And what about those wishing to get a foot in the property door? 14 Ex council house ideas | exterior house remodel, home exterior However, you would need to choose the paint type and colour carefully to match the existing paintwork. As mentioned, cost is a big advantage when it comes to buying an ex-council house. Other improvements to your ex-council house Right to buy legislation is due to change in the autumn so if you are looking at it from that perspective then might be worth waiting? And, if you do your homework, you will definitely discover a hidden gem somewhere that offers more room and a better location than you might have hoped for. Another con of buying an ex-council house is that it can be difficult to get a mortgage arranged. For the downstairs, we worked on maximising storage area under the stairs, and we exposed the ceilings existing joists to create the sense of height. ","decimals":2},"base_url":"https:\/\/designfor-me.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms","number_formats":[],"spinnerUrl":"https:\/\/designfor-me.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/gravityforms\/images\/spinner.gif"};jQuery(document).bind('gform_post_render', function(event, formId, currentPage){if(formId == 33) {gf_global["number_formats"][33] = {"1":{"price":false,"value":false},"5":{"price":false,"value":false},"2":{"price":false,"value":false},"9":{"price":false,"value":false},"4":{"price":false,"value":false},"6":{"price":false,"value":false},"7":{"price":false,"value":false},"8":{"price":false,"value":false},"10":{"price":false,"value":false}};if(window['jQuery']){if(!window['gf_form_conditional_logic'])window['gf_form_conditional_logic'] = new Array();window['gf_form_conditional_logic'][33] = { logic: { 5: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null},9: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null},4: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null},6: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null},7: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null},10: {"field":{"actionType":"show","logicType":"any","rules":[{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"a"},{"fieldId":"1","operator":"starts_with","value":"o"}]},"nextButton":null,"section":null} }, dependents: { 5: [5],9: [9],4: [4],6: [6],7: [7],10: [10] }, animation: 0, defaults: {"8":"(Client)","10":{"10.2":"","10.3":"","10.4":"","10.6":"","10.8":""}}, fields: {"1":[5,9,4,6,7,10],"5":[],"2":[],"9":[],"4":[],"6":[],"7":[],"8":[],"10":[]} }; if(!window['gf_number_format'])window['gf_number_format'] = 'decimal_dot';jQuery(document).ready(function(){gf_apply_rules(33, [5,9,4,6,7,10], true);jQuery('#gform_wrapper_33').show();jQuery(document).trigger('gform_post_conditional_logic', [33, null, true]);} );} if(typeof Placeholders != 'undefined'){ We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the. We have two ex-council BTLs and our Council has an incredibly helpful and well-informed Leaseholder team in the Housing Department who deal with ex-council homes which have been sold off on a leasehold basis, so I'd start by phoning in to find yours. This allows you to live in the ex-council flat during this time, or sell it. How Far From a Motorway Can You Hear It: Noise Factors? Editor, Marcus Herbert. I couldnt recommend them highly enough. Consult with a professional about your options if you're thinking about buying an ex-council house for sale. If so, you'll need to get consent from the relevant sewerage company in order for your project to go ahead. The exposed joists are the original joists of the house. To get a better experience with our home designs, please download other browsers for free. As Russia's foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, chaired a Security Council meeting on Monday at the United Nations, he faced rebuke from Western members and the U.N.'s top official over Moscow . Need help with your home project? Another hearing, scheduled for September, will determine what other works theleaseholders have to pay for and the final cost. 5 Times a Small Extension Made a Huge Difference | Houzz IE Another benefit? While you might have to settle for a slightly smaller property than you would outside the area, ex-council houses for sale in London have other benefits. Still daunted by the process? 23 March at 5:38PM ProDave Forumite 3.1K Posts Wait 2 more years and you might be able to apply for adverse possesion of the land forming the driveway. House extension costs. If you're able to buy into a metropolitan area by nabbing lower-cost property like an ex-council house, you may be able to reap the rewards later. For a good idea of the cost of your small extension, check out our extension cost calculator. After she contacted us to inform us that she would like to start a collaboration, we set our first official meeting, where we discussed the contract and went further into the project brief. We also help the client understand the advantage of having a design process that is explained to you during the design meetings through diagrams, sketches and computer generated images. Rewire the entire house and/or update the plumbing. Ex council leases are probably cheaper to extend because the groundrent is usually low and councils won't be completely unreasonable like some freeholders can be (so will hopefully agree to a reasonable valuation without rackng up huge fees) However I have seen others put off looking at such leases. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. If you managed to buy your ex-council house at a bargain price, when you spend money on building an extension you have a bigger gap between the total costs of buying plus improving the property versus what it is worth. If youre looking for the right architect for your home building or renovation project, were here to help. AWARDS Winner, Don't Move Improve Awards 2021, Compact Design of the Year. Local authorities are notorious for not making things massively easy and can even drag their feet a little bit, but keep pushing and you'll complete in decent time, if you want to! Restrictive Covenants retrospective application, Restrictive covenants - ex-council properties. Owners of ex-local authority homes face horror of bills running into After the consultation, we provided the client with a fee proposal split in to stages of the project. 16 small house extension ideas for enhancing your space - Real Homes Clearly communicate your circumstances. For instance, it will include the landlords responsibilities to maintain the building, your payment schedule, what you may and may not do to the interiors of your flat, etc. 60s concrete built ex council house. Any experiences? Is It Worth Extending An Ex Council House? And if you have the space for a few stylish loungers, then why not? That meeting lasted around two hours and already I could see how engaged they were with the potential of the property. Florence Bourne, 93, died of shame, according to her family, after being unable to pay a 50,000 bill for the refurbishment of her block in Newham, east London, in 2013. Almost doubling the budget for the work seems ludicrous mismanagement.. Extending house MoneySavingExpert Forum Leasehold costs explained as ground rent is finally banned In addition to painting your front door, you can also do a lot of other things to it which will complement your houses look, such as ripping it off and replacing it with an entire new one! We try to help the client understand the overall process of a construction project its implications and usual timelines, contracts they should be looking for and elements they should be paying attention to. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Once housing prices go up, you'll make money on the house and maybe even more than expected if you follow through with renovations. Anamaria and Bogdan, who run a practice in the local area. In actual fact, a lot of ex-council estates are starting to slowly fill up with first-time buyers eager to get on the property ladder any way they can. Article written by Russell Bowyer who has been investing in property since purchasing his first commercial property in the 1990's for his own Chartered Accountancy business. It was a lovely collaboration. She also wanted to use the space she had as efficiently as possible. Your contact details will not be displayed publicly nor shared with anyone without your prior consent. For a flat with 80 years left on the lease and expected to be worth 400,000 with a lease extension complete, and ground rent of 100 a year, a lease extension will cost from about 7,000 to 10,000 plus costs mentioned below. I reduced a longlist to three prospective architects and selected Ana and Bogdan after the first meeting. What a ceiling price means is that no matter what you do to a house, it can never be valued at more than the value of the highest value house on the street. It doesn't = they ask the agent to value it without the work you have done (or at least they do at the HA I work for). The truth is that each local-authority property is different and it's up to you to judge the area and decide whether its a good investment or not. Editor, Marcus Herbert. I thought that they could only value the house before the works were done. All content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax, savings, financial, or legal advice and does not constitute advice under the Financial Services & Markets Act. Renovating a grade II listed house what can you do without permission? The advantage of living in an ex-council property is the spacious area, extra storage and strong structure of the property. Im delighted for their Home Transformation of the Year at the British Home Awards, they deserve it and it couldnt happen to nicer people. First of all, ex-council houses are generally a lot better value for money than regular properties. So anything we did now wouldn't affect the price should we be in a position to buy it. Covenant on ex council house | DIYnot Forums I retained the architectural services of Ana and Bogdan having placed a call for proposals on Design for Me. For any building work thats done on a property, its about weighing up the cost of building an extension vs the additional value the extra space adds to the enlarged house. This is why its important to weigh up the cost-to-value increase when deciding if its worth extending an ex council house (also known as an ex-local authority property). Fortunately wallpaper is never permanent, which means you can easily get rid of your ex-council houses hideous walls if they dont do it for you. Most ex-council houses are freehold properties, which means youll have permanent and absolute tenure over the land and property included on the title plan, which means you will have freedom. A leasehold valuation tribunal later found that Newham councilhad not done a proper survey and the existing roof would have lasted another 40 years. Electing to extend can be an excellent means of maximising the potential available space of your property, without the costly need to relocate. If the property is not for sale, you can purchase a copy of the title deed from Land Registry for a small fee. This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service. But many leaseholders claim they are paying for the upgrade and regeneration projects of entire estates. If your intension is to stay in this house for 5-10 years or more, the cost of an extension will be worth it. Throughout the build, Anamaria and Bogdan maintained the approach of listening, engaging, paying attention to the minutiae, whilst simultaneously responding to council/budgetary/lockdown constraints. Just be sure to commit yourself to keeping that garden looking elegant and neat or hire a professionalgardening service. She could consider buying her council house. I'll have to double check that now though. If you click on one of these affiliate links, I get a small commission from the company concerned. Under this route, a leaseholder can approach the freeholder in the first instance and ask whether they are interested in negotiating a lease extension. Its interesting the results you can achieve if you just look a bit deeper into the possibilities a building has to offer. You may own an ex-council house and you might be wondering if it is worth extending it. Consider treating the roof to new tiles to really make that new look stand out. Renovating a grade II listed house - what can you do without permission 1960s house renovation. This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms. These other improvements might include better cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, new energy efficient doors and windows, an upgraded boiler to reduce the cost of heating your larger home. But if the area is desirable, then it may be worth extending your ex-council house, once youve done your homework on property prices or ex-council houses in the area. Next up for your inspiration: 17 small pools perfect for small patios and gardens. Budget: 80,000. If you love the area where you live and you dont want to move, it makes sense to stay where you are and it will be worth extending your ex-council house. This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances and remember we focus on rates not service. Leasehold property: Extending, changing or ending a lease - GOV.UK Stylish transformations of former council homes - The Irish Times 1. But his first property investment project was to turn an old dilapidated restaurant into a large 5-bed home, which he purchased for 117,500 and sold for 450,000 (to see an "after" photo of the house before it was sold see here: About). But be sure to check out a few elements before moving into an ex-council house, such as who owns the block of flats and what are their policies on renovations, if its in an area that you want to live in, whether you mind sharing your street with council residents, etc. Is this ex-council house your forever home? And, as always, homify is here to assist you with your council house renovation. Just click on the icon! The council area is maybe 70 houses surrounded by private homes that's start at 400,000 for a 2 bedroom flat & 1,000,000 + for a l4/5 bed house. Covenant on an ex council house MoneySavingExpert Forum Why? House Extensions: 25 Questions you Need to ask | Homebuilding From this point, we started our design process. We are close to exchange and have got the draft contract through. How can we improve our ex-council house? | homify And no clutter! Extensive surveys will be needed and a thorough audit of your finances will all be necessary but then on top of that, you'll have the annoyance of offset price reductions, if you have been a council tenant for a long time. Introduce a line of glass. However, if a similar ex-council house is currently worth 100,000 and you spend the same 50,000 on an extension making it worth 120,000, this is not such a good proposition. Your extension's cost is also greatly affected by how your new space will be used. But if you happen to stumble across a house from council thats in a relatively nice location with a promising space and plot size, yet presents an ugly and drab appearance, then youre in luck for here is where you can start to play interior designer / decorator and have it spruced up to your hearts content. Also at this meeting we show our way of working and some of the projects we have done previously. First secretary of state Damian Green said local authorities would be expected to pay for fire safety works, with central government stepping in where a council cant afford it. Yet some of the work seems to be improvements for example, replacing normal windows for double glazing. The homify guide to dressing up drab and dark hallways. 10 clever house floor plans to inspire you, 16 space-saving, style-sparing small bedrooms. Questions to help you decide if its worth extending an ex council house. A rear- or side extension ought to do it! Always consult your tax, financial or legal advisor for advice before acting on information provided by Bowfin Property. sliding doors for wardrobes). In 2014, after a series of surveys and consultations with leaseholders, the council installed a communal heating and hot water system at a cost of close to 1m, saying it would last 25 years.. If you want to see if we can help you to sell your house or your property portfolio, please contact us. In other words, you are at least aiming to get your money back on what you spend on the extension. Surely if you can afford to build an extension you should move out of the council house and let people that can't afford market rate rents live there? It had a covenant saying no boats or caravans allowed, and no tarmacing of drive. I plan on buying and doing a loft conversion on my council house. Heres what you should know. Leaseholders find themselves caught up in council drives to improve the condition of their housing stock, often at great cost Emma Lunn Mon 31 Jul 2017 02.00 EDT Last modified on Fri 1 Dec 2017 21 . Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below too.