Stop! Your Lease Extension in Dockland Settlement Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Dockland Settlement 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 Dockland Settlement 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.

Main reasons to commence your Dockland Settlement lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Dockland Settlement leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

When it comes to domestic leasehold property in Dockland Settlement, you are actually purchasing a right to live in a property for a set period of time. Modern flat leases are usually granted for 99 years or 125. Even though this may appear like a long period of time, you may consider extending the lease sooner as opposed to later. Accepted thinking is that the shorter the lease is the cost of extending the lease gets disproportionately greater particularly once there are fewer than eighty years left. Anyone in Dockland Settlement with a lease approaching 81 years left should seriously consider extending it without delay. Once a lease has under eighty years left, under the relevant Act the landlord is entitled to calculate and demand a greater premium, based on a technical calculation, known as “marriage value” which is due.

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

Leasehold properties in Dockland Settlement with over one hundred years unexpired on the lease are sometimes referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such circumstances there is often little upside in buying the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and estate charges merit it.

Mortgage lenders may decide not to loan monies on a short lease

Banks and Building Societies have specific criteria when loaning funds secured on leasehold homes. Many will simply refuse lend at all once the remaining lease term goes beneath a specified unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not regard property with an unexpired below seventy years suitable security. In addition to this being important when selling, it is also relevant where you are seeking to refinance your Dockland Settlement property.

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.
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.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage.
Yorkshire 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.

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

The conveyancers that we work with undertake Dockland Settlement 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.

Dockland Settlement Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Abigail, Dockland Settlement, London,

Off the back of protracted negotiations with the landlord of her basement flat in Dockland Settlement, Abigail initiated the lease extension process as the 80 year deadline was quickly nearing. The lease extension was finalised in February 2008. The freeholder’s fees were kept to an absolute minimum.

Dockland Settlement case:

Dr N Bernard moved into a first floor flat in Dockland Settlement in November 2008. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Similar properties in Dockland Settlement with 100 year plus lease were valued about £183,600. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected yearly. The lease came to a finish on 22 April 2083. Given that there were 57 years unexpired we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £28,500 and £33,000 exclusive of legals.

Decision in Lewisham

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Dockland Settlement residence is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 72 years.