Executors – the right to extend a lease

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Do executors have the right to apply for a statutory lease extension?Executors – the right to extend a lease. Specialist Solicitors. Logo Of Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners

Yes – and this can prove very useful. Provided that they do so within two years of the date of grant of probate, the executors can apply to extend the lease on a residential leasehold flat or house by serving a formal notice of claim – in the form of what is known as a section 42 notice under the Leasehold Reform Act 1993.

The only limitation is that the deceased must have qualified for that lease extension themselves – including having owned the property themselves for a period of at least two years.

As a result, an executor can either go ahead with extending the lease themselves, or can put a property on the market with the benefit of the notice of claim, which can then be assigned onto the purchaser – so the new purchaser immediately has the right to a leasehold extension upon completion of the sale without having to wait two years, and the vendors do not have to go through the expense of paying to extend the lease themselves.

Got a lease extension question? Call our specialist solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

What is an informal lease extension?

It’s also worth noting that although to qualify for a statutory or formal lease extension, certain conditions need to have been met by the deceased (and by applying for a statutory lease extension, the freeholder cannot refuse a 90 year lease extension at a reasonable price),  there is always the possibility of a an informal or voluntary lease extension – which can simply be negotiated with the freeholder.
But there are risks with these kind of informal arrangements.
Click here to read more about voluntary lease extensions

I am an executor – why might I want a lease extension?

That’s simple.

An executor’s duty is of course to collect in and distribute the deceased’s estate. But if the estate includes a flat (or more unusually a leasehold house) with a short lease, then arranging for a lease extension should increase the value of the flat – and thus the value of the estate – not to mention the marketability of the property in question.

And how short is a short lease? Anything below 70 years gets increasingly hard to sell – not least because these days many mortgage companies simply won’t loan against a flat with a lease term that low. And a lot of purchasers aren’t keen on flats with less than 80 years left  to run.

And that 80 year point is important. Why? That’s because the very moment that the  remaining term drops below 80 years, the price of the lease extension goes up. So again if the remaining lease term is approaching 80 years – that’s another good reason to extend the lease , to avoid an increased premium payable to the freeholder .

Need expert help with your lease extension?

Our team is really specialist – lease extension work is all they do for clients with leasehold property throughout England and Wales.

And in the last 25 years we have helped something like 10,000 people extend their leases or buy the freehold. We are also the only law firm recommended by the HomeOwners Alliance for lease extensions. And what’s more, as part of our one-stop shop service, we can introduce you, or instruct on your behalf, a specialist surveyor to value the premium on your behalf – an essential step if you’re not to overpay to extend your lease.

To instruct us, or for FREE initial phone advice about any aspect of lease extension,

  • call us now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 OR
  • email us using the contact form below.

    Buying a flat with an 81 year lease – the problems and how to overcome them

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    Lease extension solicitors – your solution to short lease problemsBuying a flat with 81 year lease. Specialist lease extension solicitors

    Don’t let the fact that the flat you are considering buying has an 81 year lease on it make you completely rule out purchasing it. The critical amount of time left on a lease is 80 years. If the lease has below 80 years remaining the ‘marriage value’ component of the premium payable to the freeholder for the lease extension will add significantly to the cost of that extension – we are talking a few thousand pounds here at the very least.

    From the day that the remaining term dips under that critical 80 year period, the ‘marriage value’ will steadily increase as the length of the lease decreases – so extending the lease should ideally be done before it drops below that 80 years point.
    Click here to read more about Marriage Value and the government’s 2022 proposal to abolish it

    Got a lease extension question? Call our specialist solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

    Insufficient time for your lease extension? Your options

    Unfortunately, although one year would give you enough time to get your lease extended under the relevant legislation, you would not be eligible to make that application as that same legislation stipulates that you must have owned the property for the minimum of two years. However, all is not lost and there are a number of possible options to save you from having to pay the marriage value. They are:

    1) Approaching the freeholder to extend the lease on a voluntary, informal or private basis i.e. without having to make a formal S42 application under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 (as amended). The potential downside to this option is that the freeholder might refuse outright, mindful that when your lease drops below 80 years remaining they will receive a higher premium as a result of the marriage value. Or they might agree and then change their mind, or finally they might agree but impose an inflated premium and disadvantageous lease conditions on you, knowing that you have no legal protection under the Leasehold Reform Act. Additionally, with no legally binding timescale to comply with the freeholder might agree to extend the lease and drag his feet until the lease drops below eighty years remaining.
    Click here to read more about the voluntary lease extension

    2) You could approach your seller and ask if he or she would, their eligible permitting, apply to extend the lease, but there is the possibility that they would refuse on the grounds that the cost of the flat includes a discount for the dwindling lease.

    3) Finally you could see if the seller would be willing to serve the Initial Notice to extend the lease on the freeholder so that it can be assigned with the lease when the flat sale goes through. Tthis starts what is known as the formal statutory route to lease extension, and involves a right to an 90 years on the end of your lease and effectively zero ground rent in future. Once you have bought the flat you will then immediately be able to continue with the lease extension without having owned the property for the minimum two years specified in the Act. This option could be especially useful if you think that your mortgage provider would have problems with a property with a sub 80 year lease.

    And there’s more good news with this formal statutory route – as soon the section 42 notice is served by the vendor, the lease effectively freezes – it stops getting shorter during the application process

    Want help with your lease extension? Contact us today

    One of our specialist lease extension solicitors will be able to advise you in detail on what is involved in extending the lease on a property with an 81 year lease.

    Our team can advise you wherever you live in England and Wales and we don’t even need to see you – taking your instructions by e-mail, phone and Zoom video:

    • Just call us on [01722] 422300 for a FREE initial phone consultation and a FREE quote for your lease extension
    • Complete the contact form below

      Selling a flat with a short lease

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      Does a short lease matter?Selling a flat with a short lease. Specialist leasehold extension solicitors

      Certain things in life are inevitable – death, taxes and the raw truth that day by day, your lease is getting shorter. But when you’re selling a flat, with a short lease, does the length of the lease term really matter?

      Quite apart from the fact that if you don’t extend your lease then eventually it’s going to expire and you will no longer own that flat, ending up with a short lease has some problematic consequences. That’s just 1 of the reasons why, if you’re looking at selling a flat with a short lease, extending your lease is so important

      Got a lease extension question? Call our specialist solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

      Selling a flat with a short lease – serious mortgage problems

      Not least amongst the potential problems with a short lease is the fact that, increasingly, mortgage lenders are reluctant to lend on short leases. So, selling a flat with a short lease may prove difficult.

      But don’t just take our word for it – at the bottom of the page you will see an extract from some recent figures on the Council of Mortgage Lenders website and the link to bang up-to-date information which shows that it’s become pretty difficult to obtain a mortgage on any residential property with a short lease.

      And what do we mean by a short lease? There is no legal definition of a short lease and there is no doubt that in the last 10 years, mortgage companies have really moved the goalposts by requiring increasingly longer leases before they will consider a loan.

      As you’ll see, many of the leading mortgage companies won’t even consider a mortgage on a lease with less than 70 years to run – so, and this is just a personal opinion, probably anything either below, or even approaching that crucial 70 year mark is a short lease and any property with that length of term remaining is going to be difficult to sell.

      Selling a flat with a short lease – our expert advice

      To make sure you get the best price for your property and to maximise the number of possible purchasers, you need to make sure either that;

      1. you extend your lease well above the 70 year mark in advance of putting your property on the market OR

      2. if you don’t have the cash to extend your lease extension, or you don’t want to wait for a leasehold extension to be completed,[and if you go down the safer formal route this could take up to six months or so] then you can start the process of lease extension yourself, by instructing a solicitor to issue the formal lease extension notice – and then transfer the right to extend the lease to the new purchaser. However, if you go down this second group, any sensible purchaser will look to reduce the price they going to pay you for your flat by the very least the likely cost of the lease extension, and probably a bit more on top.

      NB although it’s not directly linked to selling your flat, please do be aware that the cost of lease extension goes up significantly when the remaining term of your lease dips just one single day below 80 years. So, regardless of whether you’re looking to sell your flat, if possible make sure you extend your lease well in advance of that 80 year period – we could end up paying thousands of pounds more for your lease extension. [Want to know why? Click here to find more about marriage value and your lease extension.]

      How our specialist lease extension solicitors can help you.

      Here at Bonallack & Bishop, our leasehold team have helped around 10,000 people like you with short lease problems – extending individual leases and helping other leaseholders to buy the freehold of their block.

      With over 25 years experience our specialist 5 strong leasehold team is possibly the largest and most specialist team of its type in the country – and we handle up to 500 leasehold extension and enfranchisement cases every year for clients throughout England and Wales:

      Now is the right time to extend your short lease

      While a lease extension for your flat always makes good financial sense, now is a great time to extend your lease. Why?

      The UK housing market has been quite buoyant for some time now, which industry experts think could last for a few years. That means that the price of property generally is likely to go up and that in turn means that the cost of extending your lease will increase. So why wait for the price to go up – extend your lease today.

      What kind of conditions do mortgage companies insist on when lending on a lease extension?

      This is another issue. Quite apart from the fact that an increasing number of lenders require increasingly long remaining lease terms, other lenders adding additional requirements. Here are just a couple of your case studies that we’ve dealt with recently

      1.       Lender: Leeds Building Society      Existing Lease Term: 52 years

       The clients had owned the property since 1992 and jointly owned the freehold with the flat below since circa 2010. They hadn’t re-mortgaged for some years and when they applied to Leeds, one of the conditions was that the lease extension would take place first, or simultaneously with the re-mortgage.

      2.       Lender: Coventry Building Society         Existing Lease Term: 69 years

      The client had owned the property since 2001 and last re-mortgaged in 2006. She decided to pursue a statutory or formal lease extension claim in this case, but either way the lender required it to be extended for the re-mortgage.

      In both of these cases the existing lease lengths were relatively low and of course many lenders have different requirements.

      What minimum unexpired lease terms do mortgage lenders require?

      The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook provides an up-to-date list of lending criteria for leasehold property for approximately 97% of  lenders in England and Wales– click here to view that list

      And here is a summary of the lending criteria for some of the biggest lenders as at according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders as at 6/2/19

      lease

      minimum unexpired lease term

      Accord Buy to Let

      		 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.
      Accord Mortgages Ltd 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.
      Adam & Company At least 30 years (calculated from the date stipulated for the repayment of the loan) unless we advise you otherwise in writing.
      Adam & Company International At least 30 years (calculated from the date stipulated for the repayment of the loan) unless we advise you otherwise in writing.
      Ahli United Bank (UK) plc 20 years (at term end)
      Aldermore Bank PLC 60 years from the date of the mortgage, subject to 40 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.

      However, where the lease is shorter than 85 years from the date of the mortgage and this is not detailed in the valuation report, you should notify us so that we can ensure that there is no adverse effect upon the valuation.
      Allied Irish Bank (GB), a trading name of AIB Group (UK) 60 years remaining at expiry of mortgage term.
      Atom Bank plc At least 80 years at the outset of the mortgage and at least 50 years remaining at the expiry of the mortgage term.
      Aviva Equity Release UK Ltd 160 years minus x
      Where x=the age of the youngest borrower
      Bank of Ireland (UK) plc Yes, subject to a minimum lease term of 85 years. The unexpired lease term must be at least the mortgage term plus 45 years. See also 5.14.9
      Bank of Ireland as Bank of Ireland Mortgages Yes, subject to a minimum lease term of 85 years. The unexpired lease term must be at least the mortgage term plus 45 years. See also 5.14.9
      Bank of Scotland Beginning A Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
      Bank of Scotland Beginning O Minimum 70 years from the date of mortgage.
      Banks and Clients Plc Refer to lender
      Barclays Bank UK PLC Mortgage term plus 25 years
      Barnsley Building Soc, a trading name Yorkshire Building Soc 60 years from the date of the mortgage application subject to 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Birmingham Midshires Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
      Bluestone Mortgages Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      Bradford & Bingley Plc The lease must have at least 25 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Britannia, a trading name of The Co-operative Bank plc 70 years unexpired at application, 30 years at the end of the mortgage term
      Buckinghamshire Building Society Minimum of 35 years unexpired at the end of the mortgage term
      Capital Home Loans Must have at least 60 years unexpired term on completion, with a minimum of 35 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) 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.
      Clydesdale Bank plc Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      Co-operative Bank plc 70 years unexpired at application, 30 years at the end of the mortgage term
      Coutts At least 30 years (calculated from the date stipulated for the repayment of the loan) unless we advise you otherwise in writing.
      Coutts Finance Co At least 30 years (calculated from the date stipulated for the repayment of the mortgage) unless we advise you otherwise in writing.
      Coventry Building Society 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.
      Cynergy Bank Not less than 75 years at drawdown of the loan or first drawdown where the loan is drawn down in stages or less than 50 years unexpired at the end of the loan.
      Darlington Building Society Minimum of 85 Years
      DB UK Bank Ltd Mortgage Term plus 40 years
      Dudley Building Society Capital and Interest basis – 85 years at draw down
      Part and Part/Interest only & less than 50% – 85 years at draw down
      Part and Part/Interest only & greater than 50% LTV – 85 years remaining at the end of the term
      Earl Shilton Building Society Mortgage Term plus 50 years
      Ecology Building Society Mortgage term plus 35 years
      Family Building Soc (a trading name of National Counties BS) A minimum of 50 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      Fleet Mortgages 75 years unexpired at the commencement of the mortgage term but the unexpired term of the lease should not be less than 40 years at the scheduled end of the mortgage period
      Foundation Home Loans 50 years unexpired at the end of the mortgage term.
      Furness Building Society Minimum 85 years unexpired from completion, subject to not less than 55 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      GE Money Home Lending Ltd GE Money Home Lending has withdrawn from the UK mortgage market.
      Godiva Mortgages Ltd 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.
      Halifax Loans Ltd Minimum 70 years from the date of mortgage.
      Hampden & Co. plc At least 30 years (calculated from the date stipulated for the repayment of the loan) unless we advise you otherwise in writing.
      Handelsbanken Mortgage term plus 50 years.
      Harpenden Building Society Mortgage term plus 40 years
      Exceptions may be considered
      Hinckley and Rugby Building Society There must be at least 85 years remaining on the lease when the mortgage starts and a minimum of 50 clear and unrestricted years remaining on the lease after the end of the mortgage term
      Holmesdale Building Society 50 years remaining on the lease after the end of the mortgage term.
      HSBC Bank plc All Residential leasehold properties must have more than 30 years remaining on the lease beyond the term of the mortgage at the outset.

      All Buy to Let leasehold properties must have more than 35 years remaining on the lease beyond the term of the mortgage at the outset.
      HSBC UK Bank plc All Residential leasehold properties must have more than 30 years remaining on the lease beyond the term of the mortgage at the outset.

      All Buy to Let leasehold properties must have more than 35 years remaining on the lease beyond the term of the mortgage at the outset.
      Intelligent Finance Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
      Investec Bank plc 80 years after expiry of the mortgage.
      ITL Mortgages 70 years unexpired terms at completion.
      JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 50 years unexpired at application, 30 years at the end of the mortgage term.
      Kensington Mortgage Company Ltd 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage
      Kent Reliance (a trading name of OneSavings Bank plc) A minimum of 50 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term
      Keystone Property Finance 50 years unexpired at the end of the mortgage term
      Landbay 55 years unexpired at the end of the term
      Landmark Mortgages Limited The Mortgage Term plus 30 years.
      Leeds Building Society 85 years remaing from the start of the mortgage.
      Legal & General Home Finance Ltd Leasehold remaining term plus the age of the youngest borrower at completion must be at least 185 years.
      LendInvest Mortgage term plus 65 years
      Lloyds Bank plc pre fixed 20/40 Mortgage term plus 30 years subject to an overall minimum term of 70 years.
      Lloyds Bank plc pre fixed 50/30/77 Mortgage term plus 30 years subject to an overall minimum term of 70 years
      Lloyds TSB Scotland plc Mortgage term plus 30 years subject to an overall minimum term of 70 years
      M&S Bank All leasehold properties must have 30 years remaining on the lease beyond the term of the mortgage at the outset.
      Magellan Homeloans At least 55 Years at application and no less than 35 years at the end of the mortgage term.
      Manchester Building Society Mortgage Term plus 30 years.
      Market Harborough Building Society Mortgage term plus 50 years
      Masthaven Bank Mortgage term plus 75 years.
      Metro Bank plc For residential and buy to let transactions, at least 50 years at the end of the mortgage term.
      Molo Finance Buy to Let Mortgages A minimum unexpired lease term of 50 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      Monmouthshire Building Society 80 years remaining on completion of the loan.
      Mortgage Agency Services 50 Year unexpired at application, 25 years at the end of the mortgage term
      Mortgage Express The lease must have at least 25 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term
      Mortgage Express No 2
      National Counties Building Society A minimum of 50 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      National Westminster Bank plc Mortgage term plus 30 years. For a Lifetime Mortgage, the term must be no less than 150 years minus the age of the Borrower.
      Nationwide Building Society Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years subject to at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Report to the issuing office if the lease term is shorter than that stated on the offer and has less than 100 years remaining. (There is no requirement to report if the lease term is lower than that stated on the offer but still has 100 years or more to run, or if the lease term is longer than that stated on the offer).NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)
      The following are not acceptable:
      – The unexpired lease term is less than 125 years on a new build flat or 250 years on a new build house (does not apply to Shared Ownership)
      – Starting ground rent is more than 0.1% of the property value
      The lease must be amended to comply with the above. If not the case cannot proceed. Please advise us where the case cannot proceed.
      Ground rents and event fees:
      Ground rent and other event fees must be reasonable at all times during the lease term. For example, it is acceptable for ground rent escalation to be linked to RPI (Retail Price Index) or a similar index and where this is the case we do not need to be advised. However, unreasonable multipliers of ground rent will not be permitted, for example, doubling every 5, 10 or 15 years. These must be referred to us and we will advise if our mortgage offer remains valid. If you are unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable, please refer the details to us.
      Nedbank Private Wealth Ltd We require am unexpired lease term of 75 years.
      New Street Mortgages 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage
      NRAM Ltd The mortgage terms plus 25 years.
      Paragon Buy to Let Mortgages The unexpired term of the lease must have a minimum of 85 years at the commencement of the mortgage term and a minimum unexpired lease term of 65 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      Paragon Residential Owner-Occupied Mortgages The unexpired term of the lease must have a minimum of 85 years at the commencement of the mortgage term and a minimum unexpired lease term of 65 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      Paratus AMC Ltd 50 years unexpired at the end of the mortgage term.
      Parity Trust Mortgage term plus 35 years
      Pepper Money The lease must have a minimum unexpired term of 85 years at the time of application.
      Platform (a trading name of The Co-operative Bank p.l.c.) 70 years unexpired at application, 30 years at the end of the mortgage term, except where the mortgage application is pursuant to Platform’s participation in the Government’s Help to Buy Shared Equity scheme, in which case (a) the unexpired lease term must not be less than 250 years for new-build houses and not less than 125 years for new-build flats and (b) ground rent must be reasonable at all times and any escalation must be linked to RPI (Retail Price Index) or a similar index.
      Precise Mortgages (Charter Court Financial Services Ltd) 70 years unexpired on the lease at completion of the loan advance.
      Principality Building Society You should notify the Society where the unexpired term of the lease is 85 years or less. The Society’s lending policy is that it requires a minimum unexpired lease term of 85 years.
      Rooftop Mortgages Ltd
      Saffron Building Society There must be a minimum of 50 years unexpired lease remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Sainsbury’s Bank The unexpired term should be no less than 85 years at the commencement of the mortgage term.
      Santander UK plc Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years from completion, subject to at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (an individual case instruction may provide for a shorter unexpired term). However, 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.
      Santander UK plc for Alliance & Leicester mortgages only Our minimum unexpired lease term is 55 years from completion, subject to at least 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term (an individual case instruction may provide for a shorter unexpired term). However, 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 providedWe 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.
      Scottish Building Society Unexpired term of lease must be at least 50 years at end of mortgage term.
      Scottish Widows Bank Minimum of 70 years unexpired at the start of the mortgage.
      Secure Trust Bank PLC 85 years from the date of the mortgage.,
      Skipton Building Society 85 years from the date of completion of the mortgage
      St James Place Bank Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
      State Bank of India UK The unexpired term of the lease must have a minimum of 55 years at the commencement of the mortgage term and a minimum unexpired lease term of 30 years must remain at the end of the mortgage term.
      Swansea Building Society Mortgage Term plus 50 years
      Tesco Bank (a trading name of Tesco Personal Finance plc) Mortgage term plus 30 years (subject to a minimum unexpired term of 55 years). Please contact us as detailed in 1.11b should this not be the case.
      For new build properties, the following lease terms are not acceptable:
      – The unexpired lease term on a new build flat is less than 125 years
      – The unexpired lease term on a new build house is less than 250 years
      If the lease cannot be amended to comply with the above, the case cannot proceed. Please advise us immediately where the case cannot proceed.
      Contact point as detailed in 1.11b.
      The Mortgage Business Minimum 70 years from the date of the mortgage.
      The Mortgage Lender Limited For Residential (owner occupied) mortgages the unexpired term of the lease should not be less than 40 years at the scheduled end of the mortgage period.

      For Buy to Let mortgages the unexpired term of the lease should not be less than 50 years at the scheduled end of the mortgage period.
      The Mortgage Works Minimum unexpired lease term is 70 years with 30 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term. Report to the issuing office if the lease term is shorter than that stated within the Offer and has less than 100 years remaining.(There is no requirement to report if the lease term is lower than that stated on the Offer but still has 100 years or more to run, or if the lease term is longer than that stated on the Offer).

      NEW BUILD PROPERTIES (includes office conversions)
      The following are not acceptable:
      – The unexpired lease term on a new build flat is less than 125 years
      – The unexpired lease term on a new build house is less than 250 years
      – Starting ground rent is more than 0.1% of the property value
      The lease must be amended to comply with the above. If not the case cannot proceed. Please advise us where the case cannot proceed.
      Ground rents and event fees:
      Ground rent and other event fees must be reasonable at all times during the lease term. For example, it is acceptable for ground rent escalation to be linked to RPI (Retail Price Index) or a similar index and where this is the case we do not need to be advised. However, unreasonable multipliers of ground rent will not be permitted, for example, doubling every 5, 10 or 15 years. These must be referred to us and we will advise if our mortgage offer remains valid. If you are unsure as to whether the terms of a lease are unreasonable, please refer the details to us.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Mortgage term plus 30 years. For a Lifetime Mortgage, the term must be no less than 150 years minus the age of the Borrower.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Direct Line Mortgages Mortgage term plus 30 years and sixty years remaining at drawdown.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Direct Line One Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc First Active Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Natwest one Account Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc One Account Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Virgin One Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      The Tipton & Coseley Building Society Mortgage term plus 60 years with a minimum of 85 years outstanding at completion.
      Topaz Finance Ltd Mortgage term plus 35 years.
      TSB Bank plc Mortgage term plus 30 years subject to an overall minimum term of 70 years
      Ulster Bank Ltd Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      Vida Homeloans For capital and interest mortgages there should be 40 years of the lease remaining at the end of the mortgage term. For interest only or part interest only there should be 70 years of the lease remaining at the end of the mortgage term.
      Virgin Money plc 85 years at the time of completion. If it’s less, we require it to be extended on or before completion.
      Whistletree (a trading name of TSB Bank plc) The mortgage term plus 30 years
      Yorkshire Bank Home Loans Ltd Mortgage term plus 30 years.
      Yorkshire 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.
      Zephyr Mortgages For Zephyr: the requirement is for a minimum unexpired lease term of 70 years remaining at the end of the mortgage term.

      You must refer to Zephyr if onerous obligations are determined.

      Extending your short lease – contact our specialists now

      if you’re thinking about a UK lease extension, make sure you instruct a specialist solicitor to help you because the legal process involved is complex. Our lease extensions team concentrate on lease extension and enfranchisement only – so we have the specialist expertise you need. So, for FREE initial phone legal advice:

      • Call our specialists now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or
      • Send us an email via the contact form below.

        Bournemouth Lease Extension Solicitors

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        SPECIALISTS IN EXTENDING LEASES

        Bournemouth has one of the largest number of leasehold flats in the country – which is Bournemouth lease extension solicitors. Image of local block of flatshardly surprising, given that it is one of the UK’s most beautiful seaside resorts [now with its own premiership football team in AFC Bournemouth!], Bournemouth is a popular place for people to want to live and According to the latest 10 year census in 2011, the town has a population of 183,491 . As a result, prices have been pushed higher in recent years, making it difficult for young families and couples looking to get onto the property ladder.

        With renting not an ideal long-term solution, many people are turning to leasehold flats as a way of effectively owning their own property without the enormous costs associated with a freehold arrangement. After all, the market price of a freehold property is generally much more expensive than a leasehold deal, which still enables you to own your own home. Owning a leasehold flat does have their downsides, but in an area like Bournemouth they’re ideal for getting that first foot on the housing ladder

        But if you own a long leasehold flat in Bournemouth, or indeed anywhere else, then at some stage, that lease will need to be extended, unless you want to lose the ownership of your property and become a renting tenant.

        Want to know more about Lease Extension? Call our specialist solicitors on [01202] 834450 or free on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

        DO I NEED A BOURNEMOUTH LEASE EXTENSION SPECIALIST?

        o Extending your lease can prove tricky– there are critical deadlines which can be easy to miss, and The legislation governing lease extensions is particularly hard to interpret

        o It’s highly likely that your landlord will appoint their own specialist lease extension solicitor

        o Sadly, many landlords simply don’t cooperate when it comes to extending your lease. They might simply try to turn down your request for lease extension or haggle unnecessarily over the price [watch out – this is a particular trick played by far too many landlords when your lease is approaching the critical 80 year term]. Whilst many are perfectly reasonable, if you’re stuck with an awkward landlord, a specialist solicitor can prove essential. They can negotiate a fair price for your lease extension – but if your landlord simply refused to cooperate, they will have the expertise to help you with an application to the First Tier Property Tribunal

        o Your Bournemouth lease extension solicitor can help you gather all the necessary information for your, lease extension, help in appointing the right t surveyor value your lease extension, draft all the necessary legal documents and sort out all post-completion matters

        IDENTIFYING YOUR LEASE EXTENSION SPECIALIST

        Only a handful of law firms specialise in lease extension. Most property solicitors will, at most, only have handled the odd lease extension in their career – and in our experience, sadly they often don’t know what they’re doing.

        Here at Bonallack & Bishop, we have all the leasehold extension expertise you need. We have a team of three dedicated  UK lease extension specialists with a history of helping thousands of to extend their lease over the last 25 years.

        We are also members of ALEP- the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners, the only national organisation of specialist lease extension surveyors and solicitors.

        But you don’t need to take our word for it – here is a testimonial from a Poole based surveyor who specialises in lease extensions.

        “ I have worked alongside [Bonallack and Bishop] on numerous lease extensions and have been impressed by [their] efficiency, regular communication and knowledge of the subject.”

        Stephen Higley, Smith Robinson Higley Ltd, Chartered Surveyors, Poole

        MAKE SURE YOU EXTEND YOUR LEASE BEFORE THE TERM FLAT DROPS BELOW 80 YEARS

        The bad news is, if you have  bought a flat with a short lease, or the lease is still relatively long but has just dipped below 80 years, you’re going to have to pay the freeholder more to extend it. Why?

        That’s very simple.

        As soon as any lease dips below 80 years – even by just one day, the landlord is entitled to charge you an additional premium for extending your lease – and this premium is known as the “marriage value”.

        So, if your lease has just over 80 years to run, don’t mess around – get your lease extension as soon as possible. Even if you can’t afford a full 90-year extension, it’s very worth getting a short extension – to keep your options open, and to keep your lease above the magic 80 year figure.

        Remember – however many years your lease has to run, extending the term of that lease is going to cost you more, the longer you leave it

        NOT JUST EXTENDING LEASES

        Our specialist Leasehold team represent leaseholders, freeholders, property management companies, landlords and residents associations, providing jargon-free legal services and practical legal advice.and we don’t just extend leases – we also deal with the following specialist leasehold work:

        • Claims for Collective Enfranchisement (also known as Freehold or Leasehold Enfranchisement)
        • Forming a right to manage company
        • License to alters
        • New leases
        • Leasehold disputes – including ground rent and service charge arrears

        THINKING OF A LEASE EXTENSION BOURNEMOUTH? CALL 01202 834450 TODAY

        We run most of our leasehold extensions cases without needing to see you – taking by e-mail, phone and video call – though we are equally happy if you want to come into the office to see us.

        We can give you a quote for your lease extension and answer your initial queries by email – or we can arrange to ring you back at a time convenient to you, if you prefer.

        So for FREE initial phone advice about your lease extension, get in touch with our team by

        • Complete the email contact form below,
        • Or call us now on [01202] 834450 or free  on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544

          Rebranding our lease extension team

          Posted on by

          2017 sees a change of name for the highly specialist lease extension team here at Bonallack and Bishop.

          In future the team will be known as “The Leasehold Property Team”.

          Why? That’s simple.

          It certainly doesn’t mean that we are any less committed to lease extension work or any less specialist in it.

          On the contrary – in the most recent half year took our expert lawyers took on 180 individual lease extensions, for both large freeholders, small freeholders and numerous individual leaseholders. In fact we are looking to increase the number of flat and house leases we extend every year to at least 400. That makes us one of the most specialist leasehold extension teams in England and Wales – out of a total of over 10,000 law firms nationwide.

          No, the reason why we are changing the name is that increasingly we do so much more leasehold law work in addition to lease extension. Not only do we complete numerous collective enfranchisement projects (that’s buying the freehold of your block together with some of your follow leaseholders), but our expert team carry out numerous title splits as well as a whole host of other leasehold law work including service charge and ground rent disputes, lease variation, forfeiture and licence for alterations.

          And what’s more our leasehold work is growing. The team is already four strong and we are looking to recruit a fifth member of the team this March.

          FOR SPECIALIST LEASEHOLD LAW ADVICE – CALL US TODAY

          When it comes to all aspects of the  law surrounding leases, our specialists can help you wherever you live in England and Wales. We don’t even need to see you face-to-face – like many of our other clients, we can take this your instructions by e-mail, phone and Skype video:

          • Just call us on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for a FREE initial phone consultation  OR
          • Complete the email contact form below

            Lease extension in Newcastle

            Posted on by

            More than 280,000 people call the city of Newcastle home, and if you own a flat in the city, your lease will need to be extended one day. What’s more, did you know that you have the legal right to force your freeholder to extend the term of your lease – by up to an additional 90 years?

            Newcastle is the most populous city in the north-east of England, with a booming cultural centre and enormous regeneration having been carried out in the city since its decline from an industrial heartland in the 1970s. As a result, Newcastle and the surrounding area has a large number of leasehold flats as well as some leasehold houses. And the average price of flats in the city in 2016 was £136,778, according to Right Move.

            Thinking about extending your lease? Got a legal question? Call our specialist team now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice.

            The problems with short leases

            The problem with owning any flat or apartment owned under a long lease [i.e. the lease was originally granted for at least 21 years] is that the term of that lease will gradually decline. The shorter the lease the less the property is worth and the harder it is to sell or mortgage.

            If your flat or apartment has 85 years or less to run, we strongly suggest you look at extending your lease as soon as possible..

            WHY EXTEND MY LEASE NOW?

            Your lease can be extended at any time but delaying your lease extension can cause problems later and could turn out to be a lot more expensive than you planned. So why extend your lease now?

            • The cost of extend your lease is rising, day by day

            In the current economic climate, there are two reasons why putting off your leasehold  extension is only costing you more money. Firstly, as your lease gradually gets shorter, it’s getting gradually more expensive, day by day, to extend it. Worse still, with house prices currently rising, that means the value of your property is rising – and one of the factors in assessing the premium for your residential lease extension is the value of your property. So, the more your flat is worth, the more you have to pay to extend your lease.

            In fact, specialist lease extension surveyors in London recently estimated that the cost of extending a lease, in London at least, is going up by whacking 12% each and every year – if that continues, that means that the cost any flat owner will have to have to pay to extend their lease could double in under seven years!

            • Extending your lease takes time

            Whilst coming to an informal lease extension agreement with your freeholder can sometimes be sorted out relatively quickly – you have no control over the process, and there are some real risks with this voluntary route get a lease extension. The alternative, and the only way to make sure you have control and can ensure you gain that lease extension, is through the formal, or statutory, route. The problem with this. Formal route is that there are certain inbuilt notice periods and as result, it usually takes around six months for your lease extension to be completed. If you’re not thinking of selling up, then it’s not so much of a problem. But if you do come to sell, and have found the new home of your dreams, and then find that you can’t extend your lease in under six months, the whole chain could collapse.

            • Extending your lease makes your flat easier to sell

            Flats with long lease terms are much easier to sell – purchasers prefer them – and they attract higher prices.

            What’s more, mortgage lenders seem to be increasingly reluctant to lend on any property with a short lease –although 20 years ago it was possible to get a mortgage on a flat with say 50 years left, many lenders now refuse to lend, if the term is below 70 or even 80 years. So even if your flat was built fairly recently, say in 1970 with a original 99 year lease, any prospective buyer will find it nearly impossible to get a mortgage to fund the purchase.

            DO I REALLY NEED A SPECIALIST SOLICITOR FOR MY LEASE EXTENSION?

            You might think that it’s really easy to extend your own lease. After all, you only need to ask your freeholder, right? In fact, many freeholders will refuse to cooperate or will drag out negotiations to the point where they hope leaseholders will simply give in. For example, when the remaining term of a lease is approaching the 80 year point, it’s not unusual for unscrupulous freeholders to go slow with the clear aim of letting the lease drop below the 80-year mark – when they can charge you an additional premium to extend your lease – which will cost you thousands of pounds.

            Although it involves a complex area of law, extending a lease doesn’t need to be a nightmare if you instruct a specialist solicitor – to help you through what can be tricky legal process which requires patience, experience and expertise.

            By appointing one of our team as your solicitor, you can rest assured that your lease extension is being dealt with by a genuine specialist. They don’t dabble – extending leases is all they do.

            TO SUM UP – OUR ADVICE

            In short, our advice is simple – don’t delay – extend your lease now.

            YOUR NEWCASTLE LEASE EXTENSION – HOW WE CAN HELP

            With over 25 years experience in many thousands of lease extensions for leaseholders and freeholders alike, we have the expertise to make sure your lease extension goes smoothly;

            • We offer FREE initial telephone advice – just call us on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544

            • We work with the only Newcastle-based surveyor who really understands how to value your lease – like solicitors, lease extension surveyors need to be specialists. Very few surveyors are able to value the premium required for lease extension accurately. We are happy to instruct him on your behalf to value your lease extension – as part of our one-stop shop service

            • We manage your lease extension timetable

            • We draft all the legal documents and notices

            • If there is a dispute regarding your lease extension, we can take the matter to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal [ recently re-titled the ”First-tier tribunal – Property Chamber (Residential Property)] – but only if it’s strictly necessary, which thankfully it very rarely is.

            1 KEY QUESTION

            If you’re still not sure whether you need our specialist team – maybe you have a long-standing Newcastle-based solicitor you really like – just ask them once in question. “How many lease extensions have a completed the last year?”

            THINKING OF A LEASE EXTENSION IN NEWCASTLE? CALL OUR SPECIALISTS NOW

            Over the last 25 years, our solicitors have been involved in many thousands of lease extensions – for clients throughout England and Wales. For most all of our lease extension work, we deal with clients solely through telephone, email or Skype.

            And don’t forget – initial phone advice from experts is FREE – so what have you got to lose?

            • Simply, call our team now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or,

            • Fill out the email contact form below

              Sheffield Lease Extension Solicitors

              Posted on by

              Sheffield , once a comparatively run-down former mining area and heavy industrial hub, has boomed in recent years to become a metropolitan hub of culture, industry and total regeneration.

              This former steel city has seen its gross value added (GVA) grow by 60% since 1997, adding £9.2 billion into the British economy just ten years later in 2007. Its economy is growing at a rate of 5% a year, which is more than the whole of the Yorkshire and Humber region. It’s easy to see, then, why so many people are flocking to live in Sheffield.

              With freehold properties being at a premium due to the successful regeneration, many people are opting to buy a leasehold flat.

              If you own the leasehold on a flat, the chances are that you need to renew your lease or will need to do so soon. If you live in Sheffield and are looking to start the lease extension process, our dedicated team of experts would be happy to help.

              Thinking about extending your lease? Got a question? Call our expert lawyers on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

              LEASE EXTENSION – THE IMPORTANCE OF INSTRUCTING AN EXPERT

              The importance of instructing a specialist lease extension solicitor to manage the lease extension process is often underestimated. Some of the reasons for instructing an expert are listed below:

              • Experts will understand the complicated legal terminology involved in lease extensions and the importance of meeting the strict deadlines involved

              • Your landlord is likely to instruct their own specialist solicitor so you owe it to yourself to get one as well

              • Our expert solicitors have the negotiating skills you need, and a panel of specialist local surveyors, which you are going to need for a proper valuation of the premium to be paid to your freeholder

              • If your landlord attempts to stall negotiations so that the extension costs you more, an expert solicitor will be able to help you apply to  the First-Tier Property Tribunal (previously known as Leasehold Valuation Tribunal).

              WHY WE’RE THE RIGHT CHOICE

              Finding genuine leasehold extension specialists is very difficult. Many solicitors believe that they have the expertise needed to do residential lease extension work only realising how difficult it is when it’s too late. And we are members of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners. So for lease extension solicitors you can trust, call our experts.

              FOR YOUR LEASE EXTENSION IN SHEFFIELD – GET IN TOUCH WITH US TODAY

              When it comes to extending your lease, our expert team can help you wherever your flat is in England and Wales and we don’t even need to see you – taking your instructions by e-mail, phone and Skype video:

              • Just call us on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for a FREE initial phone consultation and a FREE quote for your lease extension, OR
              • Complete the email contact form below

                Liverpool Lease Extension Solicitors

                Posted on by

                After the end of industry and manufacturing in the area in the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool declined into a city with an extremely high level of unemployment and a very high level of poverty. Extensive regeneration in the 1990s and 2000s, though, has transformed Liverpool into a city of culture and business, with Liverpool even having been declared the official City of Culture.

                Employment rates in Liverpool are now very good, and as a result a number of people are able to buy their own properties in the city. Housing supply hasn’t kept up with demand, though, which has pushed prices up and meant that for many people their only option is to purchase a leasehold flat.

                Many flat-owners in Liverpool need to extend the leases on their properties – yet many of them don’t even realise that they have the legal right to do so.

                Extending the lease on your value of your flat [whether or not you actually live in it, or are a buy to let landlord] makes great financial sense. You almost certain to end up with an significant increase in the value of your flat as a direct result.

                But don’t forget – the longer you leave your lease extension, the more expensive extending your lease is going to be.

                Thinking about lease extension? Got a question? Call our experts on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

                MAKE SURE YOU APPOINT A  LEASE EXTENSION SPECIALIST

                Lease extensions involve complex legislation, tight deadlines and various other complications. Many non-specialists property solicitors will try their hand at a lease extension only to find that they’re out of their depth and cannot represent their client’s needs sufficiently. This is why it is so essential that the solicitor you instruct for your lease extension is a specialist

                Our specialist lease extension solicitors have vital experience interacting with landlords who will often try to disrupt lease extension negotiations. A popular trick is to delay proceedings so that the leaseholder’s lease runs below the pivotal 80 year limit so that it costs far more to extend the lease. Experienced lease extension solicitors will not fall for these tricks and if necessary they will be able to apply for a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to speed up the process. Don’t forget that the landlord is likely to instruct a specialist themselves, so make sure that you are on an equal footing.

                YOUR LEASE EXTENSION – WHY CHOOSE US?

                Here are just a few reasons:

                • We’ll draft all the documents and manage the deadlines

                • Our team of 5 lease extension experts have vast experience helping thousands of clients with extending a lease

                • We are proven specialists – we are long-standing  members of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP)

                CALL TODAY FOR HELP WITH YOUR LIVERPOOL LEASE EXTENSION

                Our specialist team manage the lease extension process from start to finish for the majority of our clients without needing to meet face-to-face – keeping in contact via email, telephone or Zoom video.

                • Just call us now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for a FREE initial phone consultation and a FREE quote for your lease extension, OR
                • Complete the email contact form below

                  Portsmouth Lease Extension

                  Posted on by

                  The city of Portsmouth is situated on the south coast of England and is popular amongst anyone who wants to live in a coastal area without the need to break the bank. This is, in part, due to its large percentage of flats and leasehold properties.

                  Portsmouth is almost entirely located on Portsea Island, making it the UK’s only island city. It is also the only city in the UK with a higher population density than London (at 11 times the national average), with more than 205,000 people living in the city, making it the 6th largest urban area in England.

                  When you add that to the fact that between 2001 and 2011, Portsmouth’s population has increased by 9.8%, you’ll see why the area has a particularly large number of flats – both new builds and conversions.

                  But if you do own a flat in Portsmouth – have you thought about extending your lease? In fact, are you even aware that you have the legal right to force your freeholder to grant you an additional 90 years to add onto the current remaining term of your lease?

                  Considering extending your lease? Got a legal question? Call our experts today  on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

                  WHY EXTEND MY LEASE?

                  You’ll find more detailed explanation elsewhere on the site on exactly why a lease extension is so important – but in brief, if you don’t extend your lease you risk the following problems;

                  • Trying to sell a flat with a short lease is getting increasingly difficult. Buyers generally prefer leases with longer terms, and more and more mortgage lenders are getting reluctant to grant mortgages on short leases – before the recession it wasn’t unusual to see home loans provided for flats with, say, 50 or 60 years left to run – now most mortgage companies require around 70 to 80 years remaining on a lease
                  • At some stage your flat is going to need a leasehold extension – unless you’re happy to simply hand ownership back to the freeholder
                  • Everyday you delay extending a lease is likely to cost you more money. Firstly the shorter your lease the more it will cost to extend it, and secondly, with house prices rising, that means that the premium you need to pay to your landlord is going up too – in fact a reputable firm of specialist lease extension surveyors recently estimated that in London, the price of extending the average lease was going up by a staggering 12% each and every year!

                  Want to know more about how it all works. Click here to read about the leasehold extension process.

                  SO WHY CHOOSE US TO HELP EXTEND YOUR LEASE?

                  •  We are genuine specialists – which is so important and given the complexity of lease extension law
                  •  We have the proven experience you need – we’ve completed thousands of lease extensions for satisfied clients over the last 20 years  – Just click here to read testimonials from just some of our satisfied clients
                  •  We provide FREE initial advice over the phone
                  •  We can handle your lease extension from beginning to the end. Our team will deal with all the paperwork and can identify and appoint on your behalf, if you wish, a specialist leasehold extension valuer – an expert surveyor who you will need to provide a price for your lease extension, and who will help in negotiations of reasonable premium with whoever owns the freehold of your block

                  YOUR PORTSMOUTH LEASE EXTENSION – GIVE US A RING TODAY

                  If you live in Portsmouth and you are thinking about extending your lease, just contact us now for FREE specialist advice with no strings attached.

                  •  Just call one of our team now on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 or [01722] 422300 OR
                  •  Email us using the contact form below

                    Bath Lease Extension Solicitors

                    Posted on by

                    Bath is a picturesque city of almost 90,000 people, nestled in the county of Somerset. It’s famous for its Roman baths and Georgian architecture and is a popular place for young families looking to start their lives together.

                    Given the price of property in Bath [ 2014 saw the overall average price of property in Bath rise to £371,294], it is no surprise that it is home to a particularly large number of leasehold flats – both purpose-built and conversions from older properties.

                    When any property is owned on a leasehold rather than freehold basis, you effectively own the property for limited period of time – and you don’t own the land it’s built on out right. That means that eventually the lease term will run out and you will know longer own the flat – and in the meantime, year by year, the declining lease term reduces the flats value.

                    Unless there been a subject of freehold purchase, the vast majority of flats in England and Wales are leasehold.

                    Thinking about extending your lease? Got a question? Call our specialist solicitors on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for FREE initial phone advice – with no strings attached.

                    WHY YOU NEED TO EXTEND YOUR LEASE

                    Your lease term reduces with each and every year. This decreases the market value of your property as well making it increasingly less attractive to potential buyers.

                    In particular, once you let the lease term slip below 80 years, extending your lease gets rapidly more expensive [that’s because the “marriage value” becomes payable to your freeholder – click here to learn more about that].

                    NOW IS THE RIGHT TIME TO EXTEND YOUR LEASE

                    The lease extension process can be very long and arduous, so don’t leave it until it’s too late. Your lease stops getting shorter if you choose the formal route and serve the required notice on your freeholder, so don’t delay. What’s more, with property prices increasing you are hit by a double whammy – a shorter term means increased expense as does the increasing in the value of your flat.

                    In fact we have recently come across some surveyors who estimate that every year you delay extending your lease means you have to pay an extra 12% for your lease extension. That means in around just seven years, extending your lease will cost you double!

                    Remember: the earlier you extend your lease, the cheaper it will be.

                    YOUR LEASE EXTENSION – WHY CHOOSE US?

                    Extending a lease without the advice of a specialist solicitor is never a good move, as you can get burned if you don’t know what you’re doing.

                    Leasehold extensions usually involve keeping to rigid deadlines – missing one of those, can cause significant difficulties.

                    What’s more, if your freeholder tries to drag out the process even longer, your fees and stress levels will increase and it could become a whole lot messier. It’s for this reason that it’s essential that you get the right legal advice – from a lease extension specialist.

                    The law surrounding lease extensions is relatively complex and very few solicitors, even specialist property solicitors, deal with more than the occasional lease extension.

                    Our team are different. They specialise in lease extension for both leaseholders and freeholders throughout England and Wales – that’s why we are one of a small number of solicitors who are members of the only organisation for specialist lease extension solicitors – ALEP, the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners.

                    Our team also have years of experience of handling difficult freeholders, and are well aware of all the tricks that certain unscrupulous landlords try to play. If it becomes necessary, our team also have plenty of experience in taking cases to the First-Tier Property Tribunal [previously known as the LVT or Leasehold Valuation Tribunal]

                    HOW WE CAN HELP YOU EXTEND YOUR LEASE

                    Our specialist team will:

                    • provide you with FREE initial advice – just call FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 now
                    • provide a FREE ESTIMATE of how much your lease extension is likely to cost – including not just the legal and valuation costs but we can also give you an estimate of how much the actual lease extension premium will be..
                    • as part of our one-stop shop service, we will identify and instruct on your behalf a local specialist lease extension surveyor who will value your lease extension and can help you to negotiate a reasonable premium for the extension.
                    • do all of the paperwork – whether or not a formal notice is required, or whether you have agreed a private and informal lease extension with your freeholder.
                    • handle any application to the First-Tier Property Tribunal – in the unlikely event that becomes necessary

                    With one of our specialist team on board to handle the legal side for you,, the whole process should move much more quickly and sleekly, with you being able to rest assured that a professional is handling matters and will ensure that everything is completed as it should be.

                    YOUR BATH LEASE EXTENSION – WE CAN HELP

                    If you live in Bath and you’re thinking of extending your lease, or would like some information as to the potential benefits and costs of doing so, give us a call and our specialist team be more than happy to talk through your options with you – FREE of charge with no strings attached.

                    Although we are based in Salisbury, we represent clients nationwide – in fact we really meet our clients, and regularly handle hundreds of lease extensions every year by phone email and Skype video

                    • So just call us on FREEPHONE 0800 1404544 for a FREE initial phone consultation and a FREE quote for your lease extension
                      OR
                    • Complete the email contact form below