For those whose Barnsbury flat is held on a long lease, our message is clear – if you do nothing, your property will ultimately revert to your landlord, leaving you empty-handed. The shorter the lease the lower the value of the property and the more expensive it will be to extend the lease.
It is conventional wisdom that a property with more than 100 years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to any lease with more than 45 years left, the residence will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Barclays plc | Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage should be declined (see exception below). Leases with greater than 70 years but fewer than 85 years remaining must be referred to issuing office. Leases with fewer than 70 years should only be referred to the issuing office where the following scenario applies, as discretion may be applied subject to bank approval: • Property is located in any of the following prestigious developments: Cadogan, Crown, Grosvenor, Howard de Walden, Portman or Wellcome Trust Estates in Central London AND • The value of the property subject to the short remaining term is £500,000 or more AND • The loan to value does not exceed 90% for purchases, 90% like for like re-mortgages, 80% for re-mortgages with any element of capital raising and 80% for existing Barclays mortgage borrowers applying for additional borrowing; |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Virgin | 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion. |
Using our service gives you increased control over the value of your Barnsbury leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in respect of 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.
Jake was the the leasehold owner of a studio flat in Barnsbury being marketed with a lease of a few days over 61 years left. Jake on an informal basis approached his landlord being a well known Bristol-based freehold company for a lease extension. The freeholder was prepared to agree an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of a new rent to start with set at £200 per annum and doubled every 25 years thereafter. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Jake to invoke his statutory right. Jake procured expert advice and secured an acceptable deal informally and ending up with a market value flat.
Mr and Mrs. A François purchased a ground floor flat in Barnsbury in February 2003. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparative properties in Barnsbury with an extended lease were valued about £206,200. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 invoiced monthly. The lease expired in 2082. Having 56 years as a residual term we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus expenses.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Barnsbury property is Flat 120, Clare Court Judd Street in August 2013. the Tribunal held that the premium to be paid for the extension of the lease should be £64,650 This case affected 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 62.79 years.