Stop! Your Lease Extension in Hoylake Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Hoylake 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 Hoylake 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 Hoylake lease extension


Why you should start your Hoylake lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Hoylake property value

Hoylake leases on residential properties are gradually diminishing in value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and as a result any extension of the lease becomes more expensive. It is the case that most Hoylake tenants have the right to extend their lease by an additional ninety years in accordance with the 1993 Leasehold Reform Act. If you are a leasehold owner in Hoylake you really ought to investigate if your lease has between 70 and 90 years left. In particular once the remaining lease term slips under 80 years, the compensation to the landlord for any lease extension sharply increases as part of the premium you pay is what is known as a marriage value

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

It is generally considered that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Banks and Building Societies will not finance a property on a short lease

Mortgage Lenders vary in their lending criteria. Some draw the line at 75 years outstanding on the lease; others may be prepared to lend with anything over seventy years. Below 60 years, it may be problematic to get a mortgage in the first place.

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.
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 Hoylake lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

Lease extensions in Hoylake can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor well versed in the legislation and lease extension process.

We provide you with an expert from a selection of lease extension solicitors, which ensures a targeted and efficient service as you have a dedicated port of call with an individual lawyer. Our lease extension solicitors have in-depth market knowledge procuring Hoylake lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Hoylake Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Hollie, Hoylake, Merseyside,

Following lengthy correspondence with the freeholder of her ground floor flat in Hoylake, Hollie commenced the lease extension process just as her lease was coming close to the all-important eighty-year deadline. The transaction was finalised in April 2008. The landlord’s fees were kept to an absolute minimum.

Hoylake case:

Mr and Mrs. D Nguyen was assigned a lease of a garden apartment in Hoylake in September 1995. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative flats in Hoylake with 100 year plus lease were worth £285,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £45 billed yearly. The lease ended on 2 July 2098. Taking into account 72 years left we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus costs.

Hoylake case:

Last April we were called by Dr Nathaniel Khan , who owned a garden apartment in Hoylake in April 2002. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would be to extend the lease by an additional years. Identical homes in Hoylake with 100 year plus lease were valued around £233,200. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced per annum. The lease came to a finish in 2087. Considering the 61 years remaining we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £22,800 and £26,400 not including professional charges.