Latest news with #PermittedDevelopmentRights
The Courier
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Dundee architect Jon Frullani's top 6 tips when planning an extension
Planning a home extension can be an exciting project that transforms your living space, increases functionality, and potentially boosts your property's value. However, it requires careful thought and preparation to ensure the end result is successful and stays within budget. Dundee-based architect Jon Frullani has his office on Perth Road and specialises in everything from extensions and conversions to new-builds and commercial projects. Here he gives his top considerations when planning a home extension: Prior to commencing any works, the first step is understanding the legal requirements. In many cases, extensions require planning permission from your local council, especially if the changes are substantial. Some smaller extensions may fall under Permitted Development Rights, which means you won't need formal permission. However, you'll still need to meet Building Regulations, which govern safety, structure, and energy efficiency among other factors. These regulations ensure the extension is safe to use and complies with modern standards. Budgeting is a crucial part of any home extension. Start by estimating the total cost, including construction, materials, planning fees, professional services, and unexpected expenses. It's recommended to set aside a contingency of around 10% for unforeseen costs. The overall cost can vary depending on the size, complexity, and materials used in the extension. Consider how you'll finance the extension—whether through savings, remortgaging, or another funding source. Don't forget to factor in VAT costs, which may apply to certain building works. The design of your extension should be guided by your needs and the existing layout of your home. What is the purpose of the extension? Whether it's an additional bedroom, a larger kitchen, or an office, the design should reflect how you intend to use the space. Ensure that the extension flows well with the rest of the house and doesn't disrupt the current layout. Think about the functionality of the new space: Will you need additional storage? How will you access it from the rest of the house? Natural light and ventilation are also important considerations. For most home extensions, you will need to hire professionals, such as an architect, structural engineer, and builder. An architect can help you design the extension and create detailed plans, ensuring it fits within planning regulations. A structural engineer may be required to ensure that the foundations and load-bearing walls can support the new structure. Finally, hire a reputable builder or contractor who has experience in home extensions and comes highly recommended. Building an extension can be a lengthy and disruptive process. It's essential to consider how the construction will impact your daily life. Can you stay in the house while the work is being carried out, or will you need temporary accommodation? Will there be noise, dust, and disruption to the use of your current space? Planning for these disruptions and communicating with your neighbours about potential inconveniences can help avoid conflicts during the build. Finally, think about the environmental impact of your extension. Incorporating energy-efficient features, such as insulation, triple-glazed windows, and sustainable materials, can make the space more energy-efficient and reduce running costs in the long term. You might also want to consider renewable energy options like solar panels to make your extension more eco-friendly. Planning a home extension involves careful consideration of legal requirements, budget, design, professional support, and practical matters. By taking the time to plan and prepare for all these factors, you'll be setting yourself up for a smoother and more successful project. Whether you're adding space for a growing family or enhancing your home's functionality, the right preparation will ensure your extension meets your needs for years to come.
Telegraph
03-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
HMO: What is it and how to convert your property
Renting out a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) can be a lucrative buy-to-let business, offering higher yields than a single-family home. But is it a guaranteed cash cow? With average annual rents of more than £28,000, climbing to £46,000 in the South East, according to property investment platform Lendlord, HMOs are a popular form of buy-to-let investment. However, without the proper research, planning and adherence to licensing rules your HMO could wind up costing you more than you make. Telegraph Money talks you through what you need to know before you convert your property into a House in Multiple Occupation: What is an HMO? Converting your property into an HMO Do I need planning permission? Getting an HMO licence Cost of converting an HMO Are HMOs a good investment? What is an HMO? It's a property that's let out to three or more tenants from two or more households. For example, you could have a couple sharing one room and a single person renting another to form two separate households. Under the Housing Act 2004, the term HMO also covers historic conversions of properties into flats that have their own front door, but where they don't comply with the minimum standards of the 1991 building regulations. And less than two thirds of the flats are owner-occupied. Converting your property to an HMO Here are four key considerations when converting your property into a HMO: Understand your local market and the standard of the property expected, i.e. are you targeting students from the nearby university, or young professionals near transport links or business parks? How much competition is there? If you're in a market that's saturated with HMO properties you may struggle to let all your rooms out or be forced to lower your rents. Maximise the bedrooms you can rent out by extending up into the loft or converting a dining room. Don't assume you can convert your property without planning permission. Check with your local authority first. Do I need planning permission to convert my property to a HMO? Before you convert your property to a HMO you must check if you need planning permission for the change of use (as well as any building works). The need for planning permission varies depending on the number of occupiers and your local authority's specific planning requirements governing HMOs. A trap that many landlords fall into is not realising that planning permission and HMO licensing are separate considerations and must be applied for separately. You may also need building regulations consents where applicable. Here's five things you need to know about the planning landscape for HMOs: Converting a single-family home (C3 use class) into a small multi-let property (C4 use class, no more than 6 tenants) is usually allowed under Permitted Development Rights in England & Wales, so no planning permission is required. However, if your local authority has what's known as an Article 4 Direction Order in place for your area, that means Permitted Development Rights have been removed so you must apply for full planning permission even for a small HMO. Landlords converting properties to HMOs let to 7 or more tenants fall into the sui generis use class and almost always require full planning permission. It is always best to check your local authority's rules. Your plans to extend, structurally alter or change the layout of the property may not be allowed under Permitted Development Rights – check with your local planning officer. Depending on how you've altered the property – your conversion may need to be signed off by a building regulations inspector. Neil Smith, head of surveying at Paragon Bank, said: 'Councils introduce an Article 4 Direction Order to remove or restrict permitted development rights, to control certain types of conversions or alterations to homes taking place and consider any wider social implications. If it has been introduced because of concerns that too many homes have been converted into HMOs and they want to control numbers, getting planning permission for your conversion could be challenging.' Getting an HMO licence Not all HMO landlords need a licence to let out their properties. It depends on the number of occupiers they let to and the rules of their local authority. Licences tend to be granted for five years but shorter terms are sometimes given to new landlords. You can expect a visit by the local authority at least once during the term of your licence to ensure you are complying with its requirements. Here's the three licensing schemes HMO landlords must be aware of: Mandatory licensing This is a nationwide requirement whereby landlords who let to five or more tenants, forming more than one household with shared facilities must have a licence to operate. Selective licensing This scheme is usually put in place by a local authority in areas with anti-social behaviour. Any landlord operating a single or multi-let property of any size must have a licence. Additional licensing Introduced by individual councils to capture smaller HMO landlords to force licensing requirements on them. It is often used to improve housing standards in areas where there are lots of HMOs. Average cost of converting your property to an HMO The cost of converting your property into an HMO can vary depending on its size, the condition of the property to begin with and the standard of finish you're aiming to achieve. Analysis from lender Octane Capital found that the full cost of converting a single room to a HMO would be on average £10,267 raising the cost of converting a four-bed family home to £41,067. However, some landlords spend much more. Robert Leatherland, HMO landlord and owner of Southsea Co-Living, spends more than £200,000 on his conversions. 'We never do the minimum amount of work on our HMO conversions,' said Mr Leatherland who buys Victorian properties and adds an extra storey to them. 'I would never let out a property I wouldn't live in myself and if you don't aim for the top end of the market, where you can be the best, you're lost somewhere in the middle or the bottom.' As well as spending money on the way the property looks, he adds, there can also be costly adjustments needed to meet safety requirements and fire regulations and each council has its own set of specifications of what must be included in a HMO, such as the number of sinks. Is converting your property to an HMO a good investment? Yes, converting your property into a HMO can be a great investment decision if you've done your research into your local market before going ahead. According to buy-to-let lender Paragon, the average yield from a HMO property was 8.46pc in February compared to a 6.09pc for flats and 6.05pc for a terraced house. 'If your business objective is cashflow, then a HMO is great because it does generally create more cashflow than a single-let property would,' said Mr Leatherland. 'But they are not as easy to sell once they've been converted as they are no longer a standard home, they are an investment purchase rather than simply a property purchase. 'Landlords are usually looking for a property they can buy at a cheaper price so they can add value to it themselves by improving and extending it. The idea is, once you've invested in the conversion you hold on to the HMO and let it out for the long term.' Landlords are also less exposed to the risk of a completely empty property too. If you have six rooms to let and one is empty, the other five are still generating cash. If you rent out a single-family home and your tenants leave, there is no money coming in at all. Mortgage rates, however, are around 1.5pc higher than for a standard buy-to-let loan and landlords are responsible for paying the council tax for their tenants. Utility and broadband bills are also taken care of by the landlord. Mr Smith added: 'For those who do it well, it's a very lucrative, attractive investment but there's a lot more management involved with a HMO. Landlords shouldn't enter this market light-heartedly.'
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
10 home upgrades that don't need planning permission
With stamp duty becoming increasingly expensive, it often makes more sense to improve your home instead of up and moving. The good news is that there are many things that you can do under Permitted Development Rights (PDRs), which are granted by parliament, and allow certain building and land changes without the need for planning permission. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 is the legislation that sets out what's allowed (and what isn't) under PDRs. Jason Lowes, planning partner at Rapleys, flags how much less complicated things are if you don't have to go down the planning permission route. 'It cannot be stressed how much the shortage of planning officers, and supporting staff, at local authorities makes it hard for anyone to engage with the local authority, and — although it may sound strange from someone who makes their living from submitting planning applications — if it is possible to avoid a planning application, it is very much worth doing.' Some parts of planning regulation have become less stringent but there are areas where it's become stricter too. 'Legislation, policy and practice guidance, in planning terms, has not become less stringent in planning for development, however, there has been an increase in permitted development rights for householder development,' says David Bainbridge, planning director at Savills. In general, the planning system has added more detail, so homeowners unsure of what is allowed are able to have some clarity before they start the planning process. Read more: 7 property planning trends of 2025 'Over the past decade, there has been a steady flow of measures being introduced which remove the need for planning permission for a wide range of projects,' says Mike Spurgeon, associate director at Lanpro. 'Some have helped to clarify what can and can't be done, while others have made some smaller projects possible where they may not have been previously.' Homeowners might be surprised at some of the often-major home renovations that don't require planning permission and are allowed under PDRs. Whether you think they're an eyesore or the future of green energy, solar panels are allowed to be added to most homes, without the need for planning permission, as long as they don't protrude too far from the roof. 'Increasingly, solar panels are being added to existing roofs or in the gardens of homes,' says Spurgeon. 'Many projects such as this will not require planning permission provided they do not project above the highest point of the roof or are too far from the roof-slope on which they are mounted.' Buying a home with an outbuilding has all manner of benefits but a major one is that there are fewer planning variables limiting the size and shape of an outbuilding than there are with extensions. 'It has also long been the case that outbuildings, ranging from garden sheds to buildings housing swimming pools, can be constructed on land close to the house. In some cases, leaving a small gap between the existing house and an outbuilding can mean it can benefit from the permitted development rights relating to outbuildings rather than those relating to extensions,' says Spurgeon. Simon Rix, planning consultant for the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show, also flags that outbuildings up to 2.5 metres high (or sometimes higher) can be built without permission as long as they aren't used as separate dwellings. These include outbuildings that are used as garden offices and gyms. It's likely that basement conversions will need structural approval, but planning permission isn't always required. This is particularly the case if the external appearance of the house remains unchanged. If you're lucky enough to live in a house that's built between 1 July 1948 and 28 October 2018, you can add additional storeys without obtaining planning permission. 'One of the newer permitted development rights is the right to extend your home upwards by one or two storeys, which is proving very popular in a number of locations,' says James Doherty, principal planner at Boyer. Read more: What are green mortgages and are they the future? 'Detached houses can add up to two storeys, while terraced and semi-detached houses can add one or two storeys depending on the existing height,' adds Rix. 'The extension cannot exceed 3.5 metres above the highest part of the existing roof, and it must be on the original house rather than an extension or outrigger.' There has also been a relaxing of the rules around extensions that are allowed under PDRs so that they can be bigger in proportion to the plot size. 'The PDR requires that extensions (which includes any extensions delivered under this permitted development right or under a separate planning permission) and other buildings must not exceed 50% of the curtilage [i.e. land which serves and forms part and parcel of the house],' says Bainbridge. 'Last year the government proposed to remove this limitation to provide householders with further flexibility to extend their homes to suit their needs. This would mean that extensions could cover more than 50% of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.' Another example of how planning laws are being made more amenable to environmentally friendly energy sources is the approach being proposed for EV chargers and air source heat pumps. 'Last year, the government consulted on changes to the permitted development rights that allow for the installation of off-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure,' says Bainbridge. 'This included amending the rights to allow the installation of wall-mounted and upstand electrical outlets within two metres of a highway and the installation of larger upstands and changes to the permitted development right that allows for the installation of air source heat pumps on domestic premises.' While not green by any stretch of the imagination, air conditioning units can also be installed without planning permission as long as they are below a certain size and you don't live in a designated area. It's not just residential properties that are covered by PDRs. '[They] extend to some commercial properties, for example the erection, extension or alteration of an industrial building or a warehouse doesn't always require a planning application,' says Lowes. Read more: How to check your home's Energy Performance Certificate 'In addition, certain changes of use don't usually require a planning application, for example change of use of a shop to a home.' The ever-popular loft conversion can also come under permitted development 'as long as they don't exceed volume limits (40m³ for terraces, 50m³ for detached/semi-detached homes) and don't extend beyond any existing street facing roof slope,' says Rix. Want to make a splash? Well, it's easier than you think. Outdoor pools and hot tubs rarely need planning permission and the same goes for indoor pools as well. 'As long as it doesn't take up more than half the garden an indoor swimming pool can be built without a full planning application,' says Rix. It's a little-known fact that you can add a porch to you home without permission, as long as it's no bigger than 3m². There are, however, some exceptions to the above and certain homes and areas will still have to seek out planning permission. In terms of areas, these include Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, The Broads, National Parks, World Heritage Sites and Conservation Areas. 'Additionally, some councils issue Article 4 Directions which remove certain permitted development rights within a specific area. Whilst rare, sometimes restrictive conditions can remove certain permitted development rights,' flags Doherty. In terms of homes that are exempt, listed buildings, maisonettes and flats fall into this category. 'Those living in listed buildings will always need to apply for any works — internal or external — which could have an impact on the historic character of the building. Many require both planning permission and listed building consent,' says Spurgeon. Whatever the changes you plan to make, or the type of property you live in, in the first instance, it's important to check with an experienced planning consultant to see whether you need to seek out planning permission or can make upgrades under PDRs. Read more: How rising house prices can impact your finances How to negotiate house prices How to find your 'forever home' in 2025Sign in to access your portfolio
