The truth is that living in a listed building is a responsibility as well as a pleasure, a burden as well as a privilege. A fairly rare privilege, too, as only some 2% of buildings in the UK are listed. Of those, roughly 90% are ‘Grade II’ (according to the system in England and Wales; the Scottish equivalent is Categories B and C). This means they are considered ‘of special interest’ for the way in which they exemplify a particular period or style – for their architectural, historical or aesthetic value. (If you are one of the less than 10% of people who own or plan to own a Grade I or II* house, being of ‘exceptional’ or ‘more than special’ interest, you are in an unusual position, and should seek exceptional or more than specialist advice.)

The burden of listed building ownership can weigh heavily. Buying one will undoubtedly cost you extra – there may be additional legal complications, and you will almost certainly want a detailed buildings survey, possibly involving heritage experts. The potential problems might run from damaged brickwork and timber joints to damp, dangerous chimney stacks and even missing foundations. 

Even if you don’t plan to make any alterations, mere maintenance can be a drain on time and money. Listed buildings are old. Something is always going wrong! And repairs are supposed to be ‘like for like’, unless you get permission to do something different. And that means you shouldn’t even replace a cracked window pane without researching the acceptable substitutes for hand-blown window glass. You can lose hours down that internet rabbit hole.

All the things you thought were simple turn out to be complicated. You will need to become an amateur expert on historic building materials, if only to argue with all the ordinary builders who think they know all about it and don’t. They really don’t. If your pointing all falls out from between the brickwork, for instance (as it will do if your home is built with a timber frame, meaning it ‘moves’), then you will need to colour match your old pointing with the right sand, which you will need to buy from a specialist, who you will need to find. Then you’ll have to find a skilled builder who knows how to mix it up with lime mortar (real lime mortar – not the ordinary cement with added lime that ordinary builders often believe is ‘lime’), and is also willing to spend extra hours raking out the old pointing by hand rather than using (horrors!) a disc cutter. The older builders who grew up with these skills are retiring. The ones who have the skills now are specialists. That makes them expensive.

Don’t forget the environmental burden of owning a listed building. You are unlikely to have or be allowed to have double-glazing. Cavity wall insulation is unlikely – as are cavity walls that could be retrospectively insulated. Old single-walled buildings were designed to have circulating air and porous materials – they are supposed to ‘breathe’. That means a cold home or high heating bills – and a larger carbon footprint.

Then there is the legal burden. If you alter a listed building without permission, it is potentially a criminal offence – and here’s the kicker: if you so much as buy one that has had alterations done without consent, no matter how long ago the work was done, the liability passes to you. And the rules sometimes cover not just the building itself but the whole ‘curtilage’, including outbuildings; not just obvious features such as fireplaces and doors, but the way rooms are divided, perhaps, or the very form and outline of the building.

It is crucial, then, to find out exactly why your building has been listed, and what works will require permission. If you are buying a listed building, you must also find out what has been done to it in the past – and if all of those works have received not just planning permission, and building regulations sign-off, but Listed Building Consent. It is possible to buy specialist indemnity insurance that covers you for any faults in works carried out before your occupation; if you are buying a house, and you are uncertain if any changes have consent, you might want to ask the vendor to buy this insurance on your behalf.

If you do want to alter or extend, prepare for a long and expensive campaign. You will need a heritage architect, heritage report, bat surveys, tree surveys and more – and then when you think you have it all done you’ll have the Listed Buildings Officer arguing with the Conservation Officer arguing with the Parish Council about what you can do with your own home – and none of them somehow wants to know what you think. It can take years and it will cost thousands.

All this is very difficult. But who wants to live in a home just like all the others? Not you.

If you are looking to purchase a listed building, you may find some of these services useful