It’s an underpublicised certainty that a Wednesfield residential lease is a wasting asset. As the lease term diminishes so does the value of the property. The extent of this is taken for granted in the first few years due to the deflation being disguised by increases in the Wednesfield property prices.Once your lease nears 85ish years, you should start thinking about a lease extension. An important point to note is that it is desirable for lease extension to take place before the term of the existing lease slips under 80 years - otherwise a higher premium will be due. The majority of flat owners in Wednesfield will be able to extend under the legislation; however a conveyancing solicitor will be able to confirm if you qualify for an extension. In some cases you may not qualify. There are also strict deadlines and procedures to be adhered to once the process is instigated and you will need to be guided by your conveyancing solicitor for the duration of the formalities.
It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with over one hundred years remaining is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years unexpired, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Midshires | 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. |
| National Westminster Bank | Mortgage term plus 30 years. For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 75 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset of the mortgage. |
| 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. |
Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a landlord in Wednesfield,the lease extension solicitors 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 Wednesfield valuers.
Oscar owned a 2 bedroom flat in Wednesfield being marketed with a lease of just over 72 years remaining. Oscar informally contacted his freeholder a well known London-based freehold company for a lease extension. The landlord was prepared to give an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to a new rent to start with set at £100 per annum and increase every 25 years thereafter. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be due on a lease extension were Oscar to invoke his statutory right. Oscar procured expert legal guidance and was able to make a more informed judgement and deal with the matter and sell the flat.
Last Winter we were e-mailed by Mr D Ricardo , who moved into a ground floor flat in Wednesfield in August 2005. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would likely be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparative homes in Wednesfield with 100 year plus lease were worth £257,800. The average ground rent payable was £65 collected per annum. The lease end date was in 2091. Having 65 years unexpired we calculated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £17,100 and £19,800 plus fees.
Last May we were approach by Mr J Davies , who bought a one bedroom apartment in Wednesfield in July 1997. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would be to prolong the lease by an additional years. Identical premises in Wednesfield with an extended lease were worth £191,400. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £55 billed per annum. The lease came to a finish on 26 May 2080. Considering the 54 years left we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £34,200 and £39,600 plus expenses.