Stop! Your Lease Extension in Warlingham Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Warlingham 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 Warlingham 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 Warlingham lease extension


Why you should start your Warlingham lease extension today:

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

The nearer a residential lease in Warlingham nears to zero years unexpired, the the greater the reduction in the value of the property. Where the lease has, over one hundred years to run then this decrease may be negligible that being said there will become a point in time when a lease has under than 80 years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could increase markedly the cost. It is the main logic behind why you should extend the lease sooner rather than later. Most flat owners in Warlingham will qualify for this right; however a conveyancing solicitor will be able to confirm whether you are eligible for a lease extension. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

Leasehold properties in Warlingham with over 100 years unexpired on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such situations there is often little upside in buying the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and service charges justify it.

Banks and Building Societies may not lend on a short lease

Almost all mortgage lenders insist on a lengthy amount of time left on any leasehold residence before they will consider lending on it. Even if you don't require a mortgage, you should be mindful that it is likely that someone intending to acquire your property in the future might well do, so if they are not able to secure a mortgage, then the value of your property could suffer. Since 2008 many banks and building societies have increased the required minimum lease length that they are willing to lend on

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Godiva Mortgages A minimum of 70 years unexpired lease at completion for all scheme types apart from Lifetime Mortgages (Equity Release), which require a minimum unexpired term of 80 years at completion.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date 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.
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

What makes us experts in Warlingham lease extensions?

Retaining our service gives you better control over the value of your Warlingham 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 are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Warlingham Lease Extension Example Cases:

Emma, Warlingham, Surrey,

Subsequent to protracted negotiations with the freeholder of her garden apartment in Warlingham, Emma started the lease extension process as the 80 year deadline was rapidly coming. The legal work was finalised in August 2008. The freeholder’s costs were negotiated to a tad over 500 pounds.

Warlingham case:

Mrs E Williams was assigned a lease of a one bedroom flat in Warlingham in March 2008. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would likely be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparable homes in Warlingham with an extended lease were in the region of £245,000. The average amount of ground rent was £50 collected annually. The lease lapsed in 2094. Taking into account 68 years left we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 not including professional charges.

Decision in Croydon

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Warlingham flat is The Woodlands 95 Purley Park Road in April 2009. The Tribunals own valuation produced the figure of £37,912. This case affected 6 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 78.32 years.