Stop! Your Lease Extension in Worsley Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Worsley 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 Worsley 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.

Why you should start your Worsley lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Worsley lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Worsley property value

Worsley leases on residential properties are gradually decreasing in value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and accordingly any extension of the lease gets more expensive. Most owners of residential leasehold property in Worsley enjoy rights under legislation to extend the terms of their leases. If you are a leasehold owner in Worsley you really ought to check if your lease has between 70 and 90 years remaining. There are good reasons why a Worsley flat owner with a lease having around 80 years left should take action to make sure that a lease extension is put in place without delay

Worsley property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with in excess of one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to any lease with more than 45 years left, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years in the future.

Banks and Building Societies may not loan monies on a short lease

Mortgage companies are making their criteria more stringent and a meaningful number now want flats to have a minimum of sixty if not seventy years remaining once the mortgage has expired. Considering many flats in Worsley were built in the fifties, sixties and seventies as a result many now need to be extended if they wish to obtain a mortgage.

Lender Requirement
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

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% 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 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.
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
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.

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

Using our service gives you better control over the value of your Worsley leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in relation to the lease length should you wish to sell. The lawyers that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Worsley Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Ali, Worsley, Greater Manchester

Two years ago Ali, started to get near to the eighty-year mark with the lease on his ground floor flat in Worsley. Having bought his property two decades ago, the unexpired term was of minimal relevance. by good luck, he noticed he would soon be paying way over the odds for a lease extension. Ali arranged for a lease extension at the eleventh hour in August. Ali and the landlord who owned the flat above ultimately settled on the final figure of £6,000 . If he had missed the deadline, the price would have increased by at least £1,025.

Worsley case:

In 2011 we were approached by Mr V Simon who, having bought a basement flat in Worsley in June 2012. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would likely be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparable properties in Worsley with 100 year plus lease were in the region of £257,800. The average ground rent payable was £65 invoiced yearly. The lease lapsed in 2091. Having 65 years as a residual term we calculated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £18,100 and £20,800 not including costs.

Worsley case:

In 2013 we were approached by Mr and Mrs. O Rose who, having took over the lease of a studio apartment in Worsley in July 2007. We are asked if we could approximate the premium could be for a ninety year lease extension. Comparable properties in Worsley with a long lease were valued about £191,400. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £55 invoiced per annum. The lease finished on 21 January 2080. Having 54 years as a residual term we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £34,200 and £39,600 plus costs.