16 industry news HOMEBUYERS
Homebuyers demand more insight when purchasing property
Wayne Tonge
particulars at the point of sale More than three-quarters (79 per cent) of UK
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adults think additional information beyond the property particulars currently provided by estate agents would be helpful when it comes to pur- chasing a property. According to the 2015 Homeowner Survey conducted by BLP Insurance in conjunction with the Home Owners Alliance Prospective buyers would also like to be able to
measure the affordability of running their new home in advance of making an offer on a property. Almost three-quarters (72 per cent) said they
would be interested in knowing what the esti- mated annual cost of their energy bills would be and more than half (56 per cent) would be inter- ested in receiving the estimated annual cost of maintaining the property. Second on the research findings wish list for
UK adults was having access to information to help them decide whether the property will meet their lifestyle needs. Knowing the amount of out- side space, including garden and off-street parking, was important for 69 per cent of those asked, and the amount of storage space would be of interest to more than half (56 per cent). Head of Sales at BLP Insurance, Wayne Tonge,
explained: “Property is without a doubt the biggest investment most people will ever make and with house prices in the UK on the rise, con- sumers are becoming savvier about how much it is going to cost to maintain and run their new home. It is important that aspiring homeowners are armed with this information so that they can
NEW DEVELOPMENT Low carbon homes for Sheffield
Island area of Sheffield. The development of energy efficient and
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virtually air tight homes is the largest of its type in the UK and will see residents reduce their energy bills and cut carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent. The Citu Houses do not require heating. Instead they are warmed passively by the heat given off by domestic appliances, humans and pets. The Citu Houses are insulated to such an extent that the heat created is not lost. Meanwhile the homes use a mechanical heat recovery ventilation (MHRV) system to ensure fresh air circulates around the house without any heat loss. The houses at Little Kelham are also digitally- enabled, allowing residents to control and
respond online at
www.hbdonline.co.uk
ittle Kelham is an award-winning development of 157 one to four-bedroom low carbon Citu Houses in the Kelham
monitor energy usage from a smartphone or tablet. The platform shows in real time informa- tion like how much energy is being used, how warm the house is and the time it will take for the house to reach a given temperature. It also allows users to remotely turn off power sockets, boost heat or check their home is secure. Little Kelham is built on a brownfield site
once occupied by two factories. These historic buildings, some of which are listed, will form a key part of the development. Historic England have contributed funding towards the restoration of the buildings, which will eventually be used for retail, office and creative space. Following on from the success of Little
Kelham, there are now plans for a further exten- sion to the scheme at a site adjacent to the existing one. This will see a further 98 Citu Houses being built.
esearch conducted by BLP Insurance suggests that 79 per cent of UK adults want to know more than simply property
make the right decision when looking for their dream home. “Perhaps more significantly is the long-term
industry merit of driving standards higher by pro- viding this information at the point of sale. With activity in the construction industry on the up as local authorities and developers attempt to meet the housing shortfall, there is a real risk that build- ing standards will slip. Accurately labelling the property in terms of its output will not only pro- vide consumers with a better route to quality, but will also encourage developers to boost the sus- tainability of the new-build housing market.” Supporting Wayne’s comments Managing
Partner at HTA Design LLP, Ben Derbyshire said: “The time has arrived for Home Performance Labelling. The question is no longer whether it is worth going to the trouble of inform- ing consumers of the performance they can expect from their homes. The revolution of consumer information available in just about every other walk of life means the clamour can no longer be ignored. The question now is how best to intro- duce it to the market place.” One initiative taking significant strides towards
bridging this gap is the Housing Forum’s Home Performance Labelling Scheme, a joint venture between BLP Insurance, HTA Design LLP and others. The comparison website compares different
aspects of new and existing homes against bench- mark performance, ranking each property according to a set of measures, including broad- band speed, storage space, estimated energy costs and estimated annual maintenance costs. More information on this can be found at:
www.homeperformancelabelling.co.uk/index.php
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