Driffield Lease Extension - Free Consultation

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Top reasons for Driffield lease extension


Top reasons for lease extension now:

Increase your lease and increase your Driffield property value

The only way is down when it comes to Driffield lease terms. Driffield flats that have a lease term lower than eighty years will de-escalate in market price even faster, and the cost to extend your lease will rise.

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

Leasehold residencies in Driffield with more than 100 years left on the lease are often 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 to be gained by buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and estate charges justify it.

Mortgage lenders will not finance a property with a short lease

Mortgage companies do not lend on short residential leases. You are likely to encounter difficulties if you want to sell your flat in Driffield if the remaining term of your lease is below the criteria set by most banks and building societies. Different mortgage companies have different requirements but in the main they are looking for a minimum remaining lease term of seventy years.

Lender Requirement
Barnsley Building Society 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
Lloyds TSB Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date 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
Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgage term plus 30 years.
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.

Get in touch with one of our Driffield lease extension solicitors or enfranchisement solicitors

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

Driffield Lease Extension Case Studies:

Chelsea, Driffield, East Yorkshire,

Subsequent to protracted negotiations with the freeholder of her garden flat in Driffield, Chelsea commenced the lease extension process just as her lease was nearing the all-important eighty-year deadline. The legal work was concluded in July 2005. The freeholder’s charges were kept to an absolute minimum.

Driffield case:

Last Spring we were contacted by Mr E Peterson , who acquired a garden flat in Driffield in November 2002. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) price would be for a 90 year extension to my lease. Similar premises in Driffield with an extended lease were in the region of £242,600. The average ground rent payable was £45 collected every twelve months. The lease elapsed in 2091. Having 67 years as a residual term we estimated the premium to the freeholder for the lease extension to be within £11,400 and £13,200 not including expenses.

Driffield case:

Last Winter we were approach by Dr O White , who acquired a garden apartment in Driffield in September 2008. We are asked if we could approximate the premium would be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparable flats in Driffield with an extended lease were valued about £280,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £55 billed monthly. The lease came to a finish in 2102. Considering the 78 years as a residual term we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £13,300 and £15,400 plus expenses.