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Why you should commence your Princes Risborough lease extension


Why you should start your Princes Risborough lease extension today:

Increase your lease and increase your Princes Risborough property value

Princes Risborough leases on domestic deteriorating in value. if your lease has about ninety years remaining, you should start thinking about a lease extension. Eighty years is a significant number: when the remaining term of a lease drops below this level then you begin paying an additional element called marriage value. Leasehold owners in Princes Risborough will usually be legally entitled to a lease extension; however a solicitor should be able check if you qualify. In some situations you may not qualify. There are also strict timetables and formalities to follow once the process is triggered so it’s wise to be guided by a conveyancing solicitor during the process.

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

It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with over one hundred years remaining is worth roughly the equivalent as a freehold. Where an further ninety years added to any lease with more than 45 years unexpired, the premises will be worth the same as a freehold for many years in the future.

Lenders may not issue a mortgage on a short lease

Banks and building societies are really clamping down as regards to properties in Princes Risborough with short leases. For instance you may find that their lending criteria are stricter and that they adjust interest rates depending on the unexpired lease term. Some may even refuse to lend completely, so if you wanted to sell, your remaining options would be to find a cash buyer, or hope for the best at auction thus reducing the number of prospective buyers.

Lender Requirement
Bank of Scotland Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
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.
National Westminster Bank Mortgage term plus 30 years.
Nationwide Building Society - Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years, except where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat, in which case our minimum unexpired term is 90 years.
- There must be at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (regardless of the length of lease at the start).

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
- Where lending is over 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat and the unexpired lease term on the offer is 90 years or more - only advise us if the actual lease term is less than 90 years.

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 55 years
- Unexpired lease term less than 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat
- 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 is 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 55 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% 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 (Minimum 90 years where we are lending more than 85% of the purchase price/valuation on a second hand flat)
- 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 (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
- 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 charged which is more than on a peppercorn basis

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% 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 Issuing Office.
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

Why use us for your lease extension in Princes Risborough?

The conveyancing solicitors that we work with undertake Princes Risborough 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 lawyer we work with provide it.

Princes Risborough Lease Extension Case Summaries:

Tia, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire,

Following unsuccessful discussions with the freeholder of her first floor apartment in Princes Risborough, Tia commenced the lease extension process as the 80 year deadline was fast advancing. The lease extension was finalised in March 2014. The landlord’s charges were kept to an absolute minimum.

Princes Risborough case:

Last Christmas we were e-mailed by Dr F García , who was assigned a lease of a first floor apartment in Princes Risborough in February 2009. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) price could be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Identical homes in Princes Risborough with 100 year plus lease were worth £275,000. The average amount of ground rent was £55 billed yearly. The lease lapsed on 23 November 2101. Considering the 77 years unexpired we estimated the compensation to the landlord for the lease extension to be between £13,300 and £15,400 not including expenses.

Princes Risborough case:

Mr and Mrs. W Bennett completed a garden flat in Princes Risborough in August 2002. We are asked if we could shed any light on how much (approximately) premium would likely be to prolong the lease by 90 years. Similar flats in Princes Risborough with 100 year plus lease were worth £183,600. The mid-range ground rent payable was £65 collected per annum. The lease terminated on 21 June 2081. Considering the 57 years left we estimated the premium to the landlord for the lease extension to be within £28,500 and £33,000 not including expenses.