Stop! Your Lease Extension in Sutton On Sea Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Sutton On Sea 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 Sutton On Sea 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.

Why you should commence your Sutton On Sea lease extension


Main reasons to start your Sutton On Sea lease extension today:

A Sutton On Sea leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The nearer a domestic lease in Sutton On Sea nears to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the value of the property. If the lease has, over 100 years remaining then this decrease may be fractional nevertheless there will become a point in time when a lease has under than eighty years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could be significant. It is the primary reason why you should extend the lease sooner rather than later. Most flat owners in Sutton On Sea will meet the qualifying criteria; however a lawyer should be able to advise whether you qualify for a lease extension. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have owned the property for less than two years.

An extended lease 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 equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years left, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Lenders will not lend with a short lease

The trend since 2008 has been for banks to tighten lending requirements generally - this has extended to the types of security over which the mortgage is to be charged. This has resulted in the unexpired lease term required by mortgage companies has increased. In the past mortgage companies were content with twenty years plus the term of the loan - typically fifty year leases but those requirements have been chipped away by the requirement for lengthy leases - many use a minimum term of 75 years as a prerequisite.

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.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

What makes us experts in Sutton On Sea lease extensions?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Sutton On Sea,the lease extension lawyers that we work with will always be willing to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Sutton On Sea valuers.

Sutton On Sea Lease Extension Case Studies:

Benjamin, Sutton On Sea, Lincolnshire

Last year Benjamin, started to get near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his purpose- built apartment in Sutton On Sea. In buying his property two decades ago, the lease term was of little bearing. Thankfully, he noticed he would soon be paying way over the odds for a lease extension. Benjamin was able to extend his lease at the eleventh hour in June. Benjamin and the landlord eventually agreed on a premium of £5,500 . If the lease had fallen lower than 80 years, the premium would have increased by a minimum £950.

Sutton On Sea case:

Mr and Mrs. R Mitchell bought a garden flat in Sutton On Sea in June 2003. We are asked if we could estimate the price would likely be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Comparative homes in Sutton On Sea with 100 year plus lease were valued around £240,600. The average amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced annually. The lease came to a finish on 20 April 2088. Given that there were 62 years unexpired we approximated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £21,900 and £25,200 plus legals.

Sutton On Sea case:

Last Winter we were e-mailed by Mr O Simon , who bought a first floor flat in Sutton On Sea in March 2006. The question was if we could approximate the price could be for a 90 year lease extension. Similar flats in Sutton On Sea with an extended lease were worth £174,200. The average ground rent payable was £55 collected quarterly. The lease came to a finish in 2077. Considering the 51 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £31,400 and £36,200 exclusive of professional charges.