Stop! Your Lease Extension in Fulwood and Elston Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Fulwood and Elston 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 Fulwood and Elston 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 Fulwood and Elston lease extension


Why you should commence your Fulwood and Elston lease extension today:

A Fulwood and Elston lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

On the balance of probabilities where you own a flat in Fulwood and Elston you actually own a long leasehold interest over your property

Fulwood and Elston property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

It is generally considered that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years unexpired, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Lenders will not lend on a short lease

Most mortgage companies insist on a lengthy amount of time remaining on a leasehold property before they will contemplate providing a mortgage on it. Regardless of whether you need a mortgage, you should be aware that it is reasonable to assume that someone intending to purchase your property in the future might well do, so where they can't secure a mortgage, then the market price of the property could be adversely impacted. In the last decade most mortgage lenders have increased the required minimum lease length that they are willing to lend on

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.
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Chelsea 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.
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.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

Why use us for your lease extension in Fulwood and Elston?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Fulwood and Elston,the lease extension experts that we work with will always be willing to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their in-depth market knowledge and the close ties they enjoy with Fulwood and Elston valuers.

Fulwood and Elston Lease Extension Case Studies:

Jonathan, Fulwood and Elston, Lancashire,

Jonathan was the the leasehold owner of a 2 bedroom apartment in Fulwood and Elston being marketed with a lease of a few days over 59 years left. Jonathan informally spoke with his landlord a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder was keen to grant an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to an increased rent to £50 yearly. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Jonathan to exercise his statutory right. Jonathan obtained expert legal guidance and secured an acceptable resolution without going to tribunal and sell the property.

Fulwood and Elston case:

Mr L Hall acquired a basement flat in Fulwood and Elston in November 2004. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Identical residencies in Fulwood and Elston with an extended lease were worth £242,600. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £45 billed yearly. The lease ran out in 2093. Given that there were 67 years as a residual term we estimated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £11,400 and £13,200 not including costs.

Fulwood and Elston case:

In 2013 we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. T Sharif who, having acquired a one bedroom apartment in Fulwood and Elston in May 2007. We are asked if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Similar homes in Fulwood and Elston with an extended lease were worth £280,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £55 collected monthly. The lease finished in 2104. Having 78 years unexpired we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £13,300 and £15,400 plus expenses.