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Why you should start your Liskeard lease extension


Main reasons to start your Liskeard lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Liskeard property value

The market value of a leasehold property in Liskeard depends on how long the lease has remaining. If it is near to or less than eighty years you should envisage problems on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for the lease to be extended before buying. It is ideal to start the process of extending the lease is when a lease still has 82 years remaining so that formalities can be addressed ahead of the eighty year mark. Leasehold Reform legislation entitles Liskeard qualifying lessees to obtain a new lease which will be for the current unexpired lease term plus a further term of ninety years. The purpose 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.

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

Leasehold premises in Liskeard with in excess of one hundred years unexpired on the lease are often 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 buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and estate charges merit it.

Lending institutions will not grant a mortgage with a short lease

Mortgage companies do not lend on short residential leases. You most probably encounter difficulties where you need to sell your flat in Liskeard if the unexpired lease term is below the criteria set by most banks and building societies. Different mortgage companies have varying requirements but in the main they are looking for an unexpired term of at least 65 years.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Halifax 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.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.
Yorkshire 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.

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

Using our service will provide you increased control over the value of your Liskeard leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in respect of lease length should you wish to sell. The conveyancers that we work with have a wealth of experience of handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Liskeard Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Toby, Liskeard, Cornwall

Half a year ago Toby, came precariously near to the 80-year mark with the lease on his first floor flat in Liskeard. Having purchased his home two decades ago, the lease term was of minimal bearing. by good luck, he recognised he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Toby extended the lease at the eleventh hour in March. Toby and the freeholder via the managing agents in the end agreed on the final figure of £6,000 . If the lease had descended below eighty years, the premium would have become more exhorbitant by at least £1,150.

Liskeard case:

Mr and Mrs. P González moved into a newly refurbished flat in Liskeard in September 2010. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative homes in Liskeard with 100 year plus lease were valued about £290,000. The average amount of ground rent was £60 collected per annum. The lease termination date was in 2105. Given that there were 80 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £13,300 and £15,400 not including expenses.

Liskeard case:

In 2010 we were called by Mrs E Nguyen who, having moved into a one bedroom flat in Liskeard in November 2000. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price could be for a 90 year lease extension. Similar flats in Liskeard with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £200,800. The average amount of ground rent was £65 collected annually. The lease ran out on 21 February 2085. Taking into account 60 years as a residual term we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £20,900 and £24,200 not including professional charges.