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That time might be upon us ... we're looking for a new family home and the idea of getting a granny flat makes sense, even if it's not appealing. Very few homes have them ready to go, so what does the hivemind recommend? ANy experiences or warnings to share, please.
If there number of random letters we've received when we moved is anything to go by, there's some sort of stamp duty avoidance swerve you can do if you have a genuine, self contained second property as part of the purchase.
My family did this with my grandparents. Bought a big house with loads rooms and put in an extra kitchen and bathoom for the grandparents. they also had their own sitting room but it was not self contained. Worked well enough.
Where in the country - somewhere someone might want to go on a short break. If they have a seperate entrance and are somewhere you'd either want to go on holiday or for work they are v popular on the airbnb market for when....er...the intended mother has vacated.....
Think stairs obviously.
Think about the validity of internal doors. I know people where the internal door has become a bone of contention with different understandings as to if it's for walk through whenever you want and to be kept open or something you knock on and visit through without getting wet.
Most mortgage lenders wont lend on a house with two kitchens.
What convert said.
See if you can get a house with a small cottage in the garden, holiday let business, that kind of thing. Useful future income and less getting under each others feet.
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Also, one of you will be living with your in-laws... Not sure I fancy that, maybe another house but closer?
Years ago my parents looked at a house with my nanna, it soon became apparent that she was fully intending to have the house and we'd all be squeezed into to granny flat, bit that would be okay because she had so much room we could visit.
Here endeth my experience of granny flats.
It can get complicated around separate council tax banding. Probably only complicated when someone tries to claim it's not really a second separate home.
But if you keep it as a separate property after she is no longer there, the separate CT liabilities will presumably remain.
It can get complicated around separate council tax banding. Probably only complicated when someone tries to claim it’s not really a second separate home.
But if you keep it as a separate property after she is no longer there, the separate CT liabilities will presumably remain.
It's not complicated, it's really simple.
If it's got it's own kitchen and bathroom then it will generate an additional council tax - unless the Council don't know about it.
Most mortgage lenders wont lend on a house with two kitchens.
really, what if you describe it as a secondary food preparation area? - is it the existence of a specific appliance that trips this clause?
Caution: may contain grannies.
There's a lot of posts for no one to have suggested tubeless, then your gran won't go flat!
Build the flat, then rent it out and use the money for a home , hah! , solved.
Agree with thinking about stairs / mobility and access arrangements, especially if you are looking at dividing one building rather than having a separate annex. Definitely think about if you could give the relative a bathroom, kitchen, separate living space and bedroom all on the ground floor and how you would fit your living space around that. And then about access arrangements both to the living accommodation and to outside space.
If you simply want to encourage independent living for as long as possible but be available 'just in case' you might be better with serviced accommodation down the road from you, where they have independence and social services on call if needed, and you can pop over every evening just to check things are going ok. If you are actually at the point where the person needs care or has had a diagnosis meaning they are going to need care in the near future, then that is a very different conversation. Being an on-site carer is a very different thing than having family living independently next door.
Regarding Council Tax, it might be slightly different in each devolved nation, but in England and Wales if the "building, or part of a building, [] has been constructed or adapted for use as separate living accommodation" then you need to pay Council Tax twice (link). To be fair, the VOA might reduce the banding on the main home because the number of bedrooms and general space decreases. The VOA Council Tax bandings have nothing to do with ownership, red line boundary of the land you own, postal addresses etc, it is simply about multiple occupancy and/or separate dwellings, i.e. a separate bathroom and kitchen but not necessarily separate entrance.
Most mortgage lenders wont lend on a house with two kitchens.
I wasn't aware of this, interesting, I wonder what the supposed risk is.
combi microwave oven and a table top induction hob wouldn't count, surely?
Thought came from a friend of mine who had this set up in a converted barn in the Lakes which they'd not had permission for it to be a permanent dwelling.
Be interesting to know where the line is. Being able to unplug things and put them in a cupboard?
We put one in during our house renovation. Ground floor at one end of the house. It is essentially a separate bedroom, shower/toilet room and a small kitchen/diner/livingroom open plan affair. It's all on the same utilities supply. Has a separate external door (the old back door) and an internal door to 'our side'. We put in a small kitchen sink and a small microwave combi in the 'kitchen area' so easy to remove if any issues with the council in the future. If asked it is just a utility room not an annexe!
Worth considering bathroom access/size. We made sure to have wide doorways and a walk/wheel in shower incase needed in the future.
As suggested above the unwritten rules around the door are amusing. Seems we're not allowed on the other side but the MIL is on our side! It's worth discussing this upfront!
Longer term we might decide to Air BnB it to supplement our income.
I wasn’t aware of this, interesting, I wonder what the supposed risk is.
I think the concern is that the property could end up being used as mixed use residential and commercial or sub-let to an unofficial tenant which could pose future reposession issues for the bank, though if you can prove it would only be used as a granny annexe by a family member then it would probably be alright but the main lenders might not want to get involved, a semi commercial lender might take up more of an interest.
As always it's the kind of thing that many will have done without issue but some will he caught out.
@toby1 I'm glad you got there first, I was going to advise that she takes it easier through any rock gardens...
I had a different take on it...was going to say it’ll help her technique - make her better at bunny hops...
We put in a small kitchen sink and a small microwave combi in the ‘kitchen area’ so easy to remove if any issues with the council in the future.
Took about 18 months after we'd got the building signed off, before the assessor turned up.
Ar5ed TBH, because we were restricted with planning that it couldn't be sold separately (so we had to pony up the VAT for the build as classed as an extension). But (in my head) we'd save on TV licence and Council Tax so eventually we'd be in 'profit'.
I think the concern is that the property could end up being used as mixed use residential and commercial or sub-let to an unofficial tenant which could pose future reposession issues for the bank, though if you can prove it would only be used as a granny annexe by a family member then it would probably be alright but the main lenders might not want to get involved, a semi commercial lender might take up more of an interest.
Oh, and insurance is another issue.
We ended up at a local farming-based insurance agent to be able to get the cover across two properties on one plot with my Mum living there, but not paying rent (so not a tenant).