IN THE days before Easter, the Government has been striving to keep homeowners
sweet. The first treat — ministers would probably like you to think of it as
the equivalent of an organic chocolate Easter egg — came in the shape of a
relaxation of planning rules.
Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, will allow households to install
microgeneration devices such as solar panels without planning permission. As
well as being able to be greener with less red tape, we can also have the
comfort of knowing that the arrival of home information packs (Hips) in June
will have only a transitory effect on the market. So much for fears that the
scheme could cause a sudden rush to sell and a dire shortage thereafter.
This assurance — yet another Easter bonbon — came from Ms Kelly’s department.
It also claims that the energy performance certificate (EPC), an obligatory
part of the Hip, should make us more eco-conscious, as its grading of a
home’s energy efficiency will suggest ways to limit the burning of fossil
fuels. Lower gas and electricity bills will be another plus.
These announcements were doubtless timed to coincide with the year’s most DIY
and domestic-focused Bank Holiday. But maybe the Government was also keen to
divert attention from the publicity over tax changes to pensions that have
diminished the value of our retirement savings and ensured that we turn our
minds to our investment in real estate.
Whatever the motive behind the Hip announcement, it is clear that, while the
communites department believes it is “winning the battle of hearts and
minds”, there is still widespread ignorance of the scheme. Which may be why
there are no signs of a flood of properties for sale. Paul Creffield of
Countrywide, the country’s largest estate agency group, says: “There is not
a high degree of public awareness: the Government needs to sustain its
publicity campaign.”
Among the few who are aware of Hips, however, there is a keen interest in the
EPC, which is set to become a cool badge of environmental awareness. Owners
with no intention of selling
will employ an energy inspector to complete an EPC for their home as proof of
its eco-conscious credentials. For those who wish to relax this weekend,
rather than queue at the DIY store, the good news is that all improvements
that make a home greener (cavity-wall insulation, fitting thermostatic
radiator valves) are best left to the professionals.
The new Belfast
Prices in one location are up 14.6 per cent since January and 61 per cent over
12 months. No, it’s not London, but Belfast, that other boom town where the
market is benefiting from inward migration, infrastructure investment and
the opening of new bars and restaurants in which to celebrate the new
prosperity. The ending of sectarian strife is a key factor in this
regeneration; the ability to use the word “boom” in relation to property
values symbolises the change in atmosphere.
Last July Bricks and Mortar’s Where Next? series introduced you to the idea of
Belfast as hotspot. But even then there were already concerns about
affordability and a lack of homes for sale; young professionals unable to
absent themselves from the office were hiring the less career-oriented to
stand in the queues for apartments in the few available new developments.
These worries have grown: in its latest regional survey Nationwide suggests
Belfast “is more vulnerable than some other parts of the UK”. It is the only
place outside London where
— in the wake of interest rate rises — Nationwide cannot yet see signs of the
new mood of caution evident in the North, the Midlands, Scotland and Wales.
In the capital, the only indication of the impact of higher rates is the surge
in rents in some neighbourhoods, a trend observed by Cluttons, Hamptons,
Savills and other agents. Cluttons says landlords hit by more expensive
borrowing are putting up rents; this opportunism is mostly being rewarded.
Reports of Mayfair houses to let for £25,000 a week, or homes for sale for
£800,000 in Belfast’s Alliance Avenue at the heart of the city’s former
“murder triangle”, make intriguing reading. But homeowners elsewhere will
hope that those stories are not seen as a reason why interest rates should
continue to be increased.
The Rigsby Effect
The tenancy deposit scheme becomes effective today. It obliges all landlords
who take deposits from tenants to join one of three deposit protection
schemes. There are large fines for those who fail to comply; they also lose
their right to evict. But there will still be many who fall foul of the new
rules, simply because they have failed to realise that letting a flat, even
to a friend, makes them a landlord. Failure to see themselves in this legal
role may have something to do with the image of landlords as grasping,
inquisitive and always complaining. Their reaction when faced with a fine
will not be too pretty either.
hips another money grabbing exersize rom this placebo goverment .a way to employ 3500 ?? not real jobs .
Robert J Fox, norwich, norfolk
TREASURES IN OUR GARDEN THAT HAVE HELPED RECONSTRUCT THE HISTORY OF OUR HOUSE.
You don't need a metal detector to bring to light the early history of a site. The very dry summer of 1995-96 did that. Harlaw in the Scottish Borders has been an occupied site since the 13th century. There is an assize record in the Berwick Court Records stating Matthew de Harlawe rendered homage in 1296, acknowedging Edward I of England as his lord and master.. In the 16th century Timothy Pont in his survey of Scotland, noted Harlaw on his map which was engraved by Blaeu of Amsterdam in the following century. By this time it was spellled "Harelaw" but the Ordnance Surveyors of 1860 reverted to the earlier version, noting a farm and steading of some 85 acres.
History records that the pele tower that stoood here was destroyed in the Earl of Hertford's raid of 1544-5. Almost every pele was laid waste in the Borders, as were the five great abbeys such as Kelso five miles away.
Christopher Wood, Kelso, Scotland