In the simplest terms, a property of ‘non-standard
construction’ is one that is not made of brick or stone walls, with a slate or
tiled roof.
There are many different types of non-standard homes, for
example those built purely from timber to concrete and prefabricated homes.
Many prefabricated homes were built in the UK during and
after the war as a form of affordable housing. However, concrete is not as
durable as brick or stone and properties were quickly suffering from crumbling
concrete with cracks appearing.
This made it very difficult to get both a mortgage and
insurance to purchase or live in these types of properties.
At Discount Insurance things are different. We can provide
cover on a range of non-standard
properties and features including up to 100% flat roofs, glass roofs,
wooden houses, cob-tiled roofs, asbestos construction, listed buildings and
much more.
We like non-standard properties so much that we’ve put
together a list of the top 10 things to consider when buying a non-standard
home:
1. Ensure you
budget enough to purchase the property, as surveyors’, mortgage and legal fees
may be higher than normal.
2. Either
have the cash ready to buy the property outright or find a specialist lender
that is happy to lend on the property before you make any offers.
3. Make
sure the property is priced at a discount to reflect the difficulties in
raising finance and insurance, and try to negotiate this down if not.
4. Most
non-standard properties are sold at auction so don’t make an offer on a
property unless you are sure you know what it’s made of. You will need to provide
exact details to both your mortgage lender and insurance provider.
5. Make
sure you secure quotes for insuring the property from a company who understands
the problems that the property may suffer and should therefore give you cover
more suited to your needs. Contact us today for a quick quote on 0800 294
4522.
6. Secure a specialist legal company to
carry out the conveyancing, usually someone local to the area that has
experience of additional questions that need to be asked.
7. If the property needs renovating make
sure you secure the help of builders with experience of renovating properties
like yours, don’t just go for the cheapest quote and ensure you agree the work
that needs doing and any guarantees via a contract.
8. Find out what the bills will be, for example will
the heating bills cost more or less due to the different materials used for the
property?
9. Have a specialist survey carried out on the
property and ideally go around with the surveyor so you are clear about the
problems the property may or may not have.
10. Understand
that when you come to sell the property, unless you have renovated the property
to standard construction, it may take a little longer to attract a buyer.
Don’t be put off by a property if it is
of non-standard construction, although there are additional things to consider
before purchasing a property of this kind, it will be worth it if it’s your
dream home!
