a conveyancer will be able to advise whether you qualify to extend your lease. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

It is conventional wisdom that a property with in excess of one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to any lease with more than 30 years unexpired, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Lending institutions may decide not to finance a property with a short lease

Mortgage lenders have set criteria when loaning monies secured on leasehold homes. Some will simply refrain from lending at all once an unexpired lease term falls below a certain unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not consider property with a remaining term of less than 75 years as acceptable security. As well as this being important when selling, it is also relevant where you are wanting to remortgage your Cleveleys property.

Lender Requirement
Accord Mortgages 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.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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
TSB Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption.
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

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.

What makes us experts in Cleveleys lease extensions?

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

Cleveleys Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Melissa, Cleveleys, Lancashire,

Off the back of lengthy negotiations with the freeholder of her one bedroom flat in Cleveleys, Melissa initiated the lease extension process as the eighty year mark was rapidly approaching. The legal work was finalised in November 2011. The landlord’s fees were negotiated to under 600 pounds.

Cleveleys case:

Last Winter we were e-mailed by Dr G Baker , who owned a newly refurbished apartment in Cleveleys in May 1996. The question was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar residencies in Cleveleys with 100 year plus lease were worth £270,000. The average amount of ground rent was £55 invoiced per annum. The lease concluded on 9 June 2101. Considering the 75 years remaining we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of legals.

Cleveleys case:

Dr Theo Jackson purchased a garden flat in Cleveleys in April 1995. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Identical homes in Cleveleys with a long lease were in the region of £168,800. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 billed quarterly. The lease lapsed on 1 April 2081. Having 55 years unexpired we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £31,400 and £36,200 exclusive of legals.