Can’t find someone to lend on a freehold flat?

Can’t find someone to lend on a freehold flat?

9:19 AM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago 26

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Hello, last September I purchased the second flat in a converted Victorian house for which I already owned the first flat and the freehold. For whatever reason, I was obliged to merge the leasehold on the second flat with the freehold in order to obtain a loan to buy it. The second flat was uninhabitable at the time of purchase. I have now renovated the flat and would like to get a normal BTL mortgage but I cannot find someone to lend on a freehold flat.

As I understand it, if I create a new lease and grant it to myself, this will involve paying SDLT as a minimum and possibly CGT as I have increased its value from £380k to £450k. I am happy to pay for advice on the matter but want to find someone who can actually give me advice on whether my understanding is correct and what the best way forward might be. Is there anyone out there on this lovely site who can give either paid or free advice, please?

Many thanks for any and all comments,

Jamie


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Judith Wordsworth

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10:35 AM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

Why not just do a Deed of Variation and extend the Lease to 999 years and Ground Rent to a Peppercorn? Works the same as a Surrender and Regrant without the surrender.

Who obliged you to merge the freehold and leasehold titles? Perhaps “wrong” advice. Have you gone back to that person/firm!

Amethyst

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10:47 AM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

Have you tried the Skipton Building Society for lending purposes? They used to lend on Freehold flats.

Colin Massey

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10:56 AM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

I have a freehold flat. The only lenders worth considering are all part of the NatWest group - they happily fund mortgages on freehold flats.

Alan Gifford

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10:58 AM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

I just had exactly the same on one i brought, i had to put it my personal name rather than ltd company though. I used Virgin for this but i also have some freehold flats with The Mortgage works

JeggNegg

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14:58 PM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

Jaime it sounds confusing. i too am not sure why you rec'd advice/instructions to merge 2 flats onto 1 freehold other than if you owned the freehold of the 2 flats my understanding is you cannot own the leasehold in the same name. but i believe there might have been other solutions.
so you now own the freehold of a building which consists of 2 flats.?

i bought something similar in Cornwall 2 years ago in a ltd company, and i ended up obtaining a commercial mortgage on the building. this suited me at the time, the 2 flats are self contained and have separate front doors. i will be looking to create 2 leasehold(commonhold) flats, which will be owned by somebody who cannot be the Freeholder of the building, by 'Title Splitting' of the 2 flats. i have a 5years fixed commercial mortgage on the property and i will not be looking to Title Split until i have less than 1 year to remortgage the 2 flats individually. i attended a course to learn about Title Splitting as i dont want to get it WRONG which might be very expensive.

Tim Rogers

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22:55 PM, 5th June 2023, About A year ago

Longer term, separating the freehold out and having it owned by a company may prove the best way forward.

We were advised to do this when we forced the purchase of the freehold of a block. The fact we are the directors of the freehold company doesn't seem to bother anyone.

Simon Rhodes - Mortgage Broker

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0:09 AM, 6th June 2023, About A year ago

HSBC, Penrith Building Society, Kent Reliance, NatWest, Together Mortgages, BM Solutions, Interbay, Quantum Mortgages, The Mortgage Lender, Hampshire Trust Bank, Mercantile Trust, Central Trust and Gatehouse Bank are all lenders who indicate that they will lend on Freehold Flats

Simon Rhodes - Mortgage Broker

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0:12 AM, 6th June 2023, About A year ago

Strictly speaking though, you don't have a freehold flat, you have a freehold house subject to a long lease on the other flat

Jamie Finch

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9:24 AM, 6th June 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 05/06/2023 - 10:35
It was LendInvest

The problem is that there is no longer a lease to extend.

Thanks

Jamie Finch

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9:25 AM, 6th June 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Amethyst at 05/06/2023 - 10:47
No I've not but I will ask them.

Thank you

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