Listed Properties

Sometimes in your search for property, you may stumble cross listed property. But what exactly does it mean when a property is listed, and is the general perception that it is almost impossible to do anything to change a listed property correct?

Well, being listed just means that there is specific legal protection in place around the building, and this usually covers things such as demolition and extension, but also can cover alteration and that is where the finer details can sometimes creep in and on buying a listed property some owners report that it feels like they can't do anything without consulting someone, no matter how incredibly small it seems!

English Heritage is the body that oversees applications and then the listing is ultimately up to the Secretary of State. All sorts of buildings are listed, it really is a motley crew, and there are some particular reasons why property may be listed.

One of the obvious reasons is that the property is of historical interest, for instance if a playwright once lived in the building or a famous writer then this makes it much more likely to be listed. Also if the building has a very interesting design or structure, then again that could have it fast-tracked to listed status.

The age of a building is one of the reasons many people think of for a building being dated, and anything from around the mid 1800's backwards may well be listed.

There are lots of different types of listed buildings, and these fall under gradings. The most important properties are Grade I, and then there are Grade II* and then there are Grade II which covers virtually all listed properties (in percentage terms less than 10% of listed properties are in categories Grade I or Grade II*).

In terms of alterations and making changes to a listed property, then there are rules in place that need to be followed and something called listed building consent is required for many types of alterations (even things such as putting up an aerial), therefore when taking on a listed property you need to go into it with your eyes wide open, understand what the restrictions will be, and then abide by them when you own the listed property.

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