LISTED buildings may be filled with character and charm, but owners are subject to some restrictive regulations.
The laws and regulations which limit what you can change about a listed property, some of which date back hundreds of years, may surprise. They include:
- If you live in the boundaries of a church, you may be liable to pay for repairs to the church as well as your home under chancel repairs laws, dating back to Henry VIII
- A thatched roof will need to be replaced every few years. Be careful it isn’t made too tall or with the wrong material – you may have to take it down!
- Double glazing is almost always not allowed in listed properties
- You need permission from the local authority to make any changes – even if you want to put a satellite dish up
- Owning a listed building is up to 50% more expensive than a non-listed building yet 50% of listed property owners are in lower socio-economic groups D-E
- Common works requiring consent might include the replacement of windows or doors, knocking down internal walls, painting over brickwork or altering fireplaces.
There are around 1700 listed buildings in the Canterbury constituency and 1883 in Faversham and Mid Kent. For help and advice visit The Listed Property Owners Club at www.lpoc.co.uk/property-show .