Rantings, sorry ’musings’ of a Brighton Property Finder

For us Property Finders, the need to accomodate nanny or granny is often a factor in the property equation so I am horrified to read on the Times-on-Line today, that the government appears to be considering yet another tax by stealth, council tax on extensions occupied by members of the family.  To add insult to injury, planning permission is usually granted with the condition that the extensions cannot be sold off as separate dwellings if they are accessible independently, so when the nanny or granny flat becomes obsolete, often it can’t even be sold, but you’ll still have to pay a second council tax on it. 

For my London colleagues and our Clients ‘in town’ it’s not a common problem since the nanny flat can often be reincorporated into the main house and if the uber-percious garage becomes the granny flat, it can be reinstated or sold at considerable profit if it is in London.  However for us ‘country-dwellers’ selling separately is rarely possible without a considerable battle with the planners.  You can sometimes reinstate - but it would be a bit galling to do so and the car won’t appreciate the marble floor tiles and underfloor heating the way nanny/granny did.

But I digress.

Dignity and respect derive from being able to provide for oneself, all qualities the Prime Minister declares as national aspirations.  There is a shortage of affordable housing for young and old, frequent reports of failing services in care homes for all ages and yet the Government once again has failed to exhibit any joined up thinking!  Empty coffers in the Treasury seek easy sources of revenue even when they deny the very qualities of dignity, respect and self sufficiency so valued by Gordon Brown!   This is not a rant of a Brighton Property Finder but a plea to the Prime Minister to enable we, citizens, to retain our self respect in line with the national aspirations he declares are the keystone of his government.

Technorati Tags: Brighton Property Finder, Granny flat tax, Nanny-flat tax, Tax on annexes

Tags: Brighton Property Finder, Granny flat tax, Nanny-flat tax, Tax on annexes