When it comes to buying a house or flat, any home owner will tell you about the mountains of paperwork, bureaucracy and phone calls needed to make everything run smoothly.  But this can seem like a walk in the park when compared to applying for planning or permission to make changes to a property.  So, just what is planning permission?  When do you need to get it, and how do you go about it?  Whether you’re thinking about making changes to your existing property, or you’re considering buying a house or flat that will need some work, adflyer can help.  We’ve done our research into this planning permission lark, and found out just what it’s all about…

When you need it… There are a fair few specific occasions when you’d need to apply for planning permission.  These include:

• Adding to or extending a flat or maisonette, including converting them from a house.
• Dividing off part of your house to use as a separate home, such as a self-contained flat or bedsit.
• Using an existing building or caravan in your garden as a separate dwelling for someone else.
• Building a separate house in your garden.
• Dividing off part of your home for business or commercial use, or building a parking space for a commercial vehicle.
• Building something which is against the original planning permission of the house.  For example, if you’re building a wall or fence which would initially have been considered obstructive or unsightly, you’ll have to apply for planning permission.
• Carrying out work that could obstruct the view of road users.

When you don’t need it… Every home owner has certain ‘permitted development rights’, which means that there are some changes you could make to your house or flat without having to apply for planning permission as long as they meet certain important conditions.  These include:

• Adding a conservatory.
• Converting your loft or altering your roof.
• Fitting solar panels.
• Building a patio or driveway.

When in doubt… If you’re thinking about making changes to your existing house or flat, or you’re about to buy a property you’d want to improve, it’s always best to check if you’d need planning permission before getting started.  The best place to look for advice about this is the Planning Portal: here you’ll find an online application guide and a fee calculator to help you work out how much any planning permission would cost.  Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out on the adflyer property section for your perfect new house or flat: after all, if you find the ideal place, you might not need to worry about planning permission anyway!

At the moment everyone from news readers to T.V. presenters and even celebrity bloggers seem incapable of talking about anything other than the upcoming general election and this can get a bit much at times.  But, the issues being raised on the campaign trail are very important to us all and all this political malarkey can have a serious impact on every aspect of our lives, including the properties we buy and sell.  The most recent example of this is the news from some of the country’s top property know-it-alls that there has been a surge in the number of properties for sale across the UK thanks to the imminent general election.

But why would the election affect the number of properties on the market?  Well, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) reckon that the current climate of political uncertainty is prompting would-be property vendors to take the leap and put their houses up for sale before any possible radical changes to the property market happen.  In fact, Rics have reported that estate agents saw an average 6% increase in the number of properties on their books in the last month, which is apparently a level of activity not seen since early 2007.

If you’ve been thinking about looking for a new house recently but haven’t known when to take the leap, now could well be a great time to act.  There are many more houses now on the market, but the demand for properties has not yet caught up with this, so experts are predicting that prices will fall in some areas.  So, adflyer’s property section could be a great place to get ahead of the trend and find the perfect deal before everyone else gets in on the act!  We have new listings for houses and flats for sale as well as premises and overseas property added every day by our trusted sellers, so get searching now to take advantage of the current property situation.

While the campaigning for the general election has been going on for what seems like months now, it has in fact only been a week since, Dave, Gordon and Nick (plus a few others) started pleading for us all to vote for them.  The latest development this week has been the major political parties launching their manifestos to much pomp, ceremony and scrutiny.  So, what do the men in suits have planned for property owners, tenants and future first-time buyers?  Well, adflyer have done all the hard work for you: we’ve pored over these excessively long manifestos and found out what’s in store for the property market in the foreseeable future…

Labour. Trying their best to win their fourth general election in a row, Labour is campaigning with the slogan ‘A future fair for all’.  The current government’s most important policy relating to the property market was already outlined in their pre-election budget, and commits to cutting stamp duty for all homes worth less than £250,000 for first-time buyers.  The manifesto outlines how this will be paid for by a five per cent stamp duty rate for all homes worth over £1m, and also promises to build 10,000 rural homes up to 2011.

Conservatives. Bike riding man of the people David Cameron also outlined plans to cut stamp duty for first-time buyers in the Tory manifesto, but unlike Labour, they’ve committed to keeping the threshold at £250,000 permanently.  The Tories claim that thanks to this policy, nine out of ten first-time buyers would be saved from the extra cost and hassle of stamp duty.

Liberal Democrats. The last of the three main parties to unveil its manifesto, the Lib Dems have launched a four-step plan centred on fairness and they seem to have a few more policies on property than the others.  For instance, Nick Clegg and chums want to introduce a ‘mansion tax’ for homes worth over £2m to help reduce the public deficit, as well as an ‘Eco Cash-Back’ scheme to give out £400 for property owners to make eco-friendly improvements to their homes.  Also, the Lib Dems want to tackle the huge problem of abandoned and neglected houses in the UK by providing grants and cheap loans to help get 250,000 empty houses back into full use.

Well, we hope you’re now feeling a little bit better informed about the general election and you’ll be able to make your mind up about who to vote for come Election Day.  Plus, if you’re looking to up sticks any time soon, have a browse through the adflyer property section.  We’ve got a great range of houses and flats for sale as well as flats, houses and rooms for rent for you to peruse, so get looking now!