Stop! Your Lease Extension in Corsham Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Corsham 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 Corsham 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 Corsham lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Corsham lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Corsham leases on domestic deteriorating in value. Where your lease has in the region of ninety years left, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. It is important to recognise that it is that it is financially advisable for the lease extension to be in place before the term of the current lease falls under 80 years - otherwise a higher premium will be due. Leasehold owners in Corsham will mostly be legally entitled to a lease extension; however It would be wise to check with a lawyer to check your eligibility. In some situations you may not qualify. There are also strict timetables and steps to follow once the process is initiated so it’s sensible to be guided by a conveyancer during the process.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with more than one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 35 years remaining, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Mortgage lenders will not loan monies on a short lease

Banks and building societies do not like short residential leases. You are likely to experience difficulties where you wish to sell your flat in Corsham if the unexpired lease term is under the criteria set by most banks and building societies. Different mortgage companies have varying criteria but in the main theyrequire an unexpired term of at least seventy years.

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.
Godiva Mortgages 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.
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.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

Why use us for your lease extension in Corsham?

The conveyancers that we work with handle Corsham lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The conveyancer we work with provide it.

Corsham Lease Extension Example Cases:

Leon, Corsham, Wiltshire

18 months ago Leon, started to get near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his purpose- built flat in Corsham. Having bought his property twenty years previously, the length of the lease was of no importance. As luck would have it, he noticed he would imminently be paying an inflated amount for a lease extension. Leon extended the lease just under the wire in March. Leon and the freeholder via the managing agents subsequently settled on a premium of £6,000 . If he failed to meet the deadline, the sum would have increased by at least £1,050.

Corsham case:

In 2012 we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. I Hernández who, having moved into a one bedroom flat in Corsham in June 1999. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar properties in Corsham with an extended lease were worth £248,000. The average ground rent payable was £65 invoiced every twelve months. The lease elapsed on 15 May 2089. Given that there were 63 years remaining we approximated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £20,000 and £23,000 plus costs.

Corsham case:

In 2013 we were approached by Dr Sarah Brown who, having bought a garden flat in Corsham in February 2008. The question was if we could approximate the price would likely be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Identical premises in Corsham with a long lease were worth £181,600. The average ground rent payable was £55 collected every twelve months. The lease finished in 2078. Given that there were 52 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £30,400 and £35,200 not including costs.