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Main reasons to commence your Treforest lease extension


Why you should start your Treforest lease extension today:

A Treforest lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

Treforest leases on residential properties are gradually diminishing in value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and as a result any extension of the lease gets more expensive. Legislation has been in place for sometime now allowing qualifying Treforest residential leaseholders to extend the terms of long leases. Where you are a leasehold owner in Treforest you would be well advised to see if your lease has between seventy and ninety years remaining. In particular once the remaining lease term slips under 80 years, the cost of any lease extension sharply increases as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value

An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years remaining, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.

Mortgage lenders will not finance a property on a short lease

Mortgage lenders have specific criteria when loaning monies secured on leasehold homes. Some will simply not lend at all once the remaining lease term slips beneath a specified unexpired lease term. Many Banks and Building Societies will not consider property with an unexpired term of less than 75 years suitable security. As well as impacting your ability to sell, it is also relevant if you are seeking to refinance your Treforest property.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.

Get in touch with one of our Treforest lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

Lease extensions in Treforest can be a difficult process. We recommend you get guidance from a lawyer and surveyor well versed in the legislation and lease extension process.

We provide you with an expert from a selection of lease extension solicitors, which ensures a targeted and efficient service as you have a dedicated port of call with an individual lawyer. Our lease extension solicitors have in-depth market knowledge dealing with Treforest lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Treforest Lease Extension Case Studies:

Aarav, Treforest, Abercynon,

Aarav was the the leasehold owner of a high value flat in Treforest being marketed with a lease of fraction over sixty years left. Aarav informally spoke with his landlord being a well known London-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The landlord was keen to agree an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to a rise in the rent to £200 per annum. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Aarav to invoke his statutory right. Aarav obtained expert legal guidance and secured an acceptable resolution informally and readily saleable.

Treforest case:

Mr and Mrs. M Laurent was assigned a lease of a studio apartment in Treforest in February 2012. The question was if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be for a 90 year lease extension. Identical flats in Treforest with a long lease were worth £193,400. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected every twelve months. The lease elapsed on 12 August 2084. Having 59 years remaining we estimated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £21,900 and £25,200 not including legals.

Treforest case:

In 2011 we were called by Mr and Mrs. N Wright who, having moved into a purpose-built apartment in Treforest in May 2003. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would likely be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Similar properties in Treforest with an extended lease were in the region of £250,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 invoiced monthly. The lease finished on 24 June 2095. Considering the 70 years left we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £9,500 and £11,000 exclusive of costs.