Stop! Your Lease Extension in Hessle Could Be FREE

Many leaseholders in Hessle 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 Hessle 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 Hessle lease extension


Why you should commence your Hessle lease extension today:

A Hessle lease depreciates with the years remaining on the lease.

The nearer a domestic lease in Hessle nears to zero years unexpired, the the greater the reduction in the value of the property. If the residual term has, in excess of 125 years to run then this decrease may be negligible nevertheless there will become a point in time when a lease has less than 80 years unexpired as part of the premium you will incur is what is termed as a marriage value. This could increase markedly the cost. It is the main reason why you should extend the lease sooner than later. Many flat owners in Hessle will meet the qualifying criteria; nevertheless a lawyer will be able to confirm if you are eligible for a lease extension. In certain situations you may not qualify, the most frequent reason being that you have not been the owner of the property for two years.

Hessle property with a lease extension is almost the same value as a freehold

Leasehold premises in Hessle with in excess of 100 years outstanding on the lease are often referred to as ‘virtual freehold’. This is where the lease value the same as a freehold interest in your property. In such situations there is often little to be gained by buying the freehold unless savings on ground rent and service charges warrant it.

Lenders will not lend with a short lease

Banks and Building Societies have set criteria when loaning funds charged on leasehold homes. Some will simply not lend at all once the remaining lease term goes under a certain unexpired lease term. Many Lending institutions will not consider property with an unexpired below seventy years as adequate security. As well as impacting your ability to sell, it is also relevant where you are seeking to refinance your Hessle property.

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 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.
Halifax 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

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.

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

Retaining our service gives you better control over the value of your Hessle leasehold, as your property will be more valuable and saleable in terms of lease length should you want to sell. The lawyers that we work with are well versed in the legislation handling many hundreds of lease extensions or freehold purchase transactions.

Hessle Lease Extension Example Cases:

Jayden, Hessle, East Yorkshire,

Jayden was the the leasehold owner of a studio flat in Hessle on the market with a lease of a little over 61 years remaining. Jayden on an informal basis spoke with his landlord being a well known Bristol-based freehold company and enquired on a premium to extend the lease. The freeholder was keen to grant an extension on non-statutory terms taking the lease to 125 years subject to an increased rent to £200 annually. No ground rent would be payable on a lease extension were Jayden to exercise his statutory right. Jayden procured expert legal guidance and was able to make a more informed judgement and deal with the matter and readily saleable.

Hessle case:

In 2010 we were contacted by Mr and Mrs. I Howard who, having acquired a basement flat in Hessle in February 2007. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would be to prolong the lease by ninety years. Identical properties in Hessle with 100 year plus lease were valued around £208,600. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced per annum. The lease concluded on 28 May 2083. Taking into account 57 years left we approximated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £30,400 and £35,200 exclusive of professional charges.

Hessle case:

Mr Toby White acquired a recently refurbished flat in Hessle in June 2005. The dilemma was if we could approximate the premium could be to extend the lease by a further 90 years. Comparative properties in Hessle with a long lease were in the region of £200,000. The average ground rent payable was £50 collected every twelve months. The lease came to a finish in 2103. Having 77 years as a residual term we calculated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £8,600 and £9,800 exclusive of legals.