Stop! Your Lease Extension in Stalybridge Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Stalybridge 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 Stalybridge 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 Stalybridge lease extension


Why you should start your Stalybridge lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Stalybridge property value

As the the remaining lease term of a Stalybridge domestic lease lessens so does its value and therefore the value of your property. If the lease has, in excess of 99 years to run then this decrease may be of little impact however there will become a stage when a lease has fewer than 80 years unexpired as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value. This could increase markedly the cost. It is the main logic behind why you should extend the lease without delay. The majority of flat owners in Stalybridge will qualify for this right; nevertheless a lawyer can confirm if you qualify to extend your lease. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

Leasehold residencies in Stalybridge with over 100 years outstanding on the lease are sometimes referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your premises. In such situations there is often little to be gained by purchasing the freehold unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.

Lending institutions will not lend with a short lease

Banks and Building Societies have set criteria when lending monies secured on leasehold homes. Many will simply refrain from lending at all once the residual lease term falls below a specified unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not consider property with a remaining term of less than 75 years as acceptable security. As well as this being important when selling, it is also relevant if you are seeking to refinance your Stalybridge property.

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.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

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% 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 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.
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
Virgin 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Stalybridge?

Engaging our service will provide you better control over the value of your Stalybridge leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in terms of lease length should you wish to sell. The conveyancers that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Stalybridge Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Sam, Stalybridge, Greater Manchester

Last year Sam, started to get close to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his basement flat in Stalybridge. Having purchased his property twenty years ago, the unexpired term was of no interest. by good luck, it dawned on him that he needed to take steps soon on a lease extension. Sam arranged for a lease extension just ahead of time last August. Sam and the freeholder via the management company in the end agreed on a premium of £6,000 . If the lease had slid below eighty years, the figure would have gone up by a minimum £925.

Stalybridge case:

Mr Sebastian Gunderson completed a purpose-built apartment in Stalybridge in January 2007. The question was if we could estimate the price would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparable properties in Stalybridge with an extended lease were worth £285,000. The average amount of ground rent was £55 collected quarterly. The lease finished on 2 July 2106. Considering the 80 years as a residual term we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £12,400 and £14,200 not including fees.

Stalybridge case:

Last year we were phoned by Mrs B Clarke , who took over the lease of a one bedroom apartment in Stalybridge in March 2003. The dilemma was if we could approximate the price would likely be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Similar homes in Stalybridge with a long lease were valued about £198,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected quarterly. The lease concluded on 17 November 2085. Considering the 59 years outstanding we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £21,900 and £25,200 plus legals.