Stop! Your Lease Extension in Coleford Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Coleford 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 Coleford 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 Coleford lease extension


Main reasons to commence your Coleford lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Coleford property value

Coleford leases on residential properties are gradually losing value. The shorter the remaining lease term becomes, the less it is worth – and as a result any extension of the lease gets more expensive. Legislation has been in place for sometime now which permits qualifying Coleford residential leaseholders to extend the terms of long leases. If you are a leasehold owner in Coleford you really ought to investigate if your lease has between 70 and ninety years remaining. In particular once the remaining lease term slips under 80 years, the compensation to the landlord for any lease extension sharply increases as part of the premium you pay is what is known as a marriage value

Coleford 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 roughly the same as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.

Banks and Building Societies will not lend with a short lease

Almost all mortgage lenders insist on a lengthy amount of time left on any leasehold property before they will contemplate it as adequate security. Even if you don't need a mortgage, you should keep in mind that it is probable that someone wanting to acquire your property in the future might well do, so where they can't secure a mortgage, then the value of the property will likely be adversely impacted. Since 2008 many mortgage lenders have increased the required minimum lease length that they are willing to grant a mortgage on

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.
Halifax Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Leeds Building Society 85 years remaining from the start 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.
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.

Why use us for your lease extension in Coleford?

Regardless of whether you are a tenant or a freeholder in Coleford,the lease extension experts that we work with will always be happy to discuss any residential leasehold matters and offer you the benefit of their experience and the close ties they enjoy with Coleford valuers.

Coleford Lease Extension Example Cases:

Alexander, Coleford, Gloucestershire

Twenty four months ago Alexander, started to get near to the eighty-year threshold with the lease on his garden flat in Coleford. Having purchased his property 18 years ago, the length of the lease was of minimal relevance. by good luck, he recognised he needed to take steps soon on Extending the lease. Alexander was able to extend his lease at the eleventh hour last August. Alexander and the landlord who owned the flat above subsequently agreed on sum of £6,000 . If the lease had slid to less than 80 years, the figure would have become more costly by at least £1,100.

Coleford case:

Mrs Sian Hill purchased a ground floor flat in Coleford in March 2005. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Identical residencies in Coleford with a long lease were valued about £233,200. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 billed per annum. The lease end date was on 9 November 2087. Taking into account 61 years remaining we calculated the premium to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £22,800 and £26,400 exclusive of costs.

Coleford case:

In 2011 we were called by Dr Alexandra Watson who, having purchased a studio flat in Coleford in July 2008. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) compensation to the landlord could be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Identical flats in Coleford with an extended lease were in the region of £166,800. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £50 collected yearly. The lease terminated in 2076. Considering the 50 years unexpired we approximated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £32,300 and £37,400 exclusive of legals.