Melton Constable Lease Extension - Free Consultation

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Why you should commence your Melton Constable lease extension


Why you should start your Melton Constable lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Melton Constable property value

With a residential leasehold premises in Melton Constable, you are actually purchasing an entitlement to reside in a property for a prescribed time frame. Modern flat leases are usually granted for 99 years or 125. Even though this may appear like a long period of time, you may consider extending the lease sooner as opposed to later. The general rule is that the shorter the lease is the cost of extending the lease becomes disproportionately greater notably when there are less than eighty years remaining. Anyone in Melton Constable with a lease drawing near to 81 years remaining should seriously consider extending it as soon as possible. Once a lease has below 80 years left, under the current statute the freeholder can calculate and demand a larger premium, assessed on a technical computation, known as “marriage value” which is payable.

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold premises in Melton Constable with more than 100 years remaining on the lease are sometimes regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such situations there is often little upside in buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and estate charges merit it.

Banks and Building Societies will not finance a property on a short lease

The trend since the credit crunch has been for banks to tighten lending requirements generally - this has extended to the property over which the home loan is to be charged. This has resulted in the unexpired lease term required by banks has increased. Historically lenders would lend on a lease with twenty years plus the term of the loan - routinely 50 year leases but those requirements have been chipped away by the requirement for lengthy leases - many now have a minimum term of 75 years as a prerequisite.

Lender Requirement
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.
Birmingham Midshires 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.

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.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

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

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

Melton Constable Lease Extension Case Studies:

Finn, Melton Constable, Norfolk

Two years ago Finn, came perilously near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his studio flat in Melton Constable. Having bought his property 18 years ago, the lease term was of minimal concern. Luckily, he became aware that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Finn was able to extend his lease just in the nick of time in July. Finn and the landlord in the end agreed on an amount of £5,500 . If he not met the deadline, the figure would have increased by a minimum £1,050.

Melton Constable case:

Last Winter we were contacted by Dr P Stewart , who acquired a basement apartment in Melton Constable in September 2010. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would likely be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparable residencies in Melton Constable with a long lease were in the region of £191,400. The average amount of ground rent was £55 invoiced every twelve months. The lease elapsed on 17 September 2079. Taking into account 54 years outstanding we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £34,200 and £39,600 plus professional charges.

Melton Constable case:

Mr and Mrs. T King acquired a garden flat in Melton Constable in March 2009. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar properties in Melton Constable with a long lease were worth £295,000. The average ground rent payable was £45 billed every twelve months. The lease concluded in 2099. Considering the 74 years left we calculated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus legals.