Stop! Your Lease Extension in Sandgate Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Sandgate 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 Sandgate 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 Sandgate lease extension


Why you should commence your Sandgate lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Sandgate property value

As the the remaining lease term of a Sandgate residential lease lessens so does its value and therefore the value of your property. If the lease has, over 100 years to run then this decrease may be fractional that being said there will become a stage when a lease has fewer than 80 years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value. This could be significant. It is the primary rational as to why you should consider extending without delay. Most flat owners in Sandgate will qualify for this right; that being said a lawyer will be able to confirm if you are eligible for a lease extension. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with in excess of one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years remaining, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders will not lend on a short lease

The definition of a short lease varies by mortgage company, yet banks and building societies start to become nervous at around 75 years. This may cause difficulties when you come to market or remortgage your flat as it will be effectively unmortgageable. You might have no imminent intention to sell but when you do your buyer will need to hold off for two years before they can start the legal procedures for an extension to the lease.

Lender Requirement
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
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.
Godiva Mortgages 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.
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.

What makes us experts in Sandgate lease extensions?

Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Sandgate,the lease extension lawyers 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 Sandgate valuers.

Sandgate Lease Extension Case Studies:

Nathaniel, Sandgate, Kent

Last year Nathaniel, came seriously near to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his studio apartment in Sandgate. Having purchased his property two decades ago, the lease term was of no importance. by good luck, it dawned on him that he would soon be paying way over the odds for a lease extension. Nathaniel was able to extend his lease just ahead of time last March. Nathaniel and the landlord subsequently settled on sum of £5,000 . If the lease had fallen lower than 80 years, the sum would have escalated by at least £900.

Sandgate case:

Mrs Mollie Leroy was assigned a lease of a recently refurbished flat in Sandgate in July 1995. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Identical flats in Sandgate with a long lease were worth £225,400. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £45 collected quarterly. The lease terminated in 2090. Considering the 64 years unexpired we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £15,200 and £17,600 not including professional charges.

Sandgate case:

Dr Emily Hernández purchased a one bedroom apartment in Sandgate in October 2008. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Comparable properties in Sandgate with a long lease were worth £270,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 invoiced per annum. The lease came to a finish in 2101. Given that there were 75 years as a residual term we calculated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £9,500 and £11,000 not including fees.