Stop! Your Lease Extension in Wolverley Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Wolverley 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 Wolverley 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 Wolverley lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Wolverley property value

As the the remaining lease term of a Wolverley residential lease decreases so does its value and therefore the value of your property. Where the lease has, over 125 years to run then this decrease may be negligible however there will become a point in time when a lease has less than 80 years remaining as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value. This could increase sharply the cost. It is the primary rational as to why you should extend the lease without delay. Most flat owners in Wolverley will meet the qualifying criteria; that being said a conveyancer will be able to confirm if you qualify for a lease extension. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have owned the property for less than two years.

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

It is generally considered that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years remaining is worth roughly the same as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years left, the property will be equivalent in value to a freehold for decades to come.

Lending institutions will not grant a mortgage on a short lease

Most high street banks are making their criteria more stringent and a meaningful number now want flats to have at least 60 if not 70 years remaining at the end of the mortgage. Considering many flats in Wolverley were built in the fifties, sixties and seventies this means many now require lease extensions if they if they are to be mortgageable.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.

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

Engaging our service gives you increased control over the value of your Wolverley leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in terms of lease length should you wish 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.

Wolverley Lease Extension Case Studies:

Omar, Wolverley, Worcestershire,

Omar owned a conversion apartment in Wolverley being sold with a lease of fraction over sixty years left. Omar on an informal basis spoke with his landlord a well known local-based freehold company for a lease extension. The freeholder indicated a willingness to extend the lease to 125 years subject to a new rent at the outset set at £150 per annum and increase every twenty five years thereafter. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Omar to invoke his statutory right. Omar procured expert legal guidance and secured satisfactory deal without going to tribunal and readily saleable.

Wolverley case:

Last month we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. D Green , who moved into a one bedroom apartment in Wolverley in October 1995. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Identical flats in Wolverley with 100 year plus lease were valued around £250,400. The average ground rent payable was £65 invoiced per annum. The lease finished in 2090. Considering the 64 years as a residual term we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £19,000 and £22,000 not including fees.

Wolverley case:

In 2014 we were called by Dr R Murphy who, having completed a one bedroom apartment in Wolverley in September 2001. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would likely be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Identical residencies in Wolverley with an extended lease were worth £189,000. The average ground rent payable was £55 billed yearly. The lease came to a finish on 25 November 2079. Given that there were 53 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £28,500 and £33,000 exclusive of expenses.