And we have a limited number of free weekday tickets to give away worth £10. Just choose your tickets and use code CABHOA at the checkout. Want to visit at the weekend? Well don’t worry we still have a great deal with weekend tickets just £12.

Plus, with free entry into the co-located Ideal Home Show Christmas…this is one event you won’t want to miss!

Discover new recipes, baking hacks and inspiration from a star-studded line up of celebrity bakers, as they demo live on the Cake & Bake Stage. If you want to level up your baking skills, you can get hands-on, learn new skills and hear first-hand from your favourite baking influencers and content creators in the Cake & Bake Pro Masterclasses. 

Shop the latest must-haves and stock up on essentials to create the perfect cakes and bakes. From cookie cutters, stamps, sprinkles, and toppers, to icing, food colouring, ingredients, cake boxes and much more, you’ll find everything you need from your favourite brands.

Make the most of your free entry into the co-located Ideal Home Show Christmas, and immerse yourself in the festive spirit, shop for gifts and home décor, explore Christmas interiors trends, and indulge in seasonal cuisine and mixology.

Whether you’re a baking professional, home baker or cake decorator, a family of foodies, or you simply love to bake, you’re guaranteed to leave The Cake & Bake Show inspired to bake more!

How to get your discounted tickets to the Cake & Bake Show

We have a limited number of free weekday tickets to give away worth £10. Just choose your tickets here and use code CABHOA at the checkout. Want to visit at the weekend? Well don’t worry we still have a great deal with weekend tickets just £12.

Show Opening Times

Wednesday 27 November: 10am – 5pm
Thursday 28 November: 10am – 5pm
Friday 29 November: 10am – 5pm
Saturday 30 November: 10am – 5pm
Sunday 1 December: 10am – 5pm

Getting There

Olympia London (Olympia Grand entrance)

Hammersmith Road

London

W14 8UX

Event Information

• The Cake & Bake Show Website
• Grab your EARLY BIRD tickets here* 
• FAQs 
• Customer Service
• Enquiries: info@thecakeandbakeshow.co.uk 
• *Limited time to buy tickets from £10*

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Get tickets from just £10 to The Cake & Bake Show appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

For a limited time only, we are offering free weekday and weekend tickets for Grand Designs Live taking place at the NEC Birmingham between 2-6 October 2024.

This must-visit event is packed with inspiration for those looking to find information and learn everything you need for your very own Grand Designs project.  Whether you want to build or renovate your own home or simply redecorate a room, you’ll find plenty of brilliant ideas and inspiration at the show. With over 400 companies across four key sections, live talks, interior room sets and expert advice – there is more to look forward to than ever before!

To claim your free tickets simply visit the Grand Designs website and enter your unique code HOAB24

What you will get with your Grand Designs Live Free Tickets 2024

Grand Designs Live, the UK’s leading home design and innovation exhibition is back at at the NEC Birmingham between 2-6 October 2024. This year, the show promises an immersive experience with exhibitors across five show sections: build, kitchens and bathrooms, gardens, interiors, and green living live. 

The show will take place over five days, including engaging talks led by renowned TV broadcaster and design expert, Kevin McCloud. Visitors will have the chance to connect with specialists, architects, building suppliers, and designers, to explore unique furnishings, designs, and bespoke artwork that will inspire home projects and bring visions to life. 

Celebrating 25 year of Grand Designs Live

Grand Designs Live Birmingham will celebrate 25 years of Grand Designs on Channel 4. To mark this milestone, there will be a brand new installation at the show, where previous suppliers from the TV houses will have the opportunity to showcase their products and services to those embarking on their own Grand Designs project.

Additional features at to this year’s show include: 

Live Talks

Hear from an array of industry experts across three theatres where an exciting and engaging line-up of speakers will take centre stage each day. 

Green Living Live

All visitors gain entry to this inspiring event dedicated to showcasing eco-friendly products and services from companies that put sustainability at the heart of their business, visit the website here for more information. 

Ask an Expert

Discuss your build and renovation plans on a one-to-one basis with specialists in architecture, construction, finance, interior design and more. 

Kevin’s Green Heroes

This platform aims to acknowledge groundbreaking concepts and new-generation construction ideas that prioritise environmental sustainability, from small-scale start-ups to big businesses. 

Outdoor Living Showcase

This dedicated area features top exterior furnishing brands presenting their products in-situ at the show. 

The Grand House

Visitors can come along to see a house, built by Grand Designs Live, designed to educate, inspire and wow visitors. The house is a new showcase of stunning, innovative designs and an opportunity to discover ways to decarbonise your home through renewable energy generation, without compromising on cutting edge luxury. What’s more, advisors from all the brands featured in the house are available to speak to and all products showcased were ready to be purchased at the show.

How to claim your Grand Designs Live free tickets:

To claim your free tickets simply visit the Grand Designs website and enter your unique code HOAB24

Terms and Conditions: This offer is valid on standard tickets to Grand Designs Live London 2024 only and expires at midnight on 5 October 2024. A maximum of two tickets can be claimed per order. Weekday and weekend tickets are free.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Grand Designs Live Free Tickets 2024 appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Claim your Ideal Home Show Christmas 2024 free tickets

If you want to claim your free tickets to the Ideal Home Show Christmas 2024, simply visit their website and quote code IHSXHOA.Want to visit at the weekend? Enjoy a discounted online weekend adult ticket for £12, which is normally £16. To book your weekend tickets, simply visit the website and quote code IHSXHOA.

What’s on at the Ideal Home Show Christmas 2024?

Step into a fairy-tale land of colourful Christmas lights, glowing trees, and shining baubles and share the excitement of getting ready for Christmas at the UK’s best-loved seasonal home event, Ideal Home Show Christmas, taking place 27th November – 1st December. Capture the very essence of Christmas, it’s where the warmth of home meets the sparkle of Christmas, creating memories that will last a lifetime.  

The Ideal Christmas Home

Marvel at the life-size Ideal Christmas Home, styled in association with Good Homes magazine and find ideas and inspiration for your perfect Christmas, whether it’s quirky gifts for loved ones, festive accessories, or must-have interior designs.  Plus, with live entertainment to keep the kids entertained, you can enjoy a festive family day out.

Swing by the Eat & Drink Festival

As well as feasting on lots of seasonal goodies from street food vendors and drinks from mixologists in the Eat & Drink Festival, you will be able to shop for unique gifts from The Christmas Market and take home some great tips for delicious recipes from our guest experts in The Christmas Kitchen.

Shop till you drop at the Ideal Home Show Christmas 2024

With 100s of brands and 1000s of products to shop from, interactive workshops, entertainment, tons of fun tips and tricks and celebrity appearances live on The Christmas Theatre stage, it offers a comprehensive and delightful Christmas experience.

Whether you’re seeking the latest trends in festive decor, culinary delights to wow your guests, or simply a dose of festive cheer, Ideal Home Show Christmas promises to deliver joy and inspiration in abundance.

Take part in a creative workshop

Get creative with a friend and book a pop-up Christmas Workshop. Choose from Wreath Making, Wine Tasting, Cocktail Making and Christmas Decor – these workshops are a fun and interactive addition to the day for you to leave with a keepsake or present to someone special.

Ideal Home Show Christmas opening times

• Wednesday 27th November: 10am – 5pm
• Thursday 28th November: 10am – 5pm
• Friday 29th November: 10am – 5pm
• Saturday 30th November: 10am – 5pm
• Sunday 1st December: 10am – 5pm

Ideal Home Show visitor information

Getting There
Olympia Events, London (Olympia Grand entrance)
Hammersmith Road
London
W14 8UX

Event Information
Ideal Home Show Christmas Website

Grab your tickets here

How to claim your Ideal Home Show free and discounted tickets

If you want to claim your free tickets to the Ideal Home Show Christmas 2024, simply visit their website and quote code IHSXHOA.Want to visit at the weekend? Enjoy a discounted online weekend adult ticket for £12, which is normally £16. To book your weekend tickets, simply visit the website and quote code IHSXHOA.

Terms and Conditions

FOC weekday tickets, Free single tickets – CAP of two per booking (plus two kids) Weekend – £12 single tickets Kids aged 7- 15 years old ticket price £5. Kids aged 6 and under, go free.  Tickets will be sent via email between 0-5 days after application. Tickets are non-transferable, and non-assignable and there are no cash alternatives. All tickets will be scanned upon entry. Multiple applications will be refused entry onsite. Open to UK residents only. Tickets also grant free access to Eat & Drink Festival Christmas section, once inside.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Ideal Home Show free tickets 2024 appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

• August is the most popular month to move for the last 12 years. January and February are the least popular.
• More than a quarter of households (29%) move on a Friday. Only 5% choose to move on a Sunday.
• 1 in 5 removal companies (18%) are willing to negotiate on price depending on the day of the week

The most popular day to move home this year will be Friday 30th August, according to HomeOwners Alliance and reallymoving. Our analysis of more than 650,000 removal quotes found August has been the most popular month to move home for the last 12 years.

Last year a survey of removal firms by reallymoving also found that 1 in 5 removal companies (18%) are willing to offer mid-week deals and negotiate on price to encourage movers to move at a less busy time.

Commenting on the data, Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, Paula Higgins, says:

We’ve been tracking this trend for over 12 years and were a little surprised to find that this year, we think homeowners are still favouring the end of August weekend to move, despite it not being a Bank Holiday this year. Conveyancers will be super busy so home movers need to make sure they understand the process and what happens on the day of completion. Ensure everyone up and down the chain aims to complete and have keys released by 1pm so you have enough time to get moved.

Without the extra day off work to get the unpacking done, homeowners will want to read our moving house checklist. that sets out what to do before you move, between exchange and completion and on moving day itself to help things run smoothly.

Rob Houghton, CEO of reallymoving, adds: “Moving on the busiest day of the year will mean more competition for services, so ensure you’re well prepared and everyone in the chain knows you’re working towards that date. People often leave removals to last, but it’s advisable to book well in advance and ask them to come to your house to assess the volume of your belongings, to ensure you have the right sized van and moving team on the day. You won’t be able to confirm the booking until you’ve exchanged contracts, but keeping in regular contact with them will give you the best chance of securing your first choice removals team.”

Tips on avoiding moving day delays:

1. Suggest an alternative day of the week. Savings are possible, as we know 1 in 5 removal firms are willing to negotiate on price. See our guide to house removals costs.
2. If you’re going to be moving this August, remember things are not only busier but it is traditionally a time to take holidays. Get quotes for removals firms as soon as possible and appoint them after exchanging contracts. Here are more tips on how to find the right removals company.
3. Choose a removals firm you trust and have rapport with.  Talk through what would happen if a delay occurred. For example, do they have emergency storage? Be aware of the different things that may impact the cost of your move, like access or extra services.

Key Findings:

According to our analysis, there are about 1.9 million moves a year in the UK. That’s more than 5000 a day. But this year, the data shows we’ll be seeing more than 20,000 moves in just one day – Friday 30th August – making it the busiest day to move.  This is four times more than the daily average.

Looking at the most popular month and days to move, this translates into more than 220,000 moves in the month of August alone and over 550,000 people moving on Fridays over the course of the year.

The figures are based on 668,522 removals quotes collected by reallymoving.com over the last 12 years. This data shows that:

• August is the most popular month to move (12%), followed by September (10%) and July (10%). Nearly a third of moves (32%) happen late summer/ early autumn.
• Friday is by far and away the most popular day of the week to move. More than a quarter (29%) select Friday for their move.
• The last Friday in August tends to be the busiest day of the year to move.

August is the busiest month to move

The most popular day of the week to move is Friday

·         More than a quarter (29%) opt to move on Friday.

·         Saturday (16%) or Monday (15%) are the next most popular days to move.

·         Sunday is clearly the least popular day to move (5%), followed by Tuesday (10%)

Moving can be extremely stressful, don’t forget to check out our Moving House Checklist to ease the pressure and help your move go to plan.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Friday 30th August is this year’s most popular day to move home appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Plans to ‘get Britain building’ were formally announced in the King’s Speech on 17 July as the new government seeks to ‘accelerate the delivery of high quality infrastructure and housing’. At the same time draft legislation was promised on leasehold and commonhold reform. While for those renting their home, legislation will be introduced to give them greater rights and protections, including ending no fault evictions and reforming grounds for possession.

This was followed on 30 July 2024 by an announcement from Angela Rayner, Housing Minister, that mandatory housing targets for England, which were scrapped by the previous government last December, would be restored.

Labour’s housing promises

1. Housebuilding

A new annual target for house building has been introduced, and increased from 300,000 homes to just over 370,000.

Angela Rayner announced the government is changing the method used to calculate how many houses are needed in an area “so we better reflect the urgency of supply for local areas”. As a result, the target for London has been lowered from the previous 100,000 to about 80,000.

The new rules will also require 50% of new housing to be affordable with a focus on social rent. And £450m of the local authority housing fund will go to councils to provide 2,000 new homes.

A new Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be introduced, which seeks to accelerate the delivery of high quality infrastructure and housing, by improving planning systems at a local level, modernising planning committees and increasing local planning authorities’ capacity to deliver an improved service.

We think building targets are key to encourage local decision makers to drive through housing plans in the face of NIMBYISM. The government quite rightly said, ‘The planning system must be an enabler of growth – enabling democratic engagement with how, not if, homes and infrastructure are built’.

The Housing Minister said the reforms will make explicit that brownfield development should be “the first port of call” and said they will promote higher density homebuilding in urban centres.

She said some low-quality green belt land would be freed up for construction under the plans – and a new definition of what constitutes low-quality green belt land would be provided.

There will be a requirement for developers to provide money for supportive infrastructure such as schools, GP surgeries and transport links as well as improvements to accessible green space.

While this is already a requirement on developers, the Housing Minister said it will address “the previous government’s haphazard approach to building on the green belt that has seen so many of the wrong homes built in the wrong places without local services that people need”.

Local authorities will also have to review their green belts to meet housing targets.

Our Chief Executive Paula Higgins commented that,

“We welcome reforms to the planning system and to increase capacity in local planning departments. However, this isn’t the first time a government have promised planning reforms and a new slicker system. Only time will tell if these reforms will be enough to make a dent in the housing deficit accrued over the last 30 years.”

“We also welcome the government’s promise to introduce a National Housebuilding Strategy so we have the vision, detail, milestones and targets for delivering more homes. This was one of the key things we called for ahead of the General Election.”

2. More social housing and affordable housing

The new Labour government has vowed to deliver ‘the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation’. Plans relating to affordable housing are also addressed in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, with its proposal to ‘further reforming compulsory purchase compensation rules to ensure that compensation paid to landowners is fair but not excessive where important social and physical infrastructure and affordable housing are being delivered’.

The government says these reforms will help unlock more sites for development, ‘enabling more effective land assembly, and in doing so speeding up housebuilding and delivering more affordable housing, supporting the public interest’.

On 30 Jul, the Housing Minister referred to their plans as a “council house revolution” with the “biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation”. Further details will be revealed in the Autumn Statement on 30 October.

We can also expect at about that time a consultation on changes to the Right to Buy scheme to protect the nation’s social housing stock. This will include a review of the Right to Buy discounts people can get to buy their homes, eligibility criteria and how councils use the money they receive from Right to Buy sales.

3. Leasehold flats will be banned

Leasehold reforms finally made it into law this year under the previous Conservative government after it acknowledged the leasehold system was outdated and unfair. In the Kings Speech the new government committed to implement the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 so that leaseholders can benefit from more rights, power and protections over their homes.

The Government also said it will take steps to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end, reinvigorating commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework and banning the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.

To this end, a draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will be introduced. This will include:

• Reinvigorating commonhold by modernising the legal system, to bring the feudal leasehold system to an end and restrict the sale of leasehold flats. This will involve a consultation.
• Tackling existing ground rents by regulating ground rents for existing leaseholders so they no longer face unregulated and unaffordable costs.
• Bringing the injustice of ‘Fleecehold’ private estates and unfair costs to an end
• Ending the injustice of forfeiture.
• Enacting remaining Law Commission recommendations to bolster leaseholders’ fundamental rights to extend their lease and buy their freehold (enfranchisement), and take over the freeholders building management functions (Right to Manage).

We welcome these announcements. The 2024 Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act needs to implemented as soon as possible and we are pleased to see a new Bill addressing the remaining areas in need of reform. Read more about current Leasehold Reforms.

The issue of ‘Fleecehold’ impacts so many families in particular. Fleecehold refers to the increasingly common practise of buying a house with a combination of freehold and leasehold terms. It usually means you own the land, but you have to pay onerous annual or monthly fees to a third party to maintain it and is arguably the next big housing scandal. You can see the strength of feeling from the almost 1000 comments we have received on our estate charges guide. The government will consult on how to do this but in our view, the first step in remedying this situation will be to make it mandatory for all future new build estates to be adopted by local authorities and to ban all future estate rent charges.

4. Renters’ Rights

The government has also announced the Renters Rights Bill which includes proposals such as abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault evictions’, new clear and expanded possession grounds will be introduced so landlords can reclaim their properties when they need to and applying ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the sector, setting clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords in the private rented sector must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards.

There are some concerns that while the Renters Rights Bill is welcome in it’s efforts to improve private rented sector quality with the Decent Homes Standard, as well as abolishing assured short tenancies and no fault evictions, there may be some unintended consequences on the housing market.

Rents continue to rise. The average rent increased to £1,310 (8.6%) in England in the 12 months to June 2024, according to the ONS as demand outstrips supply. But the new laws could mean more private landlords leave the sector. Recent TwentyEA data shows a significant uplift in the number of landlords selling up. In June 2024, 18.4% of all properties listed for sale had also been listed for rent within the three years prior to the sale listing. This was 100.6% higher than in June 2023.

Chris Norris, policy director for the National Residential Landlords Association, has said: “With an average of 15 households chasing every available home to rent it is vital that rental reform does not make an already serious supply crisis in the private rented sector worse.

“The system that replaces Section 21 needs to be fair, workable and sustainable for both responsible landlords and renters. That means fixing a broken justice system which too often fails those reliant upon it.”

What about first time buyers?

Before the general election, Labour pledged to ‘work with local authorities to give first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes’ so they’re not sold off to international investors before they’re even built. We support this move but wonder how it will be implemented so as not to undermine the house building target. We look forward to seeing the detail on this.

It has also promised to launch a permanent Freedom to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme. Though it’s not clear how it will differ from the current mortgage guarantee scheme and what the real impact will be. You can read what we do know about the Freedom to Buy scheme here.

Labour’s manifesto at a glance

Here’s an overview of Labour’s election housing manifesto promises.

What else the Labour government needs to do

However, there are important issues that Labour has not yet addressed. These are topics we’ll continue to campaign on:

Stop homebuying and selling chaos

Anyone who has bought and sold a home knows the process has some major faults. For the past 7 years, the Conservative government investigated and consulted on reforms from the Regulation of Property Agents and the role that reservation agreements could play. But there has been very little action and we continue to see transaction times taking longer, more sales collapsing and homebuyers and sellers paying huge costs without even having bought somewhere to live.  We will continue to lobby for change.

Scrap Stamp Duty

We want the Labour government to scrap stamp duty. In our 2013 Stamping on Aspiration report, (yes, over a decade ago!) we reported on the astonishing impact the effect stamp duty was having on the housing market and called for a series of reforms.

If you’re buying a home to live in you shouldn’t have to pay this tax on mobility.

It’s a tax that puts off families from moving up the property ladder, fleeces homeowners needing to make a sideways move and makes it more expensive for older generations to downsize.

It’s a tax that is applied every time a property is bought and sold. As a result people are choosing not to move. This inactivity limits the number of properties to choose from when buying in an already squeezed housing market. And the knock on effect of all these lost home moves percolates through the whole economy – with everyone from property services like removals firms, to furniture sales, to tradespeople missing out.

(We do however continue to support the 3% surcharge on buy-to-let and second homes, and the 2% surcharge for non UK residents). Find out more in our Scrap stamp duty campaign.

Build Better New Builds

People having more rights if they buy a toaster than if they buy a house.  We’ve been saying it for 12 years. But very little has changed.

Britain needs more houses, but building standards and quality need to be upheld. New homes need to be built in the right places, and meet the basic needs of homeowners. We hear of far too many nightmare new build stories – which even Ministerial involvement can’t solve – after they are sold to unsuspecting people parting with hundreds of thousands of pounds. We need to get new builds built right.

We would like to see:

• A minimum of a 2.5% snagging retention – so that new build homebuyers retain at least 2.5% of the cost of the house, which would only be paid after 6 months. This creates a powerful incentive for builders to put problems right, rather than leaving the homeowner in the lurch. If things aren’t put right, or if the homeowner wants to sort them out themselves, then their costs should be deducted from the 2.5%. Such snagging retentions are common practice with extensions and commercial clients of housebuilders, but are not available to new home buyers. Read more about how a snagging retention could work here. 
• A New Homes Ombudsman Service with teeth – created to mediate disputes between new home buyers and their developers. The current Ombudsman and its code of practice remain voluntary rather than mandatory. And the system is confusing for consumers with different builders signed up to different codes of practice. Those buying a new shared ownership home have been excluded entirely. We argue that shared owners need even more protections, not less and therefore support the development of a wider Shared Ownership Code specifically for this sector and a code for Retirement Villages for those more vulnerable groups buying retirement villages which come with an array of fees and charges.
• To offer new homebuyers a clear path of redress if they have problems with their newbuild property we’re calling for new government to finish what the previous government started and mandate that all buyers of new homes – including shared owners and retirement housing – have access to a New Homes Ombudsman

Are you hopeful that a new Labour government will get it right? Tell us in the comments below.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post What a Labour government means for you appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Consumers who are considering whether shared ownership is right for them and those already on the journey want and deserve consistency along with high standards of information, transparency and support. Our goal is to Build a Brighter Future for shared ownership.

New Shared Ownership Code of Good Practice

As a step on the reform journey, the Shared Ownership Council (SOC) has launched a consumer and industry consultation on a new Shared Ownership Code of Good Practice (Code). Our aim is that housing associations and other industry groups will adopt the Code and commit to meeting its standards.  

The Code seeks to address some of the challenges shared ownership faces, while recognising that wider reforms are required to fully improve this important tenure. 

The Shared Ownership Council, through its board and senior advisory group, is developing a reform agenda in close dialogue with industry participants and shared owners. This will build on the recommendations made in the recently published report on shared ownership by the cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee. 

Ann Santry, Chair of SOC Board said: “Shared ownership has an important part to play in helping people achieve a stake in home ownership. The Code for consultation aims to drive best practice across all of the providers and others who are part of the journey shared owners are making. However, while we recognise the achievements to date we must undertake further reform to this tenure. The Shared Ownership Council seeks to play a leading role in aligning stakeholders to support reforms that improve shared ownership for consumers and allows the tenure to fulfil its potential.” 

Paula Higgins, CEO of the HomeOwners Alliance and Board member of SOC, said: “Consumers in shared ownership need fair treatment at all stages of their journey- from pre-purchase to living in a leasehold property to deciding to move on. The Code being launched today for consultation promotes better information, transparency and consistency whilst providing routes to deal with complaints and is a first step on the road to reform to give shared owners a better deal.” 

The draft Code of Good Practice 

The draft Code for consultation has been developed by shared ownership industry experts and will now be tested with the wider industry and shared owners. Aimed at housing associations and other industry groups, the voluntary Code’s aim is to develop best practice guidelines and to better integrate with other organisations, such as the Housing Ombudsman, to increase consistency and to help shared owners navigate this complicated form of tenure.  

The Code covers the consumer journey from the initial marketing of shared ownership, living as a shared owner and staircasing or selling. The Code is intended to standardise good practice across the sector and set out clear consumer protection standards for the marketing, selling and ongoing management of shared ownership homes.

How to have your say on the shared ownership code

The consultation will be open until September and details of how to participate in the consultation are included below: 

• If you are a consumer and a potential, present or past shared owner we welcome your views on the Code or its summary version via a survey that can be accessed here. Deadline 31st July.
• If you are an industry participant or would like to submit a more detailed response, we would like your views on the Code via a survey that can be accessed here. 
• If you wish to join one of the focus groups for shared owners which will be organised in August/September, please send an email to soconsultation@socialfinance.org.uk or to hello@hoa.org.uk and we will pass it on.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Have your say on a new shared ownership code of good practice appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Let’s start with the two main political parties vying for your votes and a summary of Conservative and Labour housing manifestos. Read on for more details and for the manifestos of the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Reform UK.

Housebuilding targets

While neither the Conservatives or Labour explain in the manifestos exactly how they’re going to solve all the problems that have stopped Britain hitting new homes targets for 30 years, the Labour Party will be reintroducing mandatory housing targets. 

Building targets are key to encourage local decision makers to drive through housing plans in the face of NIMBYISM. Addressing this Labour says, ‘We will ensure local communities continue to shape housebuilding in their area, but where necessary Labour will not be afraid to make full use of intervention powers to build the houses we need.”

We are holding out hope that the winning party will create a National Housebuilding Strategy so we have the vision, detail, milestones and targets for achieving these targets set out. This is one of the key things we’ve called for ahead of the General Election. Read more in General Election: 5 asks to help home ownership.

Social housing and Affordable housing

In their manifesto Labour explains how they will “strengthen planning obligations” to ensure new developments provide more affordable homes, make changes to the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) to “ensure that it delivers more homes from existing funding”, and support councils and housing associations to build their capacity and “make a greater contribution to affordable housing supply”. 

They promise to build new social rented homes and better protect existing stock by reviewing Right to Buy discounts and increase protections on newly built social housing.

The Conservative party doesn’t mention plans for building more social housing, only how they will allocate existing social housing.

A quick win for all parties would be to appoint a statutory new homes ombudsman to protect new homebuyers including shared owners and those buying retirement properties.

Leasehold reform

Leasehold reforms finally made it into law this year under the current Conservative government after they acknowledged the leasehold system was outdated and unfair. While these reforms help improve the current system they fall short of abolishing leasehold on all new flats. So we welcome the Labour party’s commitment to ban new leasehold flats and for commonhold to be the default tenure.

While the Conservative party doesn’t commit to abolishing leasehold is does, along with the Labour party, promise to tackle the issue of unfair ground rent for existing leaseholders.

We are also pleased to see Labour tackling Fleecehold (whereby you buy a house with a combination of freehold and leasehold terms. It usually means you own the land, but you have to pay onerous annual or monthly fees to a third party to maintain it and is arguably the next big housing scandal). You can see the strength of feeling from the almost 1000 comments we have received on our estate charges guide. The first step in remedying this situation will be to make it mandatory for all future new build estates to be adopted by local authorities and to ban all future estate rent charges.

First Time Buyers

We welcome the Conservative party’s plan to continue the mortgage guarantee scheme. In reality though the scheme was to stimulate lenders to offer 95% mortgages, and most lenders now offer these anyhow, so take up of the scheme is low. It’s also not something you as a first time buyer will necessarily be aware of as you don’t apply for the scheme, it’s something lenders can decide to use or not.

Their proposal for a new Help to Buy scheme will no doubt prove popular with first time buyers, though again the devil will be in the detail. We also wonder, if it’s such a great idea, why did they bother recently scrapping the existing Help to Buy scheme?

In similar vein we welcome Labour’s plans to launch a permanent mortgage guarantee scheme, though it’s not clear how it will differ and what the real impact will be.

Labour also pledges to ‘work with local authorities to give first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes’ so they’re not sold off to international investors before they’re even built. We support this move but wonder how it will be implemented so as not to undermine the house building target.

Stamp Duty

We welcome the Conservatives’ commitment to making the temporary first time buyer Stamp Duty relief on homes up to £425,000 permanent. But we are disappointed they didn’t also take the opportunity to raise the thresholds in line with house prices. Given the average house price in London is £492k, it’s unlikely many first-time buyers in London will benefit from this relief.

Reform UK have also committed to reform the thresholds (see below).

In our view, all parties have missed a trick by not scrapping Stamp Duty altogether for those buying a house to live in. It’s a tax that puts off families from moving up the property ladder, fleeces homeowners needing to make a sideways move and makes it more expensive for older generations to downsize. We’ve long campaigned to scrap stamp duty for people buying homes to live in.

We do however continue to support the 3% surcharge on buy-to-let and second homes, and the 2% surcharge for non UK residents – and we support Labour’s plan to increase this.  

Homebuying and selling chaos

It’s such a shame that none of the manifestos even acknowledge our broken system of buying and selling homes. For the past 7 years, the government has investigated and consulted on reforms such as the Regulation of Property Agents and the role that reservation agreements could play. We see transaction times taking longer, more sales collapsing and homebuyers and sellers paying huge costs without even having bought somewhere to live.  We will continue to lobby for change.

Click here to read the full Labour Party manifesto and Conservative manifesto

Liberal Democrats and housing

The Lib Dems’ manifesto has a target of 380,000 new homes a year, including 150,000 social homes, delivered via ten ‘new garden cities’ and community-led development in existing cities and towns.

Pledges in their manifesto also include:

• Introducing a Rent to Own model for social housing
• Abolishing leasehold and cap ground rents at a ‘nominal fee’
• Promising “a fair deal for renters”, with an immediate ban on no-fault eviction.

You can read the Lib Dems manifesto here

Green Party and housing

The Green Party say their ‘Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price Charter’ will simultaneously protect green space for communities, reduce climate emissions, tackle fuel poverty and provide genuinely affordable housing. As with all the political parties there is little detail on how this will be achieved.

They also:

• Pledge to provide 150,000 new social homes every year
• Push for a retrofit programme to insulate our homes.
• Offer a Fair Deal for Renters, including pushing for rent controls.

You can read the Green Party manifesto here

Reform UK and housing

Reform UK says it will “ensure that people can own their own home by unleashing housebuilding across the country and cutting immigration”.

As with all the political parties there is little detail on how this will be achieved. While there is an absence of any housebuilding targets, Reform say they will start with a review of the planning system to fast-track planning and tax incentives for development of brownfield sites and with a ‘loose fit planning’ policy for large residential developments.

They also say they will reform social housing law and prioritise local people and those who have paid into
the system saying “Foreign nationals must go to the back of the queue. Not the front”.

We support their proposed cut to residential stamp duty which will see stamp duty applied as follows:

• 0% below £750k
• 2% from £750k – £1.5m
• and 4% over £1.5m.

Despite their name, the Reform party don’t propose reforming leasehold. Instead it sounds like they will implement the current Leasehold Reform Act: they propose offering further “protection for leaseholders” by requiring all potential charges for leasehold or freehold residents “to be clearly stated and consented to” and ensuring it is cheaper and easier to extend leases to 990 years and buy freeholds.

You can read the Reform manifesto here

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments below.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post What the manifestos promise for housing appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Recent research from Market Financial Solutions highlights the risks of gazumping:

• 37% of homebuyers are now being gazumped – up from just over a third  two years ago
• 78% of homebuyers want to see the practice made illegal
• 59% of buyers who were gazumped lost money
• The average cost of a property falling through is £2,400

As a buyer, there’s not a lot you can do to avoid gazumping. We advise getting Home Buyers Protection Insurance, which is relatively inexpensive, allows you to recover some of your costs if you are gazumped and is, as we like to say, a no-brainer. In fact, for those who had to make a claim, the average amount they received was £975 in 2023/24 (the cost of the insurance starts at just £69).

Almost eight in ten homebuyers (78%) would like to see gazumping outlawed – the practice which allows sellers to accept a higher offer from another party after they have already accepted a buyer’s offer. The home buying and selling system is flawed and means the purchase is not legally binding until the exchange of contracts, long after the buyer has already invested heavily, both financially and emotionally. They’ve paid for mortgage and conveyancing fees, property surveys and local searches, and these costs can go into hundreds, or even thousands of pounds. According to Aldermore, the average cost of a property falling through is estimated to be £2,400. 

Plus, there’s the emotional impact of having the sale pulled from under your feet. Not only have buyers invested financially but they’ve spent time planning their move, visualising themself in their new property only for the rug to be pulled last minute, leaving them back on the hunt for a new property. 

The HomeOwners Alliance says that they consistently hear from customers who have had this happen to them, some more than once, desperate for a legal foot to stand on. But sadly the system is flawed. 

Paula Higgins, CEO of HomeOwners Alliance recently gave feedback to the government’s Levelling Up Committee inquiry into improving home buying and selling in England, and believes that the home buying and selling system needs to change on many levels: “The system fails consumers by enabling gazumping. If you take a look at property websites you will see many properties listed as sold subject to contract (sold STC), almost inviting other potential buyers to try their luck with an offer. And estate agents are legally obliged to pass those offers on to the seller. 

Unfortunately at the moment gazumping is still legal and sadly there’s not much you can do about it. That’s why we’re trying to raise awareness  to consumers so they can at least protect their pockets from this unethical practice. We urge them to be prepared, move quickly, get home buyers protection insurance and where possible “lock in” the seller.”

We are urging consumers to be aware that while you cannot prevent being gazumped there are steps you can take to mitigate the impact.

1. Get insured! While you cannot prevent the seller accepting another offer, you can mitigate the financial loss. Home buyers protection insurance starts at £69, has no excess to pay and can help recover your costs if your transaction does fall through including gazumping.

2. Be prepared. Make sure you’re in the best position to move the sale along quickly. Have your mortgage agreement in principle in place, have your solicitor lined up along with all necessary documentation. Any unnecessary delay adds the risk that another buyer could come along and make a better offer.

3. Move quickly. You want to get to the point of exchanging contracts as quickly as possible, because at that point the transaction is legally binding. So keep the pressure on, be responsive and do all you can to keep the process moving.

4. Ask for the property to be taken off the market. Sellers are not always keen to do this, but it’s worth asking them to take the property off the market once your offer has been accepted. If the property is no longer being advertised, there’s much less chance of a higher offer being made and you being gazumped.

5. Ask for a “lock out” agreement. A lock out agreement is essentially a contract between the seller and the buyer stating that the buyer has the exclusive right to buy the property within a certain period of time. See our guide for more information on lockout agreements.

For more information on protecting yourself from being gazumped we have more tips in our guide on gazumping and more details on home buyers protection insurance too.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post Home Buyers urged to protect themselves as ‘Gazumping’ reaches record levels appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

With the General Election set, the UK finds itself in a deeper and more serious housing crisis than ever before. Private renters are struggling with sky-rocketing rents, social housing waiting lists hit all time highs and a heart-breaking 145,800 children are homeless in temporary accommodation with their families.

Buying a first home is now considered a luxury. Our latest research shows that for many young people, homeownership has become an impossible dream. 1.9 million aspiring homeowners don’t think they’ll follow in the footsteps of their home owning parents.

That’s because for those hoping to buy a first home, the gap between earnings and house prices has been widening while the shortage of new homes has led to rocketing house prices. Aspiring homeowners are increasingly dependent on the Bank of Mum and Dad to bolster savings. And that’s for those lucky enough to have relatives that can help. The new normal for first time buyers trying to make the sums add up is locking themselves into longer 30+ year term mortgages which costs them more in the long run – and sees them paying a mortgage into retirement.

The remaining government schemes left to help first time buyers are few and far between. There is First Homes which should help keyworkers buy local homes, but there are only a handful of developments available. Or else there’s Shared Ownership which is complex, costly and, in its current form, has many drawbacks.

Millions of voters will want to know the political parties’ plans for housing. We’ll be updating this article over the next six weeks – so sign up to our newsletter to get direct updates. In the meantime, here’s the specific actions we’ll be calling for. Let us know in the poll at the end which ones you support. Or please let us have your thoughts in the comments section at the end.

1. A National House Building strategy

It’s quite frankly shocking to us that there isn’t already a coherent strategy.

Fundamentally, the number of new homes hasn’t kept pace with the number of new households, and as a result high house prices have made homebuying unaffordable for many. Successive governments have been missing house building targets for 30 years.

So now is the perfect time for a coherent housing plan that looks across all the tenures: private, social and rented housing. We need a healthy supply of every tenure to address the current crisis.

Housing targets should play a central role and act as a practical guide for local decision-makers to drive through housing plans in the face of NIMBYISM. 

We can’t continue to rely on a handful of large developers to build the homes we need, so government needs to put in place the support and cash to increase the supply of affordable housing while also breaking down the barriers for smaller house builders.

2. Scrap Stamp Duty

It’s time to scrap stamp duty.

In our 2013 Stamping on Aspiration report, (yes, over a decade ago!) we reported on the astonishing impact the effect stamp duty was having on the housing market and called for a series of reforms.

If you’re buying a home to live in you shouldn’t have to pay this tax on mobility.

It’s a tax that puts off families from moving up the property ladder, fleeces homeowners needing to make a sideways move and makes it more expensive for older generations to downsize. It’s a tax that is applied every time a property is bought and sold. As a result people are choosing not to move. This inactivity limits the number of properties to choose from when buying in an already squeezed housing market. And the knock on effect of all these lost home moves percolates through the whole economy – with everyone from property services like removals firms, to furniture sales, to tradespeople missing out.

(We do however continue to support the 3% surcharge on buy-to-let and second homes, and the 2% surcharge for non UK residents.) 

Find out more in our Scrap stamp duty campaign.

3. Abolish Leasehold

The only argument for retaining leaseholds on flats is so that management agencies and freeholders can exploit homeowners to line their pockets. It needs to end.

While the Leasehold Reform Bill is likely to make it through into law this month, and covers many reforms it doesn’t go far enough. We would like to see the next government to prioritise implementation of a wider reform to ban leaseholds on all new flats as well as all new houses. 

Housing Secretary Michael Gove last year pledged to abolish leasehold, which he described as an unfair and ‘feudal system’. We agree. Putting a stop to building new leasehold properties by requiring all new flats to be sold as share of freehold or commonhold is a definite vote winner.

4. Build Better New Builds

People having more rights if they buy a toaster than if they buy a house.  That needs to change.

Britain needs more houses, but building standards and quality need to be upheld. New homes need to be built in the right places, and meet the basic needs of homeowners. We hear of far too many nightmare new build stories – which even Ministerial involvement can’t solve after they are sold to unsuspecting people parting with hundreds of thousands of pounds. We need to get new builds built right.

We would like to see:

A minimum of a 2.5% snagging retention – so that new build homebuyers retain at least 2.5% of the cost of the house, which would only be paid after 6 months. This creates a powerful incentive for builders to put problems right, rather than leaving the homeowner in the lurch. If things aren’t put right, or if the homeowner wants to sort them out themselves, then their costs should be deducted from the 2.5%. Such snagging retentions are common practice with extensions and commercial clients of housebuilders, but are not available to new home buyers. Read more about our proposal here. 

A New Homes Ombudsman Service with teeth – created to mediate disputes between new home buyers and their developers. The current Ombudsman and its code of practice remain voluntary rather than mandatory. And the system is confusing for consumers with different builders signed up to different codes of practice.

Those buying a new shared ownership home have been excluded entirely. We argue that shared owners need even more protections, not less and therefore support the development of a wider Shared Ownership Code specifically for this sector and a code for Retirement Villages for those more vulnerable groups buying retirement villages which come with an array of fees and charges.

To offer new homebuyers a clear path of redress if they have problems with their newbuild property we’re calling for government to finish what it started and mandate that all buyers of new homes – including shared owners and retirement housing – have access to a New Homes Ombudsman

5. Reform home buying and selling

Home buyers and sellers continue to get a rough deal, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Buying or selling a home is too uncertain, takes too long, and is too expensive. One in three house sales falls through, and people can still be left with the costs. We need to make the buying and selling of houses more certain and predictable.

We would like to see a system that encourages only serious buyers and committed sellers. The offer the seller accepts should be binding for the seller. They shouldn’t be able to accept an offer from a third party at a later date – ie gazumping. Buyers could renegotiate the price if the conveyancing inquiries or a survey highlight serious problems, and could pull out before exchange of contract.

Another option is for the buyer and seller to sign a reservation agreement to show that they are ‘genuine’ to proceed with with the transaction.

But by having both parties bound to the transaction from the beginning we would expect the process to go much more smoothly.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post General Election: 5 Asks to Help Homeownership appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.

Our report shows that almost 60% of homeowners who bought within the last 5 years say they had a RICS house survey or a new build snagging inspection.

30% took action as a result of the issues flagged

Of those who had a survey undertaken before buying their property, nearly a third (30%) took action as a result of issues flagged in the survey. Among this group, 10% renegotiated the purchase price, while 9% got the sellers to fix the problems.

Having a survey enabled other homebuyers to get quotes for remedial work before deciding whether to go ahead with the purchase or discuss issues flagged in the survey report with their surveyor. Only 4% of people who had a survey reported they pulled out of the purchase altogether, showing that in most cases having a survey done can enable a better home buying experience.

Of those who didn’t get a survey before buying their property, 11% have discovered problems with the condition since moving in and regret not having had a survey.

Why having a house survey is a worthwhile investment

Commenting on the findings, Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, Paula Higgins, said:

“Our research shows what a worthwhile investment having a house survey is. We recommend surveys for homebuyers as a great way of avoiding unforeseen and unpleasant surprises when it comes to moving into your new home. Save money by getting a survey so you can identify any issues and get them fixed or renegotiate the price so you aren’t out of pocket and avoid homebuyers regret.”

“We’re keen to get the message across that getting a survey is a no-brainer for buyers looking to protect their hard-earned cash. But not all surveys are the same, so it’s important to understand the different types of surveys on offer, their costs and what they cover.”

Our survey showed a number of respondents following up on their survey report with the surveyor. This is a great way to make sure you understand the report and get full value from the service. 

Remember, mortgage surveys are different

It’s worth reminding homebuyers that the survey carried out by the mortgage company does not report on the condition of the property. There is common confusion about this. The surveys carried out by banks and building societies are usually desktop based surveys and never involve an independent expert survey of the condition of the property. The buyer is responsible for conducting a survey into the condition of the property they are going to buy, so it’s an important part of the homebuying process.

Top tips on finding a surveyor

To find a surveyor to carry out your house survey, there are some simple steps to take:  

• Shop around: Always get quotes from a few firms and compare. You can use our helpful House Survey quotes tool, to find qualified chartered surveyors in your local area, so you can compare quotes and find the right surveyor for your house survey at the best price.
• Check they’re regulated by RICS or RPSA: Make sure your house surveyor is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – he or she will have the letters MRICS or FRICS after his or her name. The RICS ensures that all its members maintain professional standards in their work. Or that they are a current member of the Residential Property Surveyors Association
• Don’t just go with the estate agent’s recommendation: You may find the estate agent selling the house recommends a surveyor that they work with. By all means get a quote, but remember to shop around to avoid paying more for a worse service. To get the best price and the best service, do your own research to find a surveyor for your house survey.

For more tips on choosing a surveyor you can read more here.

© 2021 HomeOwners Alliance Ltd | This post 1 in 3 buyers who had a house survey went on to save money appeared first on HomeOwners Alliance.