Stop! Your Lease Extension in Grappenhall Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Grappenhall 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 Grappenhall 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 Grappenhall lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Grappenhall leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The re-sale value of a leasehold property in Grappenhall depends on how long the lease has remaining. If it is close to or fewer than eighty years you should anticipate difficulties on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for a lease extension ahead of buying. It is preferable to commence the lease extension process when the lease still has 82 years remaining so that all matters can be addressed well before the 80 year threshold. Current legislation entitles Grappenhall qualifying lessees to obtain a lease extension of ninety years in addition to the remaining lease term at a peppercorn rent (that is, rent free). The purpose of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the amount payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the acquisition of the lease extension.

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

Leasehold residencies in Grappenhall with over one hundred years outstanding on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such situations there is often little to be gained by purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and estate charges justify it.

Lenders may not loan monies on a short lease

Banks and building societies are really clamping down as regards to homes in Grappenhall with short leases. For instance you might discover that their lending requirements are stricter and that they alter interest rates depending on how many years are left on the lease. Some may even refrain from lending completely, so if you wanted to sell, your only options would be to find a cash buyer, or hope for the best at auction thus reducing the amount of prospective purchasers.

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

What makes us experts in Grappenhall lease extensions?

Engaging our service will provide you better control over the value of your Grappenhall leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in terms of lease length should you wish to sell. The conveyancers that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Grappenhall Lease Extension Case Studies:

Hannah, Grappenhall, Cheshire,

Subsequent to protracted negotiations with the landlord of her two bedroom apartment in Grappenhall, Hannah initiated the lease extension process just as her lease was coming close to the crucial eighty-year mark. The transaction was finalised in August 2014. The landlord’s costs were kept to an absolute minimum.

Grappenhall case:

Dr Samuel Fournier owned a newly refurbished apartment in Grappenhall in May 2000. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparable residencies in Grappenhall with 100 year plus lease were worth £191,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 billed per annum. The lease termination date was on 13 January 2084. Given that there were 58 years outstanding we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £23,800 and £27,400 exclusive of professional charges.

Grappenhall case:

Dr F Vincent bought a first floor apartment in Grappenhall in March 2004. We are asked if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Identical residencies in Grappenhall with a long lease were in the region of £250,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 billed monthly. The lease elapsed on 24 September 2095. Taking into account 69 years left we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional charges.