The end of an era for certain domestic lighting, a declining number of possessions sought by landlords, the cost of removing some forms of insulation, and the continuing rise in average house prices across the UK – all these featured in some of the property news headlines recently to catch our eye.
Homeowners face an average £200 bill replacing halogen bulb light fittings
A story in the Daily Mail on the 28th of June reminded readers that, with effect from the 1st of September, the sale of halogen light bulbs will be banned.
Replacing the estimated 54 million halogen bulbs in UK households is likely to cost a combined total of an extra £27 million for more expensive LED alternatives. The longer-lasting LED alternatives are likely to save an estimated 1.26 million tons in carbon emissions – so helping to protect the environment.
More expensive than the simple switch from halogen to LED, however, is the cost of replacing whole low-wattage halogen light fittings – often found in kitchens and bathrooms – which are not going to be compatible with LED bulbs at all.
The replacement of an estimated 4.4 million such fittings is expected to cost around a further £2 billion – or some £209 per household.
New report shows continued fall in pandemic possession claims
The number of possession orders currently sought through the courts by landlords is considerably lower than before the pandemic, according to figures published by the National Residential Landlords’ Association (NRLA) on the 23rd of June.
Before the pandemic, in 2019, for instance, there were a total of 110,907 possession claims made by landlords. For the whole of the period from April 2020 until the end of March 2021, on the other hand, only 22,700 claims were made – a reduction of some 80% in claims before the courts.
The NRLA says the figures suggest that both tenants and landlords have continued to adopt a collaborative approach during the challenges of the pandemic.
Landlord forced to remove triple-glazed windows
A landlord in Portsmouth has complained about his local council ordering him to remove “energy-efficient” UPVC-framed triple-glazed windows. His buy to let Victorian property is in a conservation area of the city and he has been told he must return the original – single-glazed – windows.
A report by the BBC on the 27th of June revealed that the landlord might now face a bill of £10,000 for tailor-made replacement windows on all four floors of his let property.
The council’s decision is doubly frustrating for the landlord who made the window replacements and installed triple-glazed versions because of the enhanced energy efficiency rating the premises would enjoy. With the triple-glazed windows installed, the property is currently rated in band C – but the landlord fears this might drop again to an E energy performance certificate (EPC), leaving him unable to let his property.
Annual UK house prices surged 13.4% in June
Citing the latest figures released by Nationwide Building Society, the London Evening Standard on the 29th of June revealed that average house prices across the whole of the UK have risen by 13.4% in the 12 months to June.
At a current average price of £245,432, the 13.4% increase is the highest achieved in the housing market since November 2004 and represents a 0.7% increase in prices from the previous month alone.
During the second quarter of this year, average house prices increased in every region of the UK, with the largest gains recorded in Northern Ireland and Wales. The weakest rates of growth were in Scotland and London – but even here, average prices rose by 7.1% and 7.3% respectively.
