Unfortunately that a Rayleigh residential lease is a wasting asset. As the lease term diminishes so does the value of the property. The extent of this is not fully appreciated in the early years due to the depreciation being disguised by increases in the Rayleigh property prices.Once your lease gets to 85ish years, you need to start considering a lease extension. An important point to note is that it is desirable for lease extension to take place before the term of the existing lease slips under 80 years - otherwise a higher premium will be due. Most flat owners in Rayleigh will be able to extend under the legislation; however a lawyer will be able to clarify whether you qualify for an extension. In some situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict deadlines and procedures to follow once the process is initiated and you will need to be guided by your conveyancing solicitor throughout the formalities.
It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with more than 100 years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Leeds Building Society | 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage. |
| Santander | If the property is leasehold, the remaining unexpired lease term at the end of the new mortgage term must be at least 50 years where any part of the mortgage is on Interest Only and 30 years if all loan parts are on Capital Repayment and Interest. You must report the unexpired lease term to us and await our instructions if:
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| 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. |
| Yorkshire 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. |
Using our service will provide you increased control over the value of your Rayleigh leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in relation to the lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.
Half a year ago Caleb, started to get close to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his studio apartment in Rayleigh. In buying his property twenty years previously, the length of the lease was of minimal bearing. Fortunately, he became aware that he would imminently be paying way over the odds for Extending the lease. Caleb arranged for a lease extension just under the wire last June. Caleb and the landlord in the end settled on an amount of £5,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the sum would have escalated by a minimum £875.
In 2011 we were phoned by Mr and Mrs. I Lambert who, having completed a studio flat in Rayleigh in June 1998. We are asked if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Similar premises in Rayleigh with a long lease were in the region of £206,200. The average amount of ground rent was £60 billed quarterly. The lease concluded on 8 August 2082. Given that there were 56 years unexpired we calculated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £32,300 and £37,400 plus expenses.
Mr and Mrs. D Smith took over the lease of a garden flat in Rayleigh in July 2010. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Identical properties in Rayleigh with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £300,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 invoiced yearly. The lease expired in 2102. Having 76 years unexpired we estimated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 not including fees.