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Top reasons for Lisvane lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

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

When it comes to domestic leasehold property in Lisvane, you are actually purchasing an entitlement to live in a property for a prescribed time frame. These days flat leases typically tend to be for 99 years or 125. Even though this may appear like a long period of time, you may consider a lease extension sooner rather than later. Accepted thinking is that the shorter the number of years is the cost of extending the lease gets disproportionately more expensive especially when there are fewer than eighty years remaining. Leasehold owners in Lisvane with a lease approaching 81 years left should seriously consider extending it sooner than later. Once the lease term has fewer than 80 years outstanding, under the current statute the freeholder can calculate and demand a larger premium, based on a technical calculation, known as “marriage value” which is due.

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

It is generally considered that a property with over 100 years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to any lease with more than 30 years unexpired, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

Mortgage lenders will not grant a mortgage with a short lease

The trend since the credit crunch has been for banks to tighten lending criteria across the board - this has extended to the types of security over which the home loan is to be charged. This has meant the unexpired lease term required by banks has increased. Historically lenders would grant a mortgage on a lease with 25 years plus the term of the loan - routinely fifty year leases but those requirements evolved by the requirement for lengthy leases - many use a minimum term of 75 years as a prerequisite.

Lender Requirement
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Coventry Building Society 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.
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.
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 Lisvane lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

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

Lisvane Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Milo, Lisvane, Cardiff,

Milo was the the leasehold owner of a high value apartment in Lisvane being sold with a lease of a little over 61 years left. Milo informally approached his landlord being a well known Bristol-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder indicated a willingness to grant an extension taking the lease to 125 years subject to a new rent initially set at £100 per annum and increase every 25 years thereafter. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be due on a lease extension were Milo to invoke his statutory right. Milo obtained expert advice and was able to make an informed judgement and handle with the matter and readily saleable.

Lisvane case:

In 2009 we were called by Dr Abbie Brooks who, having purchased a studio apartment in Lisvane in March 2009. We are asked if we could estimate the price could be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparative properties in Lisvane with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £191,400. The average ground rent payable was £55 billed every twelve months. The lease ended in 2079. Taking into account 54 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £34,200 and £39,600 plus legals.

Lisvane case:

Last Christmas we were approach by Mr and Mrs. L Jackson , who was assigned a lease of a basement flat in Lisvane in June 2008. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparable properties in Lisvane with 100 year plus lease were worth £295,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £45 collected every twelve months. The lease came to a finish on 2 April 2099. Given that there were 74 years unexpired we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus expenses.