Holmrook Lease Extension - Free Consultation

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Why you should commence your Holmrook lease extension


Main reasons to start your Holmrook lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Holmrook property value

The market value of a leasehold property in Holmrook is impacted by how many years the lease has remaining. If it is close to or fewer than eighty years you should foresee difficulties on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for the lease to be extended ahead of buying. It is ideal to start the process of extending the lease is when a lease still has 82 years remaining so that a lease extension can be addressed ahead of the eighty year cut off point. Leasehold Reform legislation enables Holmrook qualifying lessees to obtain a new lease which will be for the current unexpired lease term plus an additional term of ninety years. The reason of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the sum payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the acquisition of the lease extension.

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

Leasehold residencies in Holmrook with over 100 years remaining on the lease are sometimes referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value 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 justify it.

Banks and Building Societies may not lend with a short lease

Most mortgage lenders have narrowed their lending criteria in the last ten years and borrowers are encountering difficulties in arranging finance or re-mortgage against flats with shorter lease terms, particularly below 75 years as they are deemed to be inadequate security.

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.
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.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date 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.

What makes us experts in Holmrook lease extensions?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Holmrook,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 experience and the close ties they enjoy with Holmrook valuers.

Holmrook Lease Extension Case Studies:

Elijah, Holmrook, Cumbria

In recent months Elijah, started to get close to the 80-year mark with the lease on his two bedroom apartment in Holmrook. Having bought his home 18 years previously, the length of the lease was of minimal bearing. Fortunately, he realised he needed to take steps soon on a lease extension. Elijah was able to extend his lease just under the wire in June. Elijah and the freeholder subsequently settled on an amount of £5,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the amount would have increased by at least £1,000.

Holmrook case:

Mr and Mrs. M White moved into a first floor flat in Holmrook in October 2000. We are asked if we could approximate the price could be to extend the lease by 90 years. Identical premises in Holmrook with a long lease were worth £300,000. The average ground rent payable was £50 collected every twelve months. The lease lapsed in 2100. Considering the 75 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional charges.

Holmrook case:

Mr Kyle David was assigned a lease of a basement flat in Holmrook in October 2005. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would be to prolong the lease by an additional years. Identical properties in Holmrook with a long lease were in the region of £250,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected per annum. The lease expiry date was in 2089. Taking into account 64 years remaining we calculated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £19,000 and £22,000 not including expenses.