Stop! Your Lease Extension in Havering Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Havering 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 Havering 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 Havering lease extension


Why you should start your Havering lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Havering property value

Havering leases on domestic deteriorating in value. Where your lease has about 90 years remaining, you should start thinking about a lease extension. 80 years is a significant number: when the remaining term of a lease dips below this level then you begin incurring an additional element called marriage value. Leasehold owners in Havering will usually qualify for a lease extension; however a solicitor should be able check if you qualify. In certain situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict timetables and formalities to follow once the process has commenced so it’s wise to be guided by a conveyancing solicitor during the process.

Havering property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold residencies in Havering with in excess of 100 years unexpired on the lease are sometimes regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your premises. In such situations there is often little to be gained by purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and service charges justify it.

Lending institutions may not grant a mortgage on a short lease

The propensity since 2008 has been for lenders to tighten lending requirements generally - this has extended to the types of security over which the home loan is to be charged. This has resulted in the unexpired lease term required by banks has increased. In the past banks were content with twenty years plus the term of the loan - routinely 50 year leases but those requirements are being increasingly undermined by the requirement for lengthy leases - many now have a minimum term of 75 years as standard.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Skipton Building Society 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage

For Buy to Let cases:
- lettings must not breach any of the lessee’s covenants; and
- consent of the lessor to lettings must be obtained if necessary
TSB Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption.
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.

What makes us experts in Havering lease extensions?

Engaging our service will provide you better control over the value of your Havering leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in respect of lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Havering Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Leon, Havering, London

Last October Leon, started to get near to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his ground floor flat in Havering. In buying his property two decades ago, the unexpired term was of no concern. Luckily, it dawned on him that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Leon arranged for a lease extension just under the wire last May. Leon and the freeholder eventually agreed on the final figure of £5,000 . If the lease had gone lower than eighty years, the premium would have increased by at least £1,025.

Havering case:

Last Summer we were called by Mr F Young , who owned a first floor apartment in Havering in April 1995. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium could be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparative residencies in Havering with a long lease were worth £205,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 invoiced every twelve months. The lease came to a finish on 13 November 2105. Taking into account 79 years as a residual term we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £8,600 and £9,800 not including fees.

Decision in Havering

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Havering flat is 37 Lodge Court High Street in November 2013. the decision of the LVT was that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £25,559 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 57.5 years.