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If you are selling short leasehold flats you should be concerned about the remaining number of years left on your lease. Put simply if you have 80 years or more on the term of your lease then you should be fine. Mortgage companies are happy to lend on leasehold properties with over 80 years remaining and this in turn means that there is a market of ready buyers. If you have ready buyers then you should be able to achieve a sale at open market value.
The complications begin once a property has 80 years or less remaining on the lease.
Once the lease falls below 80 years then the premium payable for extending the lease starts to increase exponentially as the lease term becomes shorter. Many buyers will be put off buying the flat for this reason.
Once the lease falls under 70 years many mortgage lenders will no longer lend against the flat. This will reduce the saleability and value of the flat even further.
You must also remember that you only have the right to extend your lease if you have owned your leasehold flat for more than two years. For example, if you purchased a flat with 81 years remaining on the lease you will have to wait 2 years until it has 79 years remaining before you can extend the lease. At which point the lease extension cost will have risen dramatically compared to the lease extension cost at 81 years.
The first golden rule is to make sure the lease is extended well before it reaches the 80 year deadline. The lease can be extended relatively inexpensively during this period.
If your lease term is already under 80 years then you can try and sell your flat on the open market but the experience could be frustrating. Alternatively, you can bite the bullet and apply to extend the lease. You will need to contact a surveyor to value the lease extension and appoint a solicitor to serve what is called a section 42 notice on the freeholder. You will incur professional fees and you will need to wait between 4-12 months depending on how efficiently the various parties respond and communicate.
Providing you have the time and patience then the extended lease will make your flat more marketable and it will more than likely increase the value of your flat. Don’t forget you will also need finance to purchase the lease extension once all the legal formalities are agreed.
On the other hand, if you’re thinking to yourself:
then Molae Properties can simplify matters for you. We are interested in buying leasehold flats with short leases under 80 years. We will buy your short leasehold flat for cash in a quick, guaranteed and efficient manner. Simply call us or fill out the contact form on this page and we will be in touch with you to discuss the sale of your flat.
Are you concerned about leasehold extensions or worried about short leaseholds? Most flats in England and Wales have leaseholds, but properties with short leases on them are less desirable and can be tricky to sell. As there are always a whole load of questions that come up when leaseholds are mentioned, we’ve put together an essential guide to leasehold extensions and short leaseholds to guide you through what you need to know.
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Like many other areas of business, the property buying and selling world is full of special terminology and jargon. It all makes sense when you know what it all means, but if you’re still getting to grips with everything, it can be confusing. In this post we’re going back to basics and taking a look at the lowdown on property leases and what they mean to buyers and sellers.
Selling a leasehold flat can be challenging; particularly when you have less than 80 years left on your existing leasehold. The main issue is that the value of your home or property will begin to lose value as the time period of the lease reduces. Buyers can find it difficult to get a mortgage from lenders and in turn, you could be left in a frustrating situation. However, you should be able to apply for a lease extension of an additional 90 years. So let’s look at the lease extension process in greater detail.Read More
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We know that repairs, maintenance and improvements need to be carried out within apartment buildings and flats. These may be relatively small costs but from time to time they can be much larger. Occasionally there can be instances when leaseholders are forced to pay out ridiculously large sums of money. One particularly shocking recent case was from Oxford in early 2016. Around 50 leaseholders in an apartment block were asked to pay an eye-watering £50,000 pounds each. Read More
One of the most important concerns you need to take into account when selling a leasehold flat is the number of years remaining on the lease. Shorter leases can lead to problems when you try to sell your flat. Read More
The sale of my property was well managed with regular communication and advice and support provided throughout the process. The company also provided legal support through one of their panel solicitors which was professional friendly and reassuring during what was a complex sale. They are trustworthy and reliable and I would recommend this company to anyone looking to sell their property. Thank you for making this a much easier process.
R. Mangal, Leyton, London, E10
