Kirkby Lease Extension - Free Consultation

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Why you should start your Kirkby lease extension


Main reasons to start your Kirkby lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Kirkby property value

As the the remaining lease term of a Kirkby domestic lease lessens so does its value and therefore the value of your property. If the residual term has, over 125 years remaining then this decrease may be negligible however there will become a stage when a lease has under than eighty years left 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 main rational as to why you should consider extending sooner rather than later. Most flat owners in Kirkby will meet the qualifying criteria; that being said a conveyancer can advise whether you qualify to extend your lease. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with over one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 35 years left, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders may decide not to issue a mortgage with a short lease

Most mortgage companies require a lengthy amount of time remaining on a leasehold residence before they will contemplate it as adequate security. Regardless of whether you require a mortgage, you should bear in mind that it is reasonable to assume that someone wanting to acquire your property in the future might well do, so in the event that they can't obtain a mortgage, then the financial worth of the property will likely be adversely impacted. In the last decade many mortgage lenders have increased the required minimum lease length that they are prepared to accept

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.
Barclays plc Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage should be declined (see exception below).

Leases with greater than 70 years but fewer than 85 years remaining must be referred to issuing office.

Leases with fewer than 70 years should only be referred to the issuing office where the following scenario applies, as discretion may be applied subject to bank approval:

• Property is located in any of the following prestigious developments: Cadogan, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Portman or Wellcome Trust Estates in Central London AND
• The value of the property subject to the short remaining term is £500,000 or more AND
• The loan to value does not exceed 90% for purchases, 90% like for like re-mortgages, 80% for re-mortgages with any element of capital raising and 80% for existing Barclays mortgage borrowers applying for additional borrowing;
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Kirkby?

Engaging our service will provide you enhanced control over the value of your Kirkby leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you want 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.

Kirkby Lease Extension Case Studies:

Sebastian, Kirkby, Merseyside

In recent months Sebastian, started to get near to the 80-year mark with the lease on his studio flat in Kirkby. Having bought his property 19 years previously, the lease term was of minimal interest. As luck would have it, he recognised he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Sebastian extended the lease at the eleventh hour last May. Sebastian and the freeholder ultimately settled on an amount of £6,000 . If the lease had gone lower than 80 years, the amount would have increased by at least £1,125.

Kirkby case:

In 2014 we were approached by Dr Jackson Patel who, having took over the lease of a basement flat in Kirkby in August 2006. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable flats in Kirkby with a long lease were in the region of £265,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 collected quarterly. The lease finished in 2098. Having 73 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of fees.

Kirkby case:

Mr and Mrs. V Vincent moved into a one bedroom apartment in Kirkby in March 2010. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative properties in Kirkby with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £264,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 invoiced annually. The lease terminated in 2078. Given that there were 53 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £37,100 and £42,800 not including fees.