Owning a apartment usually means owning a lease of the property, which has a set term of years. This lease will ordinarily be granted for a set period of time , usually 99 or 125 years, although we have seen longer and shorter terms in Stamford Bridge. Inevitably, the period of lease left reduces as time goes by. This may pass by relatively unnoticed when the residence has to be sold or re-mortgaged. The shorter the lease the less it is worth and the more expensive it will be to procure a lease extension. Qualifying leaseholders in Stamford Bridge have the legal entitlement to extend the lease for an additional ninety years in accordance with the 1993 Leasehold Reform Act. You should give careful consideration before delaying your Stamford Bridge lease extension. Putting off that expense now likely increases the price you will ultimately have to pay for a lease extension
It is generally accepted that a property with over 100 years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.
| 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. |
| 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. |
| National Westminster Bank | Mortgage term plus 30 years. For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must also be not less than 75 years at the outset 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. |
Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Stamford Bridge,the lease extension solicitors that we work with will always be willing to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their in-depth market knowledge and the close ties they enjoy with Stamford Bridge valuers.
Matthew owned a high value flat in Stamford Bridge on the market with a lease of a little over sixty years remaining. Matthew on an informal basis spoke with his freeholder being a well known Bristol-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder indicated a willingness to extend the lease to 125 years on the basis of a rise in the rent to £125 yearly. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Matthew to exercise his statutory right. Matthew obtained expert legal guidance and was able to make a more informed judgement and handle with the matter and sell the property.
In 2010 we were approached by Mr Callum Gómez who, having bought a one bedroom flat in Stamford Bridge in January 2005. The dilemma was if we could estimate the price would be to extend the lease by ninety years. Comparative premises in Stamford Bridge with a long lease were valued around £227,800. The average amount of ground rent was £45 collected per annum. The lease concluded in 2090. Considering the 65 years outstanding we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £13,300 and £15,400 plus professional charges.
In 2011 we were contacted by Mr F Sharif who, having was assigned a lease of a one bedroom apartment in Stamford Bridge in October 1999. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord could be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Identical properties in Stamford Bridge with an extended lease were worth £270,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 billed monthly. The lease elapsed on 22 April 2101. Considering the 76 years remaining we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 not including professional charges.