Do you want to know the history of your home or some information on who owned it previously? If you’ve bought a new house, do you want to know what was on the land before? Here’s some ways you can find this out.
Knowing how old your home is also a necessity on some home insurance forms and is critical if you’re planning to sell your home any time soon as the age could affect the retail price of your home!
Why is the Age of your house important?
Buying a house is a big investment so surely you want to know its past like you would a car? The age of a property could be key in looking at whether the house has depreciated in value or if it hasn’t been properly maintained its utilities may be outdated, older properties can have some issues that may cost you more in the long run.
Such as;
- Problems with the roof or exterior walls
- Electrical or plumbing issues
- Bad insulation for instance no double-glazed windows
An older home can be a selling feature if you have original beams or features that can be a good selling point and can increase your chance of a quicker sale.
HM Land Registry
HM Land Registry keeps a record of all land ownership in England and Wales, but does not register the property built on the land, if you can find the developer that first sold your house, if there was one, then you could figure out an approximate age. If not then there are other ways to find out the age of your house.
Ask your Estate Agent
Ask your agent whether they have the age on the ‘seller’s property information form’ or if you have to get a mortgage on your home then the survey may say how old the house is.
Local Authority
The local authority of your area, the council etc. may have a record of when planning permission was granted on the land and by whom it was granted.
Ask your Neighbour
A more social way to find out is to ask your neighbours in similar properties if they know the age of their home, that will give you a rough estimate of the age of yours. If you have no luck there then a local historian may be able to shed some light on it.
Older Properties
Is your home more than 100 years old? There are several ways to check the age of an older property, the 1862 Act Register which lists over 2,000 older properties in England and Wales or the Census returns 1841-1911. It is also worth checking out the National Heritage List for older English homes and the Cadw’s National Historic Archives of Wales if it’s a Welsh property.
Your local library could also have county records of your home, or old maps that could shed some light on when your property appears marked.
Architecture
Looking at the design of your home may help to pinpoint the age of your property, checking the materials used and looking for features such as high ceilings, bay windows, tiled front steps are all insights into the era your home was built. Every era has some key distinguishable features that appear in the houses built for instance a thatched roof and tall chimney could be Tudor or high ceilings and large bay windows could signify a Victorian era home.
Something else to keep an eye out for is that some contractors put the date of construction beneath the sink or bathtub if they haven’t been updated since the house was first built.
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Ever wondered the age and history of your home? Who owned it before you? What was on the land before your home?
Here are some ways you can find out:
- HM Land Registry
- Ask your Estate Agent
- Local Authority
- Ask your Neighbour
- Check out your local Library
- Study the Architecture of your home
For more information check out our blog.
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Call us on 0333 880 4362!
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