Stop! Your Lease Extension in Victoria Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Victoria 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 Victoria 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 Victoria lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Victoria leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The market value of Victoria leasehold residential property falls as the lease term becomes shorter and this will have an impact on its saleability. The expense of a lease extension can escalate substantially once the unexpired lease term is less than eighty years

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

It is conventional wisdom that a property with in excess of one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the residence will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders may not issue a mortgage on a short lease

Nearly all banks and building societies will not grant a mortgage on a lease with less than seventy years remaining - although this varies between mortgage companies. A purchaser will likely encounter difficulties in obtaining a mortgage and this will result in your Victoria property being difficult to sell or to obtain finance on.

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.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start of the mortgage.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.

For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 30 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset of the mortgage.
Santander You must report the unexpired lease term to us and await our instructions if:
1. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is between 55 and 82 years, but the actual unexpired term differs by more than one year (whether longer or shorter); or
2. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is more than 82 years but the actual unexpired term is less than 82 years; or
3. no valuation report is provided
However, we will not accept a lease where on expiry of the mortgage:
(i) less than 50 years remain and all or part of the loan is repaid on an interest-only basis: or
(ii) less than 30 years remain and the loan is repaid on a capital and interest basis

We will accept a lease that has been extended under the provisions of the Leasehold Reform Act 1993 provided statutory compensation would be available to the leaseholder.
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

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

Engaging our service gives you better control over the value of your Victoria leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in relation to the lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with have a wealth of experience of handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Victoria Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Tommy, Victoria, London,

Tommy was the the leasehold proprietor of a 2 bedroom apartment in Victoria being sold with a lease of fraction over 61 years left. Tommy informally contacted his freeholder being a well known London-based freehold company for a lease extension. The landlord indicated a willingness to extend the lease to 125 years subject to an increased rent to £50 annually. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Tommy to exercise his statutory right. Tommy obtained expert legal guidance and secured an acceptable deal informally and sell the property.

Victoria case:

Mr and Mrs. H Garcia was assigned a lease of a one bedroom apartment in Victoria in August 1998. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Comparative homes in Victoria with an extended lease were in the region of £280,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 billed every twelve months. The lease ended in 2104. Given that there were 78 years unexpired we calculated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £13,300 and £15,400 exclusive of fees.

Decision in Westminster

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Victoria premises is Flats 12A & 19, Evelyn Mansions Carlisle Place in June 2009. The Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the new lease of Flat 12A is £168,824, For the other flat the price was set at £169,110 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 56 years.