The market value of a leasehold property in Hook depends on how many years the lease has remaining. If it is near to or less than eighty years you should expect problems on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for a lease extension ahead of purchasing. Ideally one should start the process of extending the lease is when a lease still has 82 years to run so that all matters can be finalised ahead of the 80 year mark. Leasehold Reform legislation enables Hook qualifying lessees to a ninety year extension added to their residual lease term (ie if your lease has 50 years left the statutory lease extension will provide a new term of 140 years). The purpose of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the premium payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the acquisition of the lease extension.
It is generally considered that a property with in excess of one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the same as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 35 years remaining, the property will be worth the same as a freehold for decades to come.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Godiva Mortgages | 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. |
| TSB | Minimum of 70 years at mortgage commencement, with 30 years remaining at mortgage redemption. |
The conveyancers that we work with handle Hook lease extensions and help protect your position. A lease extension can be arranged to be completed to coincide with a change of ownership so the costs of the lease extension are paid for using part of the sale proceeds. You really do need expert legal advice in this difficult and technical area of law. The conveyancer we work with provide it.
Liam owned a high value flat in Hook on the market with a lease of a few days over 61 years unexpired. Liam informally contacted his freeholder a well known Bristol-based freehold company for a lease extension. The freeholder indicated a willingness to grant an extension taking the lease to 125 years on the basis of a new rent initially set at £200 per annum and increase every 25 years thereafter. Ordinarily, ground rent would not be due on a lease extension were Liam to exercise his statutory right. Liam procured expert legal guidance and was able to make an informed judgement and handle with the matter and readily saleable.
Last Summer we were phoned by Dr W Gómez , who moved into a one bedroom flat in Hook in November 1999. We are asked if we could estimate the premium could be to prolong the lease by a further 90 years. Comparative premises in Hook with 100 year plus lease were valued about £261,600. The average amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced annually. The lease lapsed in 2078. Given that there were 52 years remaining we approximated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £39,000 and £45,000 not including fees.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Hook flat is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case was in relation to 1 flat.