Bovis Home

anon_private

Hello,

I will be viewing a Bovis Home. The house is freehold, but there are service charges. Does anyone know what these charges cover?

Are there any problems in buying a terraced house (no garden or garage, but parking space) with a service charge? Is this type of house easy to sell?

Thanks

Ps. There are some years remaining regarding the NHBC scheme

Slithery

The service charge will usually cover road maintenance, streetlights, communal green spaces, etc...

anon_private

Thank you for responding

Most freeholds do not include charges for road maintenance, street lighting, and green spaces. So, why do these properties?

Slithery

It used to be the case that the local council would adopt all of these when the development was complete. More recently, however, councils just don't have the money to do this so ownership and maintenance is retained by the developer/management company with all costs passed to the property owners.

It's just one of the many drawbacks of living on a modern estate.

anon_private

Thank you.

What are the other drawbacks of living on a modern estate

Slithery

Small, poorly built houses with no character for a start.

ciderboy2009

Slithery wrote: »

Small, poorly built houses with no character for a start.

Plus tiny (or non-existent) gardens, minimal parking, garages that you can't fit a car in ....

Mutton_Geoff

Bovis, and others, use two important measurements when building their houses. They work closely with the prison service to work out the absolute minimum space a person needs to live and just stay sane. They also have a cat they swing around above their heads. They then measure the diameter of the arc the rotating feline describes, then square it off and use those dimensions (preferably into an alcove or window bay) to create the floorplan.


They also have a team of people, slightly hard of hearing, who check the sound levels between adjacent dwellings to ensure they meet current regs.

Finally, a team of Japanese bonsai experts on their panel decide the best size for a family garden.

Davesnave

anon_private wrote: »

Are there any problems in buying a terraced house (no garden or garage, but parking space) with a service charge? Is this type of house easy to sell?

A terraced house with no garden is essentially like a flat, so it will not appeal to those who want a 'proper' house with some outside space, albeit that modern new build gardens tend towards minimalism.

Look at Rightmove's ex-new build offerings and you'll see few owners have a love affair with their gardens, but they still want somewhere the youngest children can play safely, a space to air washing, a spot for the barbecue and some storage.

A flat masquerading as a house isn't a great buy in my opinion.

Also, your viewing will be in the daytime. Don't forget to return in the evening and see how those single parking spaces pan out in the real world.

NeilCr

I’m on an estate with freehold houses with very small courtyard gardens. It’s great. No families and peaceful.

We also have parking spaces that work just fine.

But, I agree, check

hazyjo

I had a 4 storey 4 bed house and the rooms were great sizes (especially the lounge).


My service charge included grounds maintenance and insurance for the two garages I owned (with allocated parking spaces in front of each) - they were in a small parking area behind my house with a flat above. Shouldn't affect you as there's no garage, but make sure you're not paying a % of everyone else's if they lump it all together.


When you sell it, you will probably have to pay for a management pack from managing agents for your buyer. This will more than likely be in the hundreds (your seller will probably be buying this).


The lack of garden will definitely hinder a sale. If it's a townhouse (3+ storeys), these are also harder to sell.