Owning a flat usually means owning a lease of the property, this is a ‘time-limited’ interest becoming shorter every day. This lease will normally be granted for a set period of time , ordinarily 99 or 125 years, although we have come across longer and shorter terms in Woodhall Spa. Clearly, the term of lease left reduces over time. This may pass by relatively unnoticed when the property needs to be disposed of or refinanced. The shorter the lease the less it is worth and the more it will cost to extend the lease. Eligible leaseholders in Woodhall Spa have the legal entitlement to extend the lease for a further 90 years in accordance with Leasehold Reform legislation. Please give due attention before delaying your Woodhall Spa lease extension. Putting off that expense now simply increases the price you will ultimately have to pay to extend your lease
It is generally considered that a residential leasehold with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to any lease with more than 35 years remaining, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for many years ahead.
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 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. |
Irrespective of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Woodhall Spa,the lease extension experts that we work with will always be prepared to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Woodhall Spa valuers.
Stanley owned a high value apartment in Woodhall Spa being sold with a lease of just over fifty eight years left. Stanley on an informal basis spoke with his freeholder being a well known local-based freehold company for a lease extension. The landlord indicated a willingness to extend the lease to 125 years on the basis of a new rent to start with set at £100 per annum and increase every twenty five years thereafter. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be payable on a lease extension were Stanley to invoke his statutory right. Stanley procured expert advice and secured satisfactory deal without going to tribunal and ending up with a market value flat.
Mr T Jones bought a one bedroom apartment in Woodhall Spa in August 2009. We are asked if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord would be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Comparable flats in Woodhall Spa with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £300,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 billed monthly. The lease terminated on 10 March 2101. Having 75 years outstanding we approximated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional charges.
Mr and Mrs. B Wilson took over the lease of a recently refurbished flat in Woodhall Spa in June 1996. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price could be to extend the lease by ninety years. Comparative flats in Woodhall Spa with an extended lease were worth £250,400. The average amount of ground rent was £65 collected annually. The lease concluded on 18 June 2090. Considering the 64 years as a residual term we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £19,000 and £22,000 plus expenses.