Are freehold ground rents a good investment?

Are freehold ground rents a good investment?

17:38 PM, 31st July 2013, About 11 years ago 43

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I have just started investing in property.Are Freehold Ground Rent Investments a good investment?

Living overseas, I have been unable to get a U.K. mortgage so I have had to pay cash for my first property.

I have a good rental yield of 10.1%, but obviously no leverage for now. I am arranging more business commitments in U.K. to eventually remedy the mortgage problem.

My question is this:

I have been looking at, but not buying, Freehold Ground Investments which I often see available:

For example, £3,000 buys the freehold ground rent for 125 year (or less) leases paying £300 per year (S5(b) Notices have been served under the Landlord & Tenant Act 1987). Not a lot of money each year, but still 10% yield.

My question is this. Would a portfolio of these types of investments qualify for a loan for reinvestment into buy to lets?

The 10% yield from the Freehold Ground Investments could be used to pay off this initial loan.

For example, £400,000 invested in freehold ground rents should produce £40,000 per year.

A 75% LTV would be £300,000 which you could pay back using the ground rent income of £40.000 pounds per year.

Use the £300.000 as £30,000 75% buy to let (for example) deposits on 10 houses (or go up north and buy 8 for cash, then re-mortgage, or whatever the permutation gives most yield???).

The 10 properties, if bought wisely could be refurbished re-valued as usual to earn the required yield. The debt would be paid by the freehold ground rent investments.

I know you could just use the initial £400,000 pounds direct into property but the freehold ground rents look to be low maintenance no void investments. Their value rises as time passes and looking (as I am) to leave the property portfolio for future generations, so long as the yields are good, the investment vehicle (within the property portfolio) is just a money generating wealth creating exercise, and one day, someone will be grateful for present day foresight.

I would appreciate comments regards Freehold Ground Investments and the possibility to obtain loans using them for the purchase of properties.

Thanks

Christopher Farrell


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Comments

Annette Stone

11:20 AM, 25th September 2013, About 11 years ago

Jonathan. If you could read my question and answer it that would probably help everyone. In addition do let everyone know if there is a tied managing agent to all of the freeholds that are being bought and if so, what the management fees are likely to be. I am not sure how you get from a 15% return (perfectly feasible if the properties are managed and insured in-house) to the 7% you are suggesting investors will achieve.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

11:22 AM, 25th September 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Jonathan Leci" at "25/09/2013 - 10:50":

I have forwarded your contact details to Annette but it does concern me that you appear to be trading and offering regulated products for sale prior to having obtained FCA approval. Your comments here may themselves may be construed as financial promotions, your website definitely is.

Annette Stone

11:31 AM, 25th September 2013, About 11 years ago

Sorry one more thing Jonathan - can you confirm that an as yet undisclosed fund (or property company) is inviting investors to put money into undisclosed freeholds which the fund/company invests in and based on the project return of 15% the company/fund will pay out a maximum of 7% provided the funds are held for five years. Will you be able to disclose the relationship between the company/fund and the proposed managing agents or will the latter be a subsidiary of the former? Also, if an investor decides this is not for them how will they get their capital back and will they forfeit any income. The penultimate question I think everyone would be interested in hearing the answer to is what the minimum investment and what's the maximum and the final question is where are all these freeholds coming from - or is this the brainwave of a developer who sees this as a way of holding on to his developments and maximising their value? That's quite enough for now I think. Thanks for your attention to this.

Jonathan Leci

12:04 PM, 25th September 2013, About 11 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Annette Stone" at "25/09/2013 - 11:20":

management fees are linked to performance. The returns stated are after management fees. Depending on the size of the investment will depend on the return.

Jamie Sukroo

15:46 PM, 24th July 2014, About 10 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Annette Stone" at "02/08/2013 - 18:18":

Hi Annette,
I am interested in Freehold as an investment and have a few queries - how do I contact you?

George Sullivan

14:40 PM, 22nd February 2015, About 9 years ago

Is the idea of a ground rent investment to be able to sell it to the leaseholders at a later date for more than initially purchased?

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

23:05 PM, 22nd February 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "George Sullivan" at "22/02/2015 - 14:40":

That's a small part of it.

They are a very secure investment, albeit a small gross yield and not financeable.

Good money can also be made by granting lease extensions, the shorter the lease the higher the premium. If the leases are not extended then your granchildren could end up owning the entire property.

The capital value increases the shorter the term the leases are for these reasons.

That's my understanding anyway but don't take only my word for it because it's not a market I have any direct personal experience of.
.

George Sullivan

8:22 AM, 23rd February 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "Mark Alexander" at "22/02/2015 - 23:05":

Thanks for the reply Mark.

So to provide an example of a ground rent investment I saw recently:

5 Bedroom end of terrace house in Brixton split into 3 self contained flats. Property worth roughly 1.5m
The lease on two of the flats was due to expire by 2071 so roughly 55 years left.
The cost to extend the lease was going to be around 50 - 60k per flat.
The lessees had not taken up their rights of pre emption.

The property sold for 80k

This sounds like a good investment but much of a waiting game for the tenants to extend the lease or buy the freehold. Can you provide anymore insight into this?

Thanks again,
George
This

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

9:00 AM, 23rd February 2015, About 9 years ago

Reply to the comment left by "George Sullivan" at "23/02/2015 - 08:22":

Not really George, as I said, this isn't really my area of expertise. Have a chat with Annette Stone, this is a link to here member profile >>> http://www.property118.com/member/?id=384
.

Troydave

22:14 PM, 18th February 2016, About 8 years ago

I am considering buying a couple of leasehold flats which includes the freehold of all nine flats in the block.
I have no previous experience of managing a freehold so I am presently trying to find answers to a number of questions and there is much information here and on the Internet in general.
One thing that s puzzling me though, if my leaseholders have say a 90 year lease remaining on properties that are already 35 years old isn't it the case that time they receive a further extension the block of flats will have reached the end of its useful life and maybe will need demolishing.
Now if that is the case presumably I have a large demolition bill which will only be covered( maybe ?) if I receive planning permission for further development.
Has anyone any experience of this or could put my mind at rest of this potentional risk and how it is normally overcome.

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