Thinking about refurbishing or extending your home but are wary of the current economic climate and its implication on the feasibility of your project? Did you know that both Planning and Building Regulations approvals are valid for 3 years? (Building approval is valid for 5 year in Jersey). This means that you can have all the design and ‘paperwork’ completed and in place ready for building when you are.
What if you decide to sell within the 3 year period? No problem, these approvals are transferred on to the new owner. Moreover, having all the paperwork in place could also increase your property's value.
How much value can planning approval add to your property?
So… does planning approval actually add value? In short, yes it does. Generally speaking, planning approval does increase your properties market value, the exact amount depends on a number of factors such as the properties’ location, the extent of the scheme, whether the approval includes additional bedrooms, the remaining validity on the approval and the type of permission granted etc.
Loft Conversion = 10% to 15% increase.
Garage Conversion = 7% to 15% increase.
Side or Rear Extension = 10% - 20% increase.
Conversion of a House in to Flats = 15% to 40% increase.
It is safe to say that no sale of a property has ever been negatively impacted form having planning approval in place.
What about Land?
Planning approval significantly improves land value too. Permission for a residential development on agricultural land for example, can increase its value by as much as 10,000%!
If you are thinking of selling a plot of land without planning approval, in most cases the advice is not to. Land has great potential for profit and return on investment. Selling a plot with associated planning permission not only increases value but also serves to significantly increase its selling potential as well as attract prospective buyers or investors. This strategy can be applied to both land and home sales.
We recommend you seek advice or a valuation on the potential added value of planning approvals on land or property from local estate agents or suitably qualified property professionals.