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Main reasons to commence your Cubitt Town lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Cubitt Town lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Cubitt Town property value

Cubitt Town leases on residential deteriorating in value. if your lease has about ninety years unexpired, you should start considering the need for a lease extension. If lease term falls under eighty years, you will then be required to pay half of the property's 'marriage value' on top of the standard 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 Cubitt Town will usually be legally entitled to a lease extension; however It would be wise to check with a conveyancing solicitor to confirm your eligibility. In some cases you may not qualify. There are prescribed timetables and formalities to follow once the process is triggered so it’s sensible to be guided by a conveyancer during the process.

Cubitt Town property with a lease extension has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with over 100 years remaining is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 45 years remaining, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Lenders may not grant a mortgage with a short lease

Mortgage lenders are less likely to give a loan offer on a residential property in Cubitt Town with a short lease. Many lenders simply refuse a mortgage on leases with below 75 years left.

Lender Requirement
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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

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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Cubitt Town?

Lease extensions in Cubitt Town can be a difficult process. We recommend you obtain guidance 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 Cubitt Town lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Cubitt Town Lease Extension Example Cases:

John, Cubitt Town, London

Last year John, started to get near to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his ground floor apartment in Cubitt Town. Having purchased his home 18 years previously, the length of the lease was of no importance. Luckily, it dawned on him that he would imminently be paying an inflated amount for Extending the lease. John arranged for a lease extension at the eleventh hour last September. John and the landlord eventually agreed on a premium of £5,500 . If the lease had descended lower than eighty years, the sum would have gone up by a minimum £1,025.

Cubitt Town case:

Mrs L Richardson moved into a ground floor flat in Cubitt Town in January 1998. The question was if we could estimate the premium would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Similar properties in Cubitt Town with 100 year plus lease were valued around £267,600. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £65 billed quarterly. The lease lapsed in 2092. Having 67 years unexpired we approximated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £14,300 and £16,400 exclusive of costs.

Decision in Southwark

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Cubitt Town flat is 12, 14 & 16 Hull Close in May 2010. the Tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold to the subject premises was the sum of £18,300 This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 101.61 years.