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Top reasons for Alsager lease extension


Why you should start your Alsager lease extension today:

A Alsager lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

As the length of the unexpired term of a Alsager domestic lease decreases so does its value and therefore the value of your property. Where the lease has, beyond 100 years to run then this decrease may be negligible however there will become a stage when a lease has fewer than 80 years remaining 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 rational as to why you should consider extending sooner rather than later. The majority of flat owners in Alsager will qualify for this right; that being said a lawyer can confirm if you qualify for a lease extension. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

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

It is generally accepted that a property with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional 90 years added to any lease with more than 35 years unexpired, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

Mortgage lenders will not issue a mortgage on a short lease

Banks and building societies vary in their lending requirements. Some draw the line at seventy five years remaining on the lease; others may be happy with anything with more than 70 years. With less than 60 years, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage at all.

Lender Requirement
Accord Mortgages 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.
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Santander You must report the unexpired lease term to us and await our instructions if:
1. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is between 55 and 82 years, but the actual unexpired term differs by more than one year (whether longer or shorter); or
2. the unexpired term assumed by our valuer is more than 82 years but the actual unexpired term is less than 82 years; or
3. no valuation report is provided
However, we will not accept a lease where on expiry of the mortgage:
(i) less than 50 years remain and all or part of the loan is repaid on an interest-only basis: or
(ii) less than 30 years remain and the loan is repaid on a capital and interest basis

We will accept a lease that has been extended under the provisions of the Leasehold Reform Act 1993 provided statutory compensation would be available to the leaseholder.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Alsager?

Using our service will provide you increased control over the value of your Alsager leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in terms of lease length should you want to sell. The lawyers that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Alsager Lease Extension Example Cases:

Rory, Alsager, Cheshire,

Rory owned a high value flat in Alsager being marketed with a lease of a few days over 61 years remaining. Rory informally approached his landlord being a well known Bristol-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The landlord indicated a willingness to grant an extension taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of an increased rent to £100 yearly. No ground rent would be due on a lease extension were Rory to invoke his statutory right. Rory procured expert advice and was able to make a more informed decision and deal with the matter and ending up with a market value flat.

Alsager case:

Mr Stanley Howard owned a purpose-built apartment in Alsager in August 2012. The question was if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar premises in Alsager with a long lease were worth £210,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 collected monthly. The lease concluded on 1 July 2104. Given that there were 79 years outstanding we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £8,600 and £9,800 exclusive of costs.

Alsager case:

In 2010 we were e-mailed by Mr and Mrs. B Rose who, having took over the lease of a garden apartment in Alsager in August 2007. We are asked if we could estimate the compensation to the landlord could be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparative homes in Alsager with 100 year plus lease were worth £275,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £45 invoiced monthly. The lease end date was on 8 April 2093. Given that there were 68 years remaining we estimated the compensation to the freeholder for the lease extension to be between £12,400 and £14,200 plus expenses.