Stop! Your Lease Extension in Dagenham Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Dagenham 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 Dagenham 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.

Main reasons to start your Dagenham lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

A Dagenham leasehold property depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

As the length of the unexpired term of a Dagenham domestic lease diminished so does its value and therefore the value of your property. Where the residual term has, in excess of 100 years to run then this decrease may be of little impact however there will become a stage when a lease has fewer than eighty years left 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. Most flat owners in Dagenham will meet the qualifying criteria; however a conveyancing solicitor will be able to confirm whether you qualify for a lease extension. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most common reason being that you have owned the property for under two years.

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

Leasehold properties in Dagenham with over 100 years remaining on the lease are sometimes referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease is worth the same as a freehold interest in your home. In such circumstances there is often little upside in purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and service charges justify it.

Lenders may not finance a property on a short lease

Lenders are inclined not lend on short residential leases. You are likely to experience problems where you need to sell your flat in Dagenham if the remaining lease term is below the criteria set by most mortgage companies. Different mortgage companies have different criteria but on the whole they are looking for an unexpired term of at least seventy years.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
Barclays plc Leases with less than 70 years at the commencement of the mortgage are not acceptable.

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;
Chelsea 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.
Halifax 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.

What makes us experts in Dagenham lease extensions?

Lease extensions in Dagenham can be a difficult process. We recommend you procure guidance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in lease extensions.

We provide you with an expert from a selection of lease extension solicitors, which ensures a targeted and efficient service as you have a dedicated port of call with an individual lawyer. Our lease extension solicitors have a wealth of experience procuring Dagenham lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.

Dagenham Lease Extension Case Studies:

Emma, Dagenham, London,

Subsequent to protracted negotiations with the freeholder of her leasehold apartment in Dagenham, Emma initiated the lease extension process as the eighty year deadline was swiftly nearing. The lease extension was concluded in March 2014. The landlord’s charges were restricted to approximately four hundred GBP.

Dagenham case:

Last Spring we were called by Mr and Mrs. L Harris , who moved into a first floor flat in Dagenham in June 2003. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would likely be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Identical properties in Dagenham with an extended lease were in the region of £210,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £50 collected annually. The lease terminated in 2106. Given that there were 80 years as a residual term we approximated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus professional charges.

Decision in Redbridge

An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Dagenham residence is 49 Aldborough Road South in July 2012. The Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of the new lease was £13,925 This case related to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 61.36 years.