If you are thinking of buying a listed building or you already own one, your first port of call should be The Listed Property Owners Club. Established over 20 years ago, The Listed Property Owners Club is Britainās only advice service dedicated to helping owners of listed buildings.
Itās a membership organisation with a particularly personal service ā no call centre or scripted answers ā just a small friendly team who deliver the sort of service, helpful advice and sometimes that little bit of reassurance that listed building owners need.
There are 450,000 Listed properties in the UK, 92% are Grade II Listed, 5.5% are Grade II* Listed, 2.5% are Grade I Listed, 38% of Listed properties are domestic dwellings and 15% of Listed buildings are pre-1600.
A listed property is considered of special architectural or historic interest, the listing of which protects the whole of the building both inside and outside. Any owner has a duty to keep the building in good repair and in keeping with its historic background. Most residential listed properties are considered as a āGrade IIā listing; however there are a few other gradings that apply to a small percentage of very special buildings:
Grade IĀ – buildings of exceptional interest for example, Buckingham Palace.
Grade II*Ā – buildings of particular importance/more than special interest for example, The Savoy Theatre, London.
Grade IIĀ – buildings of special interest that warrant every effort to preserve them.
Your local authority will be able to tell you if a property is listed. They will also confirm if the building is within aĀ conservation area. Another option would be to call The Listed Property Owners Club or visit www.imagesofengland.org.uk.
Having a listing on your home does means there will be extra control over what changes can be made to a building’s exterior and interior, therefore if you wish to make a particular change you will need to apply for Listed Building Consent (LBC) for most types of work that affect the ‘special architectural or historic interest’ of the building.
Ā If you wish to alter, extend or in some extreme cases, demolish, your building in any way which affects the character or setting, you must contact the conservation officer at your local district council for Listed Building Consent (LBC). LBC is similar to planning permission although no fees are payable. Again, The Listed Property Owners Club can help and advise along the process to make things that little bit easier for you.
Works that will generally need consent include: Covering exposed brickwork with paint or plaster, replacing windows and doors, fitting roof-lights or dormer windows, installing satellite dishes, or aerials and burglar alarms that are physically attached to the building. In addition, consent is required for creating new doorways, removing or altering fireplaces, panelling or staircases, removing external surfaces, altering the roofing materials currently used, moving/removing internal wall.
The Listed Property Owners Club website has a number of beautiful and interesting listed properties for sale from all over Britain. Please visit www.lpoc.co.uk for more details.
If you are thinking of buying a listed property, you can download a copy of The Listed Property Owners Club free āGuide to Owning or Buying a Listed Buildingā at www.lpoc.co.uk or call 01795 844939. You will also find membership details on their website.
Donāt forget, The Listed Property Owners Club is there to help and advise you on any aspect of owning a listed property. Visit www.lpoc.co.uk, or ring 01795 844939. Alternatively email info@lpoc.co.uk for more details.
