Should I be listed?

[PrioryCottage]

Hello

Quick question... If my house is around 300 years old should it be listed? All of the old houses in my village are listed, including my next door neighbour, so I am wondering if perhaps my house was just too boring for it to be listed when the others were

Many thanks

Louise

 

[Keithj]

They may just have missed yours! Mine was listed later than others around, probably because it was a boring pair of farm labourer cottages. Tudor ones, but ...

Have a look on the English Heritage website.
You may be able to find your neighbours' house and see what specific feature led to it being listed. If the same applies to yours, you could apply to have yours listed.

As to whether or not listing is an advantage ... well, it used to be, because you could have repairs done VAT-free. That's gone, now. I don't know of any material benefit (others may), although there is the feeling that you are the custodian of a piece of the nation's heritage. There are drawbacks: you can't do what you like with it without listed building consent (as if you'd want to). I don't know if LBC is still free - it was when I did work on my house, but I've heard rumours. Some insurance companies seem to dislike listed properties, but they often have the same dislike for old buildings, so the 300 years would trigger that.

 

[paulb33]

The number of insurers refusing to quote seems to have increased over the last few years. So I assume the cost of insuring our Listed houses is rising faster than others. Makes sense if one considers the extra cost of LBC repairs.

 

[Penners]

As to whether or not listing is an advantage ... well, it used to be, because you could have repairs done VAT-free. That's gone, now.

Keith, I think you'll find that repairs to listed buildings were not zero-rated for VAT - it was only approved alterations to listed buildings that could qualify for this.

However, since October 2012 this VAT benefit has been discontinued. I don't think there is currently any VAT relief for listed buildings unless they fall under the reduced-rate VAT rules for buildings that are being converted into residences.

I should add that I'm not a tax expert (except at paying it ).

 

[philpjuk100]

Although I live in a listed building If moving again I would prefer an unlisted one!.

 

[Penners]

We've lived in three listed buildings during our lengthy marriage, and we have loved (and improved) every one. Our current Gerogian cottage, however, is not listed, and I must confess that I am enjoying the freedom to do what I like, when I like with the building, without having to concern myself about listed building consents.

But I wouldn't have missed our listed homes for the world.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

How funny Penners, I too have lived in ---gosh, I've just counted--5 listed buildings in the past 40 years--one was grade 2* listed----as you say, a huge privilege but now a welcome relief to be unlisted. oddly I made that very comment to a builder who is going to repair the blown bricks above our bathroom window--I said 'just fix it,' to which he replied 'well I will of course fix it but it might not look particularly pretty' I shocked myself by saying : 'you know what? I don't care, this is not a listed building'.

Those of you who know me well and the previous houses in which I have lived will know that I have a very uneasy relationship with this house---living with other peoples DIY botches can be infuriating especially as it takes a while to correct them on a tight budget .

Anyway I reckon the Penners and Plummers themselves deserve to be listed !!!!

 

[Zebra]

Mine is around that age, and isn't listed.
The reason being, I assume, that it has so few original features. Really only the structure itself survives from the original.

 

[Ebenezer]

There is a cottage across the road from us that looks early Georgian similar to mine which is listed. But for some reason that one isn't. I always asumed it was until I decided to look it up.

 

[Penners]

I reckon the Penners and Plummers themselves deserve to be listed

No thanks, Joss. I don't want to have to apply for LBC every time someone wants to tinker with me.

 

[Moo]

One of the joys of not being listed is the effect on the bank balance (notice that the two Ps have been far too polite to mention it).
The front of our little cottage looks much better since the pebbledash fell off but the back is a real eyesore, what with the tenacious pebbledash and the hideous scars where we filled in doorways and windows with gay abandon.
Of course the pebbledash has got to go, and the whole lot rendered with something aesthetically pleasing. But guess what? We're going to let a builder use - cement!!!!!

There. I've said it. It still feels very strange.
But money talks, and when there's a limited supply it tends to become a rather one-sided conversation.
And it means that we can afford the odd little luxury like some repro light switches which we've sourced from a lovely little (not big enough to qualify for VAT!) firm based in a Wiltshire farm. It's called http://www.periodpattresses.com.
And there's a faint chance that they won't be ripped out by the next owner of the house, unlike the expensive lime mortar that we'd hoped to use, which I'm pretty certain would have been covered with good old waterproof sandtex at the earliest opportunity.
The nearest people round here get to restoration is reinstating wooden sash windows.

However, we love living here. Our street seems to be the hub of an urban village, with a healthy socio/economic/racial mix, and our little garden is revealing lots of delightful plants - in particular a flourishing black elder that is, at the moment, covered with dramatic pink blossom. One of these days I'll post a picture if it.

 

[Penners]

Moo - I have one or two old brown Bakelite light switches for which I have no use. Would you like them? Let me know and if so I'll pop them in the post.

 

[Keithj]

Keith, I think you'll find that repairs to listed buildings were not zero-rated for VAT - it was only approved alterations to listed buildings that could qualify for this.

I never really got the hang of the difference between "zero rated" and "VAT exempt" or "VAT free". Apparently one means it's chargeable for VAT but the rate is zero percent. Semantic fun, I suppose.

We carried out major repairs to this house - not alterations. It was done with LBC, and the builder didn't charge us VAT on it.

The garden room that we added on, with LBC, would have been "no-VAT" even if it didn't need LBC because it was an addition to the building.

We're just finishing a major repair job on the church. We have to pay VAT, then claim it back from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. They grill me on the reasons for each action, disallow some because it's not eligible, then send the VAT on the rest. It's only eligible if it's on or in the building, and then only if it's real work rather than techie blokes having a look. The techies can be claimed for if the work they recommend gets done, or something like that.

 

[Penners]

The garden room that we added on, with LBC, would have been "no-VAT" even if it didn't need LBC because it was an addition to the building.

Any addition to a listed building will require LBC.

 

[JoceAndChris]

I think quite a number of places were missed when the listings took place. In theory the older it is the easier to have it listed, but it does depend on the amount of original fabric left and the special interest of the building.

It isn't an easy process getting your building listed, it took two years for ours to get G2 status and the EH officer said most of her time was spent unlisting buildings that had lost their special character. I was very happy to get my remote cottage listed, as I think it's a locally important and rare example of intact Regency garden villa with brick haha and untouched interiors. To me that restraint on what's done to it and how is precious.

Moo - yours might have had an early form of cement anyway? And I love period pattresses! We've had some lovely switches from them.

 

[Moo]

Ooh, yes please, Mr P!!!!

And thanks for your kind words, Joce, but I'm afraid ours is one of the tens of thousands of houses that were chucked up all over London using soft yellow bricks and lime mortar. Ours had been (badly) pebbledashed, re roofed with tons of Redlands, and double glazed with standard placcies.
On the other hand, it still has its original front door, a couple of interior ones, some fancy cornicing, a decent (grassed!) back garden and very pleasant neighbours. And it's in the most lively, sociable street in the neighbourhood.
the fact that it's well on the way to doubling in value since we bought it is neither here nor there...

 

[Zebra]

repro light switches which we've sourced from a lovely little (not big enough to qualify for VAT!) firm based in a Wiltshire farm. It's called periodpattresses.com

Just had a look on their website out of curiosity, and the wiring diagrams for their switches are not quite right. Sorry to be pernickerty, I think I'm just in floorboard-avoidance mode.

 

[Moo]

Oh dear - we've just had an electrician in to instal them.
Are we in danger?

 

[Penners]

If your electrician is what my mother-in-law used to call "a proper man", I'm sure he'll have wired them correctly.

 

[Moo]

I'm sure you're right - he seemed a very capable chap.
Perhaps I could prevail upon Zebra to explain (when she's finished her nose bag, of course).