Gloria Hunniford cuts ties with controversial retirement home developer
TV star Gloria Hunniford is cutting ties with a leading retirement home provider amid growing scrutiny of the sector.
The Rip-Off Britain presenter has confirmed she will no longer work with McCarthy Stone after years of being paid to open new developments.
The move comes after an investigation revealed that nearly 60pc of McCarthy Stone flats have significantly fallen in value when re-sold, leaving owners £41,000 worse off on average.
McCarthy Stone is one of the country's biggest retirement home developers, with 543 villages housing more than 21,500 people.
It has hit headlines in recent years as families struggle to sell on the properties, which can only be purchased by buyers over 60.
A spokesman for Mrs Hunniford, 85, told the Times that she 'has no further planned dealings with this company'.
She has repeatedly appeared as the guest of honour at McCarthy Stone openings across the country, most recently Bluebell House in Milton Keynes in 2023. At the time, she said it was 'an absolute joy to be a part of the celebrations'.
Her appearances also included meet and greets for the guests.
An investigation by the Times last month found that one in 50 McCarthy Stone homes have lost more than half their value when resold. The average loss is 16pc for properties built between 2010 and 2019, while the Halifax house price index grew by 42pc over the same period.
It comes after The Telegraph heard from dozens of readers who complained their retirement properties were 'impossible to sell' because of their high fees which have become the norm across the industry.
As of 2019, there were 730,000 retirement housing units in the UK, according to the Elderly Accommodation Counsel.
But in recent years, their appeal has dramatically waned as complaints mounted among those early buyers. This is due to their service charges, which are payable whether or not the property is lived in.
One reader has been stuck paying £3,546.96 service charge and £395 ground rent annually since her mother passed away in 2022. The property – which was run by a separate retirement home provider – has sat on the market for three years despite her lowering the price.
Owners must also pay ground rent, generally between £400 and £500 per year. Ground rent has since been banned on the sale of new retirement homes but this does not apply to resales.
The issue has been compounded by the double council tax raid on second home owners which has swept up the families inheriting these properties.
McCarthy Stone told the Times the majority of its flats increase in value once its financial incentives are taken into account, adding its charges are tightly regulated. The company declined to comment further when contacted by The Telegraph.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Three-quarters of parents have bought children beauty products in the last year
Three-quarters of parents have bought their children beauty products in the last year, a survey suggests. Parents have spent £111 on average on items such as lip balms (41%), face moisturisers (39%), and cleansers (37%), according to the poll for cashback and rewards site Rakuten. Other popular items bought for children aged eight to 17 included lip gloss or lipstick (32%), body moisturiser (30%), face masks (28%), skin oil (22%), mascara (22%), makeup remover (21%) and foundation (19%). A typical adult spends £148 on beauty products a year, the study found. Of the 75% of parents who bought beauty products, 41% said they did so to boost their child's confidence, while 24% saw it as a way to bond with their children. Fathers were more willing to spend on their children's beauty regimes, buying £144 worth of items per year compared with the average £82 paid for by mothers. Bola Sol, from Rakuten, said: 'With skincare and make-up routines and trends taking over social media, it's no surprise that younger children are asking for more luxurious beauty products. 'All parents want to make their kids happy, but it's also important to balance that with your budget. A great way to do this is by tracking products for when they go on sale, and where possible, bag even more savings by using a cashback provider such as Rakuten to make the purchase through.' OnePoll surveyed 1,000 UK parents with children aged eight to 17 between May 28 and June 15.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
The World Tonight Will voters feel better off from Chancellor's spending plans?
What would you do with a trillion pounds of public money over the next four years? The Chancellor says "renewing Britain" is at the heart of her plans. So when will voters start to feel better off? We ask a Treasury Minister. Also on the programme: After the US Ambassador to Israel told us that Muslim countries should give up their land to create a Palestinian state - we get reaction from a senior Palestinian official. And one of the most influential figures in the history of pop music, Brian Wilson - the creative genius behind the Beach Boys - has died. The veteran DJ Bob Harris - who knew him for more than five decades - pays tribute.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Aukus: US to review submarine pact as part of 'America First' agenda
The US has launched a review of its multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the UK and Australia, saying the security pact must fit its "America First" the trilateral pact, widely seen as a response to the growing power of China, Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered subs from the US, before the allies create a new fleet by sharing cutting-edge Australia and the UK - which did its own review last year - have sought to play down news of the US probe, saying it is natural for a new administration to move comes as Australia faces pressure from the White House to lift its military spending, from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, a push so far resisted by Canberra. The agreement - worth £176bn ($239bn; A$368bn) - was signed in 2021, when all three countries involved had different leaders."The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," a US defence official told the BBC."As [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defense, and that the defense industrial base is meeting our needs."The review will be headed up Elbridge Colby, who has previously been critical of Aukus, in a speech last year questioning why the US would give away "this crown jewel asset when we most need it".Defence Minister Richard Marles, speaking to local Australian media on Thursday morning local time, said he was optimistic the deal would continue. "I'm very confident this is going to happen," he told ABC Radio Melbourne."You just need to look at the map to understand that Australia absolutely needs to have a long-range submarine capability."Some in Australia have been lobbying for the country to develop a more independent defence strategy, but Marles said it was important to "stick to a plan" - a reference to the previous government's controversial cancellation of a submarine deal with France in favour of Australian government spokesperson told the BBC it was "natural" that the new administration would "examine" the agreement, adding the UK had also recently finished a review of the security pact between the long-standing allies. There is "clear and consistent" support for the deal across the "full political spectrum" in the US, they said, adding Australia looked forward to "continuing our close cooperation with the Trump Administration on this historic project".A UK defence spokesperson told the BBC it was "understandable" for a new administration to look at the deal, "just as the UK did last year". Aukus is a "landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies", the spokesperson said, and "one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic".
