If you are facing a significant premium because your lease in Prescot 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 lease extension now:
Increase your lease and increase your Prescot property value
The market value of a leasehold property in Prescot is impacted by how many years the lease has remaining. If it is close to or less than eighty years you should envisage difficulties on re-sale, so it is recommended to arrange for a lease extension before buying. Ideally one should start the process of extending the lease is when a lease still has 82 years remaining so that formalities can be finalised well before the eighty year threshold. Statute enables Prescot qualifying lessees to an additional term of 90 years in addition to the existing term, at a nominal rent (zero ground rent). The purpose of the valuation is to arrive at an opinion of the amount payable by the lessee to the freeholder for the purchase of the lease extension.
An extended lease is almost the same value as a freehold
It is generally considered that a property with over one hundred years unexpired lease term is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to all but the shortest lease, the premises will be equivalent in value to a freehold for many years ahead.
Mortgage lenders will not grant a mortgage on a short lease
Nearly all banks and building societies will not lend on a lease with less than seventy years remaining - although this varies from lender to lender. A buyer will likely encounter difficulties in obtaining a mortgage and this will result in your Prescot property becoming difficult to sell or remortgage.
| Lender |
Requirement
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| Accord Mortgages |
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.
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| Halifax |
Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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| National Westminster Bank |
Mortgage term plus 30 years.
For Shared Ownership, the remaining term of the lease must be at least 30 years plus the term of the mortgage at the outset of the mortgage.
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| Santander |
If the property is leasehold, the remaining unexpired lease term at the end of the new mortgage term must be at least 50 years where any part of the mortgage is on Interest Only and 30 years if all loan parts are on Capital Repayment and Interest. 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.
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.
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| 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 a proposed Lease Extension does not meet these requirements, however you feel that this is in the best interest for our mutual client, please refer all details to the Issuing Office for us to consider.
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.
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What makes us experts in Prescot lease extensions?
Lease extensions in Prescot can be a difficult process. We recommend you obtain professional help from a conveyancing solicitor and surveyor well versed in the legislation and lease extension process.
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 in-depth market knowledge procuring Prescot lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.
Prescot Lease Extension Example Cases:
Rachel, Prescot, Merseyside,
Following lengthy correspondence with the landlord of her one bedroom flat in Prescot, Rachel commenced the lease extension process as the eighty year threshold was rapidly coming. The legal work was concluded in November 2013. The landlord’s costs were restricted to slightly above 600 GBP.
Prescot case:
Last Spring we were phoned by Mr and Mrs. C Young , who
took over the lease of a ground floor flat in Prescot in May 2012. The dilemma was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) premium would be for a ninety year extension to my lease. Similar premises in Prescot with a long lease were in the region of £216,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £60 billed annually. The lease concluded in 2084. Considering the 58 years left we approximated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be between £28,500 and £33,000 not including legals.
Prescot case:
Ms Mollie Bernard bought a basement apartment in Prescot in July 1997. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would be for a 90 year lease extension. Comparable properties in Prescot with an extended lease were valued about £200,000. The mid-range ground rent payable was £50 invoiced per annum. The lease finished on 3 September 2104. Having 78 years remaining we estimated the premium to the landlord to extend the lease to be between £8,600 and £9,800 not including costs.