Stop! Your Lease Extension in Kenton Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Kenton 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 Kenton 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.

Top reasons for Kenton lease extension


Main reasons to start your Kenton lease extension today:

A Kenton lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Unfortunately that a Kenton residential lease is a wasting asset. The lease value reduces in proportion to its lease length. The extent of this is not fully appreciated in the first few years due to the reduction being disguised by increases in the Kenton property market.Once your lease nears 85ish years, you need to start considering a lease extension. If the number of years remaining dips under eighty years, you will end up paying 50% of the property's 'marriage value' on top of the usual cost of the lease extension to the landlord. Marriage value is the amount of extra value that a lease extension will add the property Most leasehold owners in Kenton will be able to extend under the legislation; however a conveyancing solicitor should be able to clarify whether you qualify for an extension. In some cases you may not be entitled. There are also strict timetables and procedures to follow once the process is initiated and you will need to be guided by your conveyancer from beginning to end of the formalities.

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

It is generally accepted that a residential leasehold with over 100 years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to any lease with more than 45 years unexpired, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Banks and Building Societies will not issue a mortgage on a short lease

The definition of a short lease depends on the specific mortgage company, yet mortgage lenders start to get concerned at around 75 years. This will cause difficulties as and when you wish to sell or remortgage your flat as it will be practically unmortgageable. Even though you might have no immediate plan to sell but when you do your buyer must hold off for a couple of years before they can commence the legal procedures for an extension to the lease.

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.
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.
TSB Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption.
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 Kenton lease extensions?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Kenton,the lease extension lawyers that we work with will always be willing to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Kenton valuers.

Kenton Lease Extension Case Studies:

Samantha, Kenton, North London,

In the wake of 6 months of protracted discussions with the landlord of her garden apartment in Kenton, Samantha commenced the lease extension process just as the lease was nearing the crucial eighty-year mark. The transaction was concluded in June 2006. The landlord’s costs were restricted to less than 600 pounds.

Kenton case:

In 2009 we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. E Young who, having took over the lease of a studio apartment in Kenton in September 1997. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price would likely be to prolong the lease by an additional years. Comparable flats in Kenton with an extended lease were worth £300,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £50 collected monthly. The lease end date was on 8 February 2102. Having 76 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £8,600 and £9,800 exclusive of fees.

Decision in Harrow

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Kenton premises is 139/139A Masons Avenue in February 2010. this was a case with an absentee freeholder. As a result the leaseholders applied to Willesden County Court for an order dispensing with the giving of a notice of claim.14th October 2009 District Judge Brar granted a vesting order and the court directed that the matter should be transferred to this tribunal to determine the freehold premium. The tribunal concluded on a figure of £13,000 for the freehold interest This case related to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 74 years.