Stop! Your Lease Extension in Lutterworth Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Lutterworth 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 Lutterworth 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 start your Lutterworth lease extension


Main reasons to start your Lutterworth lease extension today:

A Lutterworth leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The re-sale value of a leasehold property in Lutterworth is impacted by 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 advisable to arrange for a lease extension before buying. It is ideal to start the lease extension process when a lease still has 82 years unexpired so that all matters can be finalised well before the 80 year threshold. Statute enables Lutterworth qualifying lessees to obtain a new lease which will be for the current unexpired lease term plus an additional term of 90 years. The purpose of the valuation is to determine the amount payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.

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

It is generally considered that a property with over one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Lending institutions may decide not to issue a mortgage on a short lease

Almost all mortgage companies require a lengthy amount of time remaining on any leasehold property before they will consider it as adequate security. Even if you don't require a mortgage, you should be aware that it is probable that someone intending to purchase your property in the future might well do, so where they can't get a mortgage, then the value of your property will likely be adversely impacted. Since 2008 the majority of 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.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.

For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 75 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset 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.

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

The conveyancing solicitors that we work with undertake Lutterworth lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The conveyancing solicitor we work with provide it.

Lutterworth Lease Extension Case Studies:

Kirsty, Lutterworth, Leicestershire,

Subsequent to lengthy discussions with the landlord of her first floor apartment in Lutterworth, Kirsty commenced the lease extension process just as the lease was approaching the all-important 80-year deadline. The transaction was concluded in June 2007. The landlord’s charges were restricted to a tad over 650 GBP.

Lutterworth case:

Last Christmas we were e-mailed by Dr Joseph Roux , who was assigned a lease of a basement flat in Lutterworth in September 1998. The dilemma was if we could approximate the premium would likely be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Identical premises in Lutterworth with an extended lease were in the region of £290,000. The average ground rent payable was £60 invoiced yearly. The lease concluded in 2106. Given that there were 80 years unexpired we calculated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £13,300 and £15,400 plus costs.

Lutterworth case:

In 2009 we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. R Ali who, having owned a studio apartment in Lutterworth in February 2003. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar properties in Lutterworth with 100 year plus lease were valued around £200,800. The average amount of ground rent was £65 billed per annum. The lease end date was on 8 September 2086. Taking into account 60 years remaining we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £20,900 and £24,200 not including costs.