It’s an underpublicised certainty that a Cardiff Bay residential lease is a deteriorating asset. As the lease term reduces so does the value of the property. The extent of this is taken for granted in the first few years due to the loss of value being disguised by increases in the Cardiff Bay property market.Once your lease gets to 85ish years, you should start thinking about a lease extension. An important point to note is that it is desirable for lease extension to take place before the term of the existing lease falls under eighty years - otherwise a higher amount will be due. Most leasehold owners in Cardiff Bay will be able to extend under the legislation; however a conveyancer will be able to clarify whether you are eligibility. In some cases you may not be entitled. There are also strict timetables and procedures to follow once the process has commenced and you will need to be guided by your lawyer throughout the formalities.
It is conventional wisdom that a property with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an further 90 years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years ahead.
| 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. |
| Godiva Mortgages | 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. |
| Lloyds TSB Scotland | Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage. |
| 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 |
| 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. |
Engaging our service gives you increased control over the value of your Cardiff Bay leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in respect of lease length should you want to sell. The conveyancers that we work with have a in-depth market knowledge handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.
18 months ago Toby, came critically near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his two bedroom apartment in Cardiff Bay. In buying his flat two decades ago, the length of the lease was of little interest. Thankfully, it dawned on him that he needed to take action soon on Extending the lease. Toby arranged for a lease extension at the eleventh hour in August. Toby and the freeholder via the management company in the end agreed on an amount of £6,000 . If the lease had descended to less than eighty years, the premium would have increased by at least £1,125.
In 2014 we were e-mailed by Dr E Edwards who, having bought a basement flat in Cardiff Bay in April 2004. We are asked if we could estimate the price would likely be to extend the lease by ninety years. Identical homes in Cardiff Bay with 100 year plus lease were valued around £173,800. The average ground rent payable was £60 invoiced yearly. The lease came to a finish on 14 October 2081. Having 55 years outstanding we estimated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £31,400 and £36,200 plus fees.
Mrs Hollie Petit acquired a purpose-built apartment in Cardiff Bay in March 1996. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would likely be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Comparative properties in Cardiff Bay with a long lease were valued about £235,200. The average ground rent payable was £45 collected per annum. The lease elapsed in 2092. Considering the 66 years unexpired we approximated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £12,400 and £14,200 not including professional charges.