Stop! Your Lease Extension in Melton Mowbray Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Melton Mowbray 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 Melton Mowbray 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.

Top reasons for Melton Mowbray lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Melton Mowbray lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Melton Mowbray leases on residential properties are gradually diminishing in value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and accordingly any extension of your lease gets more expensive. Legislation has been in place for sometime now allowing qualifying Melton Mowbray residential leaseholders to extend the terms of long leases. Where you are a leasehold owner in Melton Mowbray you really ought to check if your lease has between seventy and ninety years remaining. There are compelling reasons why a Melton Mowbray leaseholder with a lease having around 80 years left should take action to make sure that a lease extension is actioned without delay

An extended lease has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with more than 100 years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Mortgage lenders will not grant a mortgage with a short lease

Mortgage Lenders differ in their lending criteria. Some set the bar at seventy five years remaining on the lease; others may be happy with anything with more than seventy years. With less than sixty years, it may be challenging to obtain a mortgage at all.

Lender Requirement
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Chelsea 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.
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.
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 Mowbray lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Melton Mowbray,the lease extension solicitors that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their in-depth market knowledge and the close ties they enjoy with Melton Mowbray valuers.

Melton Mowbray Lease Extension Example Cases:

Leon, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire,

Leon was the the leasehold owner of a high value flat in Melton Mowbray on the market with a lease of fraction over sixty years unexpired. Leon on an informal basis spoke with his landlord being a well known local-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The landlord was prepared to give an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of an increased rent to £200 yearly. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Leon to exercise his statutory right. Leon obtained expert advice and secured satisfactory resolution without resorting to tribunal and readily saleable.

Melton Mowbray case:

Last Summer we were phoned by Mrs Francesca Morris , who completed a purpose-built apartment in Melton Mowbray in August 1999. The dilemma was if we could estimate the premium would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparative residencies in Melton Mowbray with an extended lease were worth £208,600. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 invoiced quarterly. The lease concluded on 3 November 2083. Taking into account 57 years outstanding we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £30,400 and £35,200 not including fees.

Melton Mowbray case:

Last October we were e-mailed by Dr I Wright , who took over the lease of a first floor flat in Melton Mowbray in July 1998. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would likely be to extend the lease by 90 years. Comparative residencies in Melton Mowbray with a long lease were worth £200,000. The average ground rent payable was £50 invoiced quarterly. The lease ran out on 17 May 2103. Given that there were 77 years remaining we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £8,600 and £9,800 exclusive of professional charges.