In the UK, listed buildings are structures of special architectural and/or historic interest which are considered of national importance and worthy of protection.
The ‘lists’ in question which protect such buildings are the National Heritage List for England, the Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw in Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. In the Republic of Ireland, protected structures are monitored under the Planning and Development Act 2000.
Listed status is also conferred on monuments, parks, gardens, battlefields, and for the protection of wreck sites which meet the relevant criteria.
Whilst listed building status is granted to prestigious buildings such as Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament there are also a large number of residential properties which have listed building status. Indeed there are currently about 500,000 listed buildings in the UK ranging widely in age, size and stature. These buildings are covered by the following listing classifications.
- Grade I
- Grade II
- Grade II*
So what are the differences between grade I and grade II listed properties?
Grade I listed properties
A Grade I classification is reserved for structures of the greatest significance and exceptional architectural, historical or national importance. Of the listed buildings in the UK, a mere 2.5% have received a Grade I classification. Buildings in this list include the aforementioned Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, plus Buckingham Palace, the Natural History Museum and the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. As you may expect, London tops the list of regions with the highest Grade I buildings at 589, however, Norfolk comes a close second with 540.
Grade II* listed buildings
When it comes to Grade II listed buildings, there are two separate classifications, which are Grade II and Grade II*. The majority of listed buildings in this category fall under the standard classification of Grade II. Indeed, only 5.8% of buildings in the Grade II category are listed as Grade II*, which is because they are of particular special interest or national importance.
Grade II* listed structures include London’s Coliseum Theatre and Battersea Power Station and the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.
Grade II listed buildings
Any structure or building completed prior to 1 July 1948 which is of special architectural interest is classified as a Grade II building. A whopping 92% of listed buildings fall under this category and the majority of which are private residential properties, so the odds are that if you are purchasing a listed home, it will fall into the Grade II classification.
You can find out more information about a specific listed property, or listed building classifications in general, by visiting the National Heritage List for England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw, Northern Ireland Environment Agency or Planning and Development Act 2000 websites.
Can you make changes to Grade I and Grade II listed buildings?
Whilst there are extremely strict regulations when it comes to Grade I listed buildings and it is very unlikely that you would purchase one as your next home, there are options for repairing and modifying a Grade II listed building should you need to. However, these do come with strings attached.
First and foremost, you will always need written listed building consent from your local authority, so don’t pick up that sledgehammer without it! Any work done without consent may leave your home insurance policy void or may mean your home needs to be completely restored to its former appearance.
Specialist building methods and materials will also need to be used to ensure any changes you make match the rest of the property and maintain the building’s structural integrity. As such, always do you research to find contractors experienced in renovating listed buildings.
Unfortunately specialist renovations can be pricey, and whilst VAT charges on approved listed building alterations previously sat at 0%, contracts entered into after 21 March 2012 are subject to VAT charges at the standard rate of 20%. There is some light at the end of the tunnel in the shape of a campaign to reduce VAT to 5% for approved alterations and repairs to listed buildings. So do keep up to date with the current legislation to ensure that not only are you adhering to the letter of the law, but you may even save yourself some money in the process.
Indeed, in some instances, there are local and national grants available to help with the costs of maintaining or refurbishing your Grade II listed property. You can find out more information here: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/grants/our-grant-schemes/repair-grants/
How do you buy or sell a listed building?
In much the same way as you would buy or sell any other home, although there are a few things you should consider before deciding to purchase a listed building, or put yours on the market.
For buyers:
- Do your homework – Make sure you have properly looked into any maintenance work or adaptions which have been made to the property over the years. Any structural work should always have been authorised by the local council and if it didn’t get sign-off at the time you could be in for some costly remedial work once the property is yours.
- Always get a comprehensive survey before you exchange contracts – Choose a surveyor who specialises in listed buildings who will know exactly what to look out for when they undertake the survey.
For sellers:
- Make sure you have the relevant home insurance policy for a listed building – This could save you a lot of money in the long run if anything unexpected crops up during a buyer’s survey or the conveyancing process. You may also want to ask a surveyor to review the property prior to putting it on the market to avoid any expensive surprises or a lower offer price down the line.
- Make sure your paperwork is in order – listed buildings come with a lot of paperwork! Make sure your deeds, any covenants, official correspondence and approval of permitted works are all clearly documented and filed ready to hand over to your buyer and their conveyancer to avoid any delays during the sales process.
- Work with property experts who specialise in selling listed buildings – Not only will their prior experience help the process run more smoothly, they are likely to have an existing database of prospective buyers all keen to purchase a listed building.
Whether you are buying or selling, the listed property owners club provides some great advice when it comes to purchasing, maintaining and selling a listed property.
