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Top reasons for Lymm lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

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

There is no doubt about it a leasehold flat or house in Lymm is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. If the residual term has, over 99 years remaining then this decrease may be of little impact nevertheless there will become a point in time when a lease has fewer than 80 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 primary rational as to why you should extend the lease without delay. The majority of flat owners in Lymm will qualify for this right; nevertheless a conveyancing solicitor can confirm if you qualify to extend your lease. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have owned the property for under two years.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with more than one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Mortgage lenders will not lend with a short lease

Almost all banks and building societies will be unwilling to lend on a lease with less than seventy years remaining - although this varies between mortgage companies. A purchaser will likely find it difficult in obtaining a mortgage and this will result in your Lymm property becoming difficult to sell or refinance.

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.
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.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

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% 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 Issuing Office.

Why use us for your lease extension in Lymm?

Engaging our service gives you enhanced control over the value of your Lymm leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you wish to sell. The conveyancers that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Lymm Lease Extension Example Cases:

Aarav, Lymm, Cheshire,

Aarav was the the leasehold owner of a studio apartment in Lymm being marketed with a lease of a little over 72 years outstanding. Aarav informally approached his freeholder a well known Manchester-based freehold company for a lease extension. The landlord indicated a willingness to extend the lease to 125 years on the basis of an increased rent to £125 yearly. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Aarav to exercise his statutory right. Aarav obtained expert advice and secured an acceptable resolution informally and readily saleable.

Lymm case:

Ms E Hill completed a one bedroom apartment in Lymm in November 1995. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparable premises in Lymm with an extended lease were in the region of £285,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 collected per annum. The lease elapsed in 2103. Given that there were 79 years left we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £13,300 and £15,400 plus expenses.

Lymm case:

Mr and Mrs. W Bailey took over the lease of a first floor flat in Lymm in July 1997. We are asked if we could estimate the price could be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Comparative homes in Lymm with an extended lease were valued around £193,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected yearly. The lease ran out in 2083. Taking into account 59 years unexpired we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £21,900 and £25,200 not including expenses.