Stop! Your Lease Extension in Yorkshire Dales Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Yorkshire Dales 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 Yorkshire Dales 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 Yorkshire Dales lease extension


Main reasons to start your Yorkshire Dales lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Yorkshire Dales property value

The nearer a domestic lease in Yorkshire Dales nears to zero years unexpired, the the greater the reduction in the value of the property. If the lease has, over 125 years to run then this decrease may be fractional that being said there will become a point in time when a lease has fewer than eighty years unexpired as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could increase sharply the cost. It is the main reason why you should consider extending without delay. Most flat owners in Yorkshire Dales will qualify for this right; however a conveyancer can confirm whether you qualify to extend your lease. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

Leasehold residencies in Yorkshire Dales with in excess of 100 years left on the lease are sometimes regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such situations there is often little to be gained by purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and estate charges merit it.

Lending institutions will not loan monies with a short lease

Mortgage companies do not like short residential leases. You are likely to encounter problems if you wish to sell your flat in Yorkshire Dales if the unexpired lease term is less than the criteria set by the majority of mortgage companies. Different lenders have varying criteria but generally theyrequire a minimum remaining lease term of 65 years.

Lender Requirement
Coventry Building Society 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.
Yorkshire 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.

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

Using our service gives you better control over the value of your Yorkshire Dales leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with have a wealth of experience of handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Yorkshire Dales Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Georgia, Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire,

Off the back of lengthy negotiations with the freeholder of her ground floor flat in Yorkshire Dales, Georgia started the lease extension process as the 80 year deadline was rapidly coming. The lease extension was concluded in November 2010. The freeholder’s fees were restricted to slightly above 600 pounds.

Yorkshire Dales case:

Mr and Mrs. P Lefèvre took over the lease of a studio flat in Yorkshire Dales in January 1998. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord would likely be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Identical properties in Yorkshire Dales with a long lease were valued around £255,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 invoiced monthly. The lease expired on 15 May 2096. Having 70 years as a residual term we estimated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £10,500 and £12,000 plus fees.

Yorkshire Dales case:

Ms Y Lewis acquired a recently refurbished flat in Yorkshire Dales in March 2007. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord would be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparative homes in Yorkshire Dales with a long lease were worth £246,800. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 collected per annum. The lease ended on 8 October 2076. Having 50 years outstanding we approximated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £44,700 and £51,600 plus costs.