Stop! Your Lease Extension in Salford Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Salford 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 Salford 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.

Main reasons to start your Salford lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Salford lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Salford property value

With a residential leasehold premises in Salford, you are in fact renting it for a certain amount of time. Modern flat leases are usually granted for 99 years or 125. Even though this may appear like a long period of time, you should think about a lease extension sooner as opposed to later. Accepted thinking is that the shorter the lease is the cost of extending the lease increases markedly particularly when there are fewer than 80 years left. Residents in Salford with a lease nearing 81 years remaining should seriously think of extending it sooner rather than later. When a lease has under eighty years remaining, under the relevant legislation the freeholder can calculate and demand a greater amount, based on a technical calculation, strangely termed as “marriage value” which is due.

Salford property with a lease extension has roughly the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a property with more than one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to any lease with more than 45 years remaining, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Mortgage lenders will not lend with a short lease

Banks and Building Societies have set criteria when lending monies secured on leasehold property. Many will simply refuse lend at all once the residual lease term falls under a specified unexpired lease term. Many Banks and Building Societies will not regard property with an unexpired term of less than 75 years as acceptable security. In addition to impacting your ability to sell, it is also relevant if you are wanting to refinance your Salford home.

Lender Requirement
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.
Coventry Building Society A minimum of 70 years unexpired lease at completion for all scheme types apart from Lifetime Mortgages (Equity Release), which require a minimum unexpired term of 80 years at completion.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
TSB Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Salford?

The conveyancing solicitors that we work with undertake Salford lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The conveyancer we work with provide it.

Salford Lease Extension Case Studies:

John, Salford, Greater Manchester

Half a year ago John, started to get near to the 80-year mark with the lease on his one bedroom apartment in Salford. Having purchased his flat two decades ago, the unexpired term was of little importance. Luckily, he became aware that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. John was able to extend his lease just under the wire in January. John and the freeholder ultimately settled on the final figure of £6,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the amount would have become more costly by a minimum £875.

Salford case:

Last Autumn we were phoned by Mr and Mrs. P Campbell , who bought a ground floor flat in Salford in May 2004. We are asked if we could approximate the price would likely be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparable flats in Salford with a long lease were worth £235,200. The average amount of ground rent was £45 invoiced monthly. The lease ran out on 1 May 2092. Taking into account 66 years left we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus costs.

Salford case:

Dr Evan Edwards purchased a ground floor flat in Salford in October 2000. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would likely be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Identical homes in Salford with an extended lease were worth £275,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 collected quarterly. The lease expiry date was in 2103. Given that there were 77 years outstanding we calculated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £13,300 and £15,400 not including fees.