It’s an underpublicised truth that a Woodbury residential lease is a wasting asset. The lease value drops in proportion to its lease length. The extent of this is taken for granted in the first few years due to the loss of value being disguised by increases in the Woodbury property market.Once your lease nears 85ish years, you should start thinking about a lease extension. An important point to note is that it is desirable for lease extension to take place before the term of the existing lease falls below 80 years - otherwise a higher premium will be due. The majority of flat owners in Woodbury will be able to extend under the legislation; however a lawyer will be able to clarify whether you qualify for an extension. In some situations you may not be entitled. There are also strict timeframes and procedures to be adhered to once the process is instigated and you will need to be guided by your lawyer from beginning to end of the process.
It is conventional wisdom that a residential leasehold with in excess of 100 years remaining is worth approximately the equivalent as a freehold. Where an additional ninety years added to any lease with more than 30 years unexpired, the property will be worth the same as a freehold for many years ahead.
| Lender | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Halifax | Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage. |
| Leeds Building Society | 85 years remaining from the start 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 |
| Virgin | 85 years at the time of completion. If it's less, we require it to be extended on or before completion. |
Lease extensions in Woodbury can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional help from a conveyancing solicitor and valuer with experience in lease extensions.
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 a wealth of experience procuring Woodbury lease extensions and further afield, as well as any potential issues which may arise as well as problems with the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.
In the wake of eight months of lengthy correspondence with the landlord of her first floor apartment in Woodbury, Jessica initiated the lease extension process as the 80 year mark was swiftly approaching. The legal work was concluded in July 2011. The freeholder’s charges were kept to an absolute minimum.
In 2010 we were contacted by Dr Ibrahim Flores who, having was assigned a lease of a recently refurbished flat in Woodbury in February 2010. We are asked if we could approximate the compensation to the landlord could be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparative residencies in Woodbury with a long lease were in the region of £290,000. The mid-range amount of ground rent was £45 billed quarterly. The lease came to a finish in 2098. Having 73 years left we estimated the compensation to the freeholder to extend the lease to be within £9,500 and £11,000 not including fees.
In 2012 we were phoned by Dr D Torres who, having completed a one bedroom flat in Woodbury in January 2010. The question was if we could shed any light on how much (roughly) compensation to the landlord would likely be to extend the lease by an additional years. Comparative premises in Woodbury with an extended lease were valued around £240,600. The average amount of ground rent was £60 invoiced quarterly. The lease came to a finish on 14 June 2087. Given that there were 62 years unexpired we calculated the compensation to the landlord to extend the lease to be within £21,900 and £25,200 exclusive of professional charges.