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Top reasons for Heysham lease extension


Why you should start your Heysham lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Heysham property value

There is no doubt about it a leasehold property in Heysham is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. If the residual term has, beyond one hundred years remaining then this decrease may be fractional that being said there will become a point in time when a lease has less than eighty years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value. This could increase markedly the cost. It is the primary rational as to why you should extend the lease without delay. Many flat owners in Heysham will qualify for this right; however a conveyancer 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 not been the owner of the property for two years.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold properties in Heysham with in excess of one hundred years left on the lease are sometimes referred to as ‘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 upside in purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges merit it.

Lending institutions may decide not to grant a mortgage on a short lease

Most high street banks are making their criteria more stringent and many now want flats to have a minimum of sixty if not seventy years remaining at the expiry of the mortgage. As plenty of flats in Heysham were created in the fifties, sixties and seventies as a result many now require lease extensions if they if they are to be mortgageable.

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.
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.
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
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.

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

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

Heysham Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Milo, Heysham, Lancashire,

Milo owned a high value flat in Heysham on the market with a lease of just over fifty eight years left. Milo on an informal basis approached his freeholder being a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder was keen to give an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of an increased rent to £125 annually. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Milo to invoke his statutory right. Milo obtained expert legal guidance and secured satisfactory resolution without going to tribunal and ending up with a market value flat.

Heysham case:

Last year we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. H Williams , who acquired a ground floor flat in Heysham in February 1998. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would likely be to prolong the lease by an additional years. Similar properties in Heysham with a long lease were valued around £210,600. The average ground rent payable was £45 collected per annum. The lease came to a finish on 25 February 2087. Considering the 62 years unexpired we calculated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £18,100 and £20,800 exclusive of expenses.

Heysham case:

Mr and Mrs. S Morgan purchased a one bedroom apartment in Heysham in March 1999. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative properties in Heysham with 100 year plus lease were worth £265,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 invoiced quarterly. The lease ran out in 2098. Having 73 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of costs.