| Listed Building Insurance Although not an actual class of insurance in its own right, listed building insurance is any sort of homeowner insurance policy that needs to cover a listed building, a property that is protected by statute. Often insurance companies are reluctant to provide this type of insurance cover as insuring a building that is listed can present a number of problems if and when a claim arises.
Unlike a normal building, in the event of a claim, permission has to be sought from the local authority to have the remedial world carryout. This can lead to delays and in many cases; it takes at least 8 weeks to obtain the appropriate permissions. When you are dealing with a building claim, time is money, often after the home has been damaged; the owners or tenants, if the property is owned by a landlord have to be re-housed whilst the restoration work is carried out. Alternative accommodation cover is part and parcel of a building insurance policy and thus, the longer it takes to settle a claim, the more money an insurer faces paying out in damages. Another consideration is the techniques and material used in the restoration of a damaged listed building. Often construction cannot be deemed standard by today�s methods and in many cases, specialist materials and specialist craftsmen have to be employed to carry out the work.
These factors have lead may building insurers to decide not to bother offering cover for this type of property and thus you will have to seek the services of a specialist.
The process of listing buildings started in the United Kingdom in 1947. Following the Second World War, the government was worried that as a result of bomb damage, the country faced the possibility of loosing many of its important buildings for ever. Also at this time, conservation and heritage where not high on the list of priorities of most homeowners and often it was simply easier to demolish and existing structure and start again. By introducing a list of important property, the government have managed to protect the nation�s architectural heritage for many future generations. Now if you are the owner of a listed building, it is a criminal offence to make alterations or to demolish a building without first obtaining the necessary planning consents. The penalties can be quite severe and may include imprisonment.
So what type of buildings attracted listed status? Anything that is its original format and was constructed before 1840 will almost certainly bee listed, not only buildings are included but monuments, schools, town squares, even a number of telephone boxes have been listed in the past. Most people believe that for a building to be listed it must be of some architectural interest or indeed be a stately home, this is far removed from the truth, often a building is listed simply because a famous person lived in it or it was the site of a famous invention or its very existence gives us a glimpse of how people lived in days gone by. To this end, many simple cottages and industrial building are preserved as part of our heritage. The following points apply to a listed building;
1. A building is listed so as what ever its qualities are, they can be protected by law
2. The fact that a building is listed, places an onus on the homeowner to upkeep the property.
3. Any work to a listed building which includes any form of demolition, alteration, extension etc either, internally or externally will require listed Building Consent.
Listed Building Classes - Listed buildings are arranged in to different groups depending on there importance listing are different in Scotland & Northern Ireland.
1. Grade I buildings are regarded as being of exceptional interest both nationally and internationally
2. Grade II* listed properties are considered to be particularly important examples of special interest buildings.
3. Grade II listed buildings � the most common type are considered of special interest and therefore all steps should be taken to preserve them.
As already mentioned, buildings are listed to help identify and protect our cultural, architectural and social heritage. Identifying a building is one thing, but the systems in place to protect buildings are vitally important. The demolition or alteration to either the interior or exterior of a listed building can only be carried out with the correct permissions having been received from the local authority. This is known as listed building consent. Alterations that would change the character of the property must also have consent allowed for. Typical applications for alterations include, modern style windows or painting the building in an unusual or unsympathetic colour. When applications are received for alteration, local authorities must advertise the fact and in most cases, a notice of the application is posted near the site. This allows people to make representations to the authority to allow the views to be known and these views must be taken in to consideration before a listed building planning application can be approved. Once the local authority decides to grant the permission, it may have to notify the secretary of state of its decision, depending on the property location and the listing. A further period of waiting must be allowed in these cases, to give the secretary of state , time to decide if the application warrants further investigation at a higher level. in almost all cases, authorities adopt the line that the building must be preserved, unless there is a very strong reason for change, although sometimes a compromises can be reached. The demolition of several hundred listed buildings a year is not unusual, particularly if they are deemed to be beyond economical repair. However, it is very rare indeed for agreement to be reached to allow the demolition of a Grade 1 building. Any owner of a listed building who decides to flout the rules could find themselves in serious trouble. Fines for demolishing or altering listed buildings cab be heavy and normally are based on the amount the owner stood to gain by making the alteration. In serious cases, it has not been unknown for a prison sentence to be imposed and fines could be unlimited. The burden of ownership can weigh heavy on owners and sometimes building upkeep can severely drain ones resources. English Heritage do make grants for upkeep but these are not always available. Failure to keep listed building in a good state of repair can result in the local authority severing a notice on the owner to effect emergency repairs. Failure to comply with this notice, could result with the property being seized or purchased with a compulsory purchase order. back to top |
