Why Most People Can't Afford to Self-Build a House in the UK

If you want to know more, please contact Pat;

Patrick Cannon
FOX Private Finance

Please read the terms and conditions before you book.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - How Many People Self-Build their Homes in the UK
1:30 - Why do so few people in the UK self-build their own homes?
2:47 - Can a self-build mortgage be used to buy a site?
3:54 - Why it might be easier to buy a site with cash
6:02 - What is the difference between a self-build mortgage and a regular mortgage?
6:44 - How Council of Mortgage Lenders CML Forms Work for Self-Build in the UK

#selfbuild
#mortage
#selfbuilding
#building
#ukconstruction
#construction
#mortgages
#mortgageprofessionals

[RealLifeArchitecture]

Please read the terms and conditions before you book.

[lesleywillis]

We need to overhaul the planning system. Check out the difference in value of agricultural land to building land. Someone has made a political decision to grant planning permission and it’s like winning the lottery! And the same people ( large landowners) are Winning multiple times. I would introduce compulsory purchase ( at a fair agricultural price) then divide it into plots and sell them at cost price. Let’s give others a chance.

[slavmarin]

Thank you. It is very helpful! It looks like self-building is not an affordable alternative for first-time buyers, as some people present it.

[slavmarin]

I also learned that banks are reluctant to remortgage newly built houses built with timber frame or SIP methotods. And these are the main construction methodes promoted for self builders in the UK.

[grahamastor]

This is amazingly timely - we're just embarking on a self build. We've purchased the land for cash and are soon to embark on customizing the design of the house plan for the site. We are a retired couple and boy does that make financing even more challanging! No "income" means no stadard mortgage, so only asset based loans are available to us and according to a very experienced self-build mortgage broker these are for 12 months only. Which basically means: sell your current home and rent, put any excess possessions in storage (an added expense for us) - so now we're cash ricjh and homeless while owning a plot of land; build the house (all the time renting); at some point start the loan process to complete the build (needs 2 months lead time, and the build must be complete with certificate of occupancy within 12 months of loan start); move into the house (so no more rent or storage fees anymore); apply for a mortgage to cover amount needed to complete build; pay off mortgage over time to get back to where we were before we started the build. No wonder people don't self-build, the system is not set up to support or encourage that type of build.
Anyway, we're brave (silly) enough to give this a try 😅

[xxjones]

It is so interesting how how house building works in different countries. In Austria, it is the norm for people to self build. Only in recent years developers buy plots of land and build a number of houses (usually with ridiculously tiny gardens) in the countryside, as there is hardly any land left in urban areas to build on. Maximizing profits, I guess. In Austria "self builder" would mean, somebody who does a lot of work hands on, not somebody who hires an architect and contractor. I don't know how these self builders get their mortgages, but it has worked for decades. Also the planning process and building regulations are so much more straightforward to navigate. Building quality is very high, but they build a lot of ugly houses, so the aesthetic impact seems to get much less consideration.

[runningfromabear]

We're building a house in northern Ontario Canada on 200 acres and we're dealing with the financing aspect right now. Fortunately northern Ontario has a lot less restrictions than the much more populous southern Ontario. 3 square km per person in our unorganized township means we have extremely limited capacity to impact neighbours or environment. But there's next to nothing in consumer protection.

We sold our house in Toronto and bought land up here. We're renting a place too small to fit our family really but it's temporary and considering we've met other families living in RV's, we're living in luxury. We were hoping to build without taking on a mortgage but we'll be offgrid due to no power lines or public water in the area. Plus we need to build half a km of driveway. The battery bank and solar panels are being designed look huge to be adequate for a 5 bedroom house with 2000 sqft and 3 car garage and walk-out basement. It's still a much smaller mortgage than we had in Toronto. Technically it's a builder's loan that the bank has said they're willing to turn into a mortgage at the end. Same as the UK, they release draws in stages.

Still, so far, getting blueprints, dealing with the bank and talking to insurance has been pretty smooth and they seem happy to work with us.

[TechOne]

Bought the land a few years ago with PPiP. Slowly building the cash fund to start, I could do it just now with a self build mortgage but I have seen the heartaches some friends have had. They got there in the end but there was a lot of third party holdups which had a big knock on effect and delays. Still, an eye opening video.

[shortbits]

Can't you fully cost a house, excluding foundations and landscaping, before you purchase the land? ie have all the full plans and costs ready, with a high end estimate for foundations/drainage that can be reduced depending on the eventual plot. In fact the property would be off grid, so even sewage disposal and energy supply could be fully costed. Can I get a mortgage for that? Surely this is how people get a mortgage for the erection of a kit house? I plan to self build again at some point in the future, but will have the plans and costs available way before I purchase the land which could be anywhere in the UK. I am clueless about mortgages these days.

[holliemolliekins]

what about alternative homes, like containers homes for instance. Say you had cash to buy land and get/diy one of these, then get a surveyor or buy a prefab one. Would the planning permission make it also an unaffordable option for a self build also?

[darrenmackenzie]

Advice... The only way I can capitalize on the capital that I'm sitting would be to build my own house. Do you think 270k would be enough to build a basic 4 bungalow kit house and buying land in Highlands ????

[annaw]

My idea if I had, let's say 300k, would be to buy a derelict house for cheap with a mortgage at 10% capital, and then dedicate the remaining 270k cash towards the plans, demolition and build. And then once all of that is done, have it revalued (most likely would be worth waaaay more than the initial derelict), and have the mortgage corrected as per a new market value of the house - would that work?

[yannisinasia]

Why is selling a house that was built 4 years ago so much more complicated (for the lender) than a house that was built 70 years ago? Surely materials have a certain lifespan, I would imagine the risk is greatest at a much older house.