Wanstead 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 your lease becomes more expensive. The majority of owners of residential leasehold property in Wanstead enjoy rights under legislation to extend the terms of their leases. Where you are a leasehold owner in Wanstead you should check if your lease has between 70 and 90 years remaining. In particular once the remaining lease term slips under eighty years, the amount payable for any lease extension sharply increases as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value
Leasehold properties in Wanstead with over one hundred 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 property. In such circumstances there is often little to be gained by buying the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and maintenance charges justify it.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Barclays plc | Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage should be declined (see exception below). Leases with greater than 70 years but fewer than 85 years remaining must be referred to issuing office. Leases with fewer than 70 years should only be referred to the issuing office where the following scenario applies, as discretion may be applied subject to bank approval: • Property is located in any of the following prestigious developments: Cadogan, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Portman or Wellcome Trust Estates in Central London AND • The value of the property subject to the short remaining term is £500,000 or more AND • The loan to value does not exceed 90% for purchases, 90% like for like re-mortgages, 80% for re-mortgages with any element of capital raising and 80% for existing Barclays mortgage borrowers applying for additional borrowing; |
| Barnsley Building Society | 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term. |
| 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. |
| Halifax | Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage. |
| Virgin | 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion. |
The conveyancers that we work with undertake Wanstead lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The lawyer we work with provide it.
Trailing protracted correspondence with the freeholder of her leasehold flat in Wanstead, Lauren initiated the lease extension process just as her lease was approaching the critical eighty-year deadline. The lease extension was concluded in November 2005. The landlord’s fees were negotiated to below 500 pounds.
Dr M Petit moved into a basement apartment in Wanstead in August 2010. We are asked if we could estimate the price could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Identical flats in Wanstead with an extended lease were worth £280,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £45 billed monthly. The lease terminated in 2094. Considering the 69 years unexpired we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £12,400 and £14,200 plus fees.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Wanstead flat is 36 New Wanstead in August 2010. The Tribunal arrived at a valuation of the premium for the freehold of £22,359. This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 73.92 years.