Stop! Your Lease Extension in Garstang Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Garstang 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 Garstang 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 Garstang lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Garstang property value

As the the remaining lease term of a Garstang residential lease decreases so does its value and therefore the value of your property. If the lease has, in excess of 99 years remaining then this decrease may be of little impact however there will become a point in time when a lease has fewer than eighty years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could be significant. It is the main rational as to why you should extend the lease sooner rather than later. Many flat owners in Garstang will meet the qualifying criteria; nevertheless a conveyancing solicitor can confirm whether you are eligible for a lease extension. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have owned the property for under two years.

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be worth the same as a freehold for many years ahead.

Mortgage lenders may decide not to lend on a short lease

Mortgage companies are inclined not grant a mortgage on short residential leases. You are likely to experience problems if you need to sell your flat in Garstang if the unexpired term of your lease is less than the criteria set by most mortgage companies. Different mortgage companies have different criteria but generally theyrequire a minimum remaining lease term of 65 years.

Lender Requirement
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.
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.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.

For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 75 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset of the mortgage.
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 Garstang?

Using our service will provide you enhanced control over the value of your Garstang leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in relation to the lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with have a wealth of experience of handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Garstang Lease Extension Example Cases:

Daniel, Garstang, Lancashire

Two years ago Daniel, came critically close to the 80-year threshold with the lease on his leasehold flat in Garstang. Having bought his flat two decades ago, the length of the lease was of no concern. by good luck, he became aware that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Daniel extended the lease at the eleventh hour last March. Daniel and the freeholder subsequently agreed on a premium of £6,000 . If he not met the deadline, the amount would have gone up by a minimum £975.

Garstang case:

Ms F Johnson purchased a purpose-built flat in Garstang in July 2008. We are asked if we could approximate the premium could be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable properties in Garstang with a long lease were worth £295,000. The average ground rent payable was £45 billed annually. The lease came to a finish on 6 September 2100. Taking into account 74 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus legals.

Garstang case:

Mrs B Allen purchased a first floor apartment in Garstang in July 2006. The dilemma was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord would likely be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Similar flats in Garstang with a long lease were in the region of £248,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £65 collected quarterly. The lease ran out on 6 August 2089. Having 63 years remaining we estimated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional charges.