There is no doubt about it a leasehold flat or house in Harlesden is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. If the lease has, over 99 years remaining then this decrease may be fractional that being said there will become a point in time when a lease has under than 80 years unexpired as part of the premium you will incur is what is known as a marriage value. This could be significant. It is the main reason why you should extend the lease sooner rather than later. Many flat owners in Harlesden will qualify for this right; that being said a conveyancing solicitor should be able to advise whether you qualify for a lease extension. In limited situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.
Leasehold residencies in Harlesden with in excess of 100 years remaining on the lease are often regarded as a ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such circumstances there is often little to be gained by purchasing the reversionary interest unless savings on ground rent and service charges justify it.
| 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; |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Royal Bank of Scotland | Mortgage term plus 30 years. |
Using our service gives you increased control over the value of your Harlesden leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and marketable in terms of lease length should you decide to sell. The conveyancing solicitors that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.
Following lengthy correspondence with the freeholder of her purpose-built apartment in Harlesden, Lydia commenced the lease extension process as the eighty year mark was rapidly coming. The legal work was finalised in April 2008. The landlord’s fees were kept to an absolute minimum.
In 2011 we were phoned by Mr and Mrs. O Ricardo who, having purchased a purpose-built flat in Harlesden in May 1995. We are asked if we could estimate the premium would be to extend the lease by ninety years. Comparative residencies in Harlesden with an extended lease were worth £254,200. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 collected every twelve months. The lease finished in 2077. Given that there were 51 years outstanding we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £43,700 and £50,600 not including fees.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Harlesden premises is First Floor Flat 2B Fortune Gate Road in May 2013. the tribunal decided that the price payable for the lease extension was £9,331, together with £900 in respect of outstanding ground rent. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 74.31 years.