Stop! Your Lease Extension in Radford Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Radford 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 Radford 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 Radford lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Radford property value

The market value of a leasehold property in Radford depends on how long the lease has left to run. If it is close to or fewer than eighty years you should envisage problems on re-sale, so it is advisable to arrange for a lease extension before purchasing. It is preferable to commence the process of extending the lease is when the lease still has 82 years remaining so that all matters can be finalised well before the 80 year cut off point. Current legislation enables Radford qualifying lessees to acquire a new lease which will be for the balance of the existing lease plus a further term of ninety years. The intention of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the amount payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.

Radford 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 approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years left, the property will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.

Lending institutions may not grant a mortgage with a short lease

Mortgage companies are making their criteria more stringent and many now want flats to have a minimum of 60 if not 70 years remaining at the expiry of the mortgage. As a number of flats in Radford were created in the fifties, sixties and seventies this means many now need to be extended if they wish to obtain a mortgage.

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.
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Skipton Building Society 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage

For Buy to Let cases:
- lettings must not breach any of the lessee’s covenants; and
- consent of the lessor to lettings must be obtained if necessary
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.

What makes us experts in Radford lease extensions?

Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Radford,the lease extension experts that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Radford valuers.

Radford Lease Extension Example Cases:

Sian, Radford, Nottinghamshire,

After lengthy discussions with the landlord of her two bedroom flat in Radford, Sian commenced the lease extension process just as her lease was coming close to the all-important 80-year deadline. The lease extension completed in November 2005. The freeholder’s costs were restricted to below 650 pounds.

Radford case:

Last month we were phoned by Dr D Morgan , who acquired a purpose-built apartment in Radford in August 2012. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would be to extend the lease by 90 years. Similar properties in Radford with 100 year plus lease were valued around £270,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 invoiced monthly. The lease ended on 14 April 2100. Taking into account 74 years as a residual term we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus costs.

Radford case:

Last Autumn we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. I Gómez , who purchased a basement apartment in Radford in January 2009. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would likely be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative residencies in Radford with a long lease were worth £166,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 collected yearly. The lease elapsed in 2080. Taking into account 54 years remaining we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £32,300 and £37,400 exclusive of fees.