Stop! Your Lease Extension in Nailsea Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Nailsea 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 Nailsea 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 Nailsea lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Nailsea property value

There is no doubt about it a leasehold flat or house in Nailsea is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. Where the residual term has, over one hundred years remaining then this decrease may be of little impact that being said there will become a point in time when a lease has less than eighty years left as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could increase markedly the cost. It is the primary rational as to why you should consider extending without delay. Many flat owners in Nailsea will meet the qualifying criteria; that being said a conveyancer can advise whether you are eligible for a lease extension. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

Leasehold residencies in Nailsea with over one hundred years left on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such circumstances there is often little upside in buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and estate charges warrant it.

Lenders will not grant a mortgage with a short lease

Whether or not the lease is be regarded as a short lease varies by mortgage company, yet mortgage lenders start to get jittery at around 75 years. This may be problematic once you wish to market or remortgage your property as it will be effectively unmortgageable. You may have no immediate plan to sell but when you do your buyer must hold off for a couple of years before being able to exercise the right to a a lease extension.

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.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.

What makes us experts in Nailsea lease extensions?

Retaining our service will provide you better control over the value of your Nailsea leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you decide to sell. The lawyers that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Nailsea Lease Extension Example Cases:

Callum, Nailsea, North Somerset,

Callum owned a 2 bedroom apartment in Nailsea on the market with a lease of just over 72 years unexpired. Callum on an informal basis approached his landlord a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The landlord was keen to agree an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of a rise in the rent to £50 per annum. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Callum to invoke his statutory right. Callum procured expert legal guidance and secured satisfactory deal informally and ending up with a market value flat.

Nailsea case:

In 2010 we were approached by Dr Ella Brown who, having acquired a garden apartment in Nailsea in November 1996. The question was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Comparative residencies in Nailsea with an extended lease were in the region of £252,800. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £65 billed per annum. The lease expired in 2091. Having 65 years outstanding we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £18,100 and £20,800 plus fees.

Nailsea case:

Dr P Moreau was assigned a lease of a studio flat in Nailsea in May 2011. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparable premises in Nailsea with a long lease were in the region of £191,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 invoiced per annum. The lease end date was on 14 May 2080. Given that there were 54 years remaining we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £34,200 and £39,600 exclusive of professional charges.