Introduction - its all part of the idyllic dream of a holiday in the
English countryside, staying for a week or two in a converted barn, your own
slice of a rural lifestyle that has almost disappeared, The British barn
conversion is fast becoming the "de-rigueur" property to purchase not just in
the United Kingdom but in France & parts of Spain as well. Also proving
popular is the purchase of a barn conversion to be used as a second home or
holiday property, this is appealing to many people as the property can be
purchased as something to look forward to on retirement and in the interim
years, it can be rented out to provide an income. With regards to insurance,
two problems face the would be barn converter:-
Insurance Protection - the combination of the two above mentioned risk
factors means that you may struggle to find insurance, but approaching a
specialist company will usually prove fruitful. Overseas property insurance
covering all the usual perils you would expect from a
home insurance policy is available and the
fact that the property is a barn conversion can be factored in as well.
If you intend to rent out the property, make sure any policy you purchase
includes the correct form of liability insurance cover. You may need to advise
the insurance company that the property is also to be used as a holiday let as
well as your own second home. As well as problems relating to insurance,
lovers of barns find that the actual price of conversion can be a little more
that the cost of simply construction a new property on the site. Barns are
often listed structures and almost all of them were constructed without
reference to any building regulations. Usually, some fairly substantial works
are required to bring them up to scratch and the cost can be tempered a little
by the fact that they are zero rated for VAT purposes.
UK Barn Conversions - in the United Kingdom, barns (with perhaps of the
exception of the parochial tithe barn) fall under three main classifications.
Planning a Conversion - you may be lucky to find a barn that has
already been converted to use as your dream holiday home but prices are no
longer cheap and often a fully converted barn will come at a premium. Europe
is still littered with properties to convert but before you take the plunge,
consider the following.
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Try to employ local people with experience of barn conversion work, a good
local architect will prove invaluable. Remember, a derelict barn without
planning permission, is basically just a derelict barn. You are more likely to
obtain planning permission if you include sympathetic building techniques and
materials in your plans.
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Think about how well the property would lend itself to a be a Holiday Home,
how close is it to local services, can you easily install water & electricity
and does the property have good access ( if all seasons).
Assetsure provide overseas property insurance and holiday home insurance for the
following countries:- Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech,
Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy,
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Morocco,
Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab
Emirates.
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