Unapproved Building Work

High costs for young drivers
Results are unweighted. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council. A sample of 1,048 drivers between 18-25 were questioned online between 28th April to 2nd May 2006. A sample of 289 non-driving 18-25 year olds were questioned online between 5th and 8th May. Read more...

Spain Top Theft Hotspot.
But it also has an emotional impact with one in six (15 per cent) saying their holiday was ruined as a result of the theft. The information contained in this press release should not be relied upon by private investors or any other persons to make financial decisions. Jewellery (16 per cent) and clothes (12 per cent) are also among the top targets. Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Research was conducted between 18th and 20th April 2005 by YouGov, who interviewed a sample of 2,017 individuals. Read more..

Direct Line Car Loan

Direct Line Com

Direct Line Home Insurance Quote

Direct Line Car Insurance Quote

Unapproved Building Work

Unapproved Building Work

BRITS WASTE 313MILLION ON UNAPPROVED BUILDING WORK.

Brits wasted £300 million1 on home building projects last year because they ignored, were unaware of the need for, or misinformed about planning rules.

New research from DirectLineInsurance reveals that one in five (20 per cent) Brits don’t know that homeowners are responsible for gaining planning permission.

The research also reveals that unapproved building projects are on the rise with 10 per cent more breaches in planning permission reported in 2005 than the previous year.2

The DirectLine survey results support this trend as almost a quarter (23 per cent) surveyed stated that they would be prepared to put up a conservatory without the proper planning permission.

New Driver Disorder
TOP TEN LIST OF ROADS MOTORISTS HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAFFIC-JAMS. 60/05 Close to one in three (29 per cent) drivers found to suffer from newly recognised disorder ‘Traffic Stress Syndrome’ Traffic jams are not only bad for your mood – they can also damage your health, according to a new study from Direct Line. If you have a recycle button on your air con use it – this will stop exhaust fumes. In addition to other demographic questions, subjects answered 10 questions to measure anxiety and aggression levels, each with four scaled responses. Read more...

Building professionals also bear some responsibility for this increase with close to one in ten (7 per cent) building projects in the UK delayed or cancelled3 because a building professional wrongly told the homeowner that planning permission was granted.

In 2005, delayed or aborted projects cost an average of £10,441, which means that an estimated £313million was wasted by homeowners.

Meanwhile, homebuyers are also counting the cost of unapproved building work with 3.5 million reporting that they moved into a new home only to discover unsound or unapproved work. Nearly one in five (18 per cent) found that their loft conversions were not approved, and five per cent garages or carports, after purchasing their home.

Direct Line Home spokesperson Simon Ziviani, comments:

“The extent of unapproved building work is extremely concerning, as are the number of homeowners who appear to be unaware of the rules.

Not obtaining planning permission or ensuring that building regulations are complied with may make a property unsaleable and, more seriously, structurally unsound.

“We would advise all homeowners to make sure they are aware of the legal requirements before undertaking any building work.

“We would further advise new homeowners who discover that unapproved building work has been carried out to seek legal advice as they may be entitled to request sellers to seek retrospective planning permission or to correct unapproved works.”

For more information on the rules surrounding building work and planning permission, visit planningportal.gov.uk.

DireciLine’s Family Legal Protection offers policyholders access to legal advice on a variety of issues including those relating to home ownership.

Top five unapproved projects discovered by homebuyers.

Grandad missed out
Brits predict they will spend an average of £349.71 on presents in 2005 = £15,457,182,000. Therefore total spend = £1,595,502,000. The average British parent predicts they will spend £137 on each child - that’s 60 per cent more than today’s over-50s spent on their youngsters at Christmas 4. Total UK population = 44.2million, therefore total spend was £16,399,526,000. Read more...

Ground floor extensions 16 per cent

Loft conversion 10 per cent.

Conservatory 9 per cent.

Garage/car port 5 per cent.

Partitions (fences, walls) 4 per cent.

Tips on avoiding planning pitfalls.

1. Discuss everything first – make sure you talk to your neighbours and local council early to avoid complications once works have begun.

2. Make sure you have a professional draw up proper plans and have them approved by a building engineer if structural.

3. Plan your budget – don’t take the risk of trying to guess the cost yourself. A good move is to ask an estimator to do this for you, such as www.estimators-online.com. You can then work to an appropriate budget.

4. Contingency fund – make sure you leave yourself saving in place should the building go over budget, 10-15 per cent is the recommended amount.

One In Seven Cars Vandalised
£267 x 5,071,423 = £1.3 billion. - Car windows smashed (33 per cent). - Soft top slashed (one per cent). - Felt it seemed trivial compared to other crimes (32 per cent). Read more..

Homeowners to fork out
The West Midlands also came out top in the blocked drains table, with 37.5 per cent spending up to £500 getting drains unblocked. A total of 51.4 per cent of men and 59.8 per cent of women had forked out up to £5,000 to repair damaged to their gardens, including fences blown over and smashed garden furniture. More than half of 3,000 people questioned said they worried that their home was more prone to damage over the coldest season. With only 4.3 per cent of households in the North West suffering the same problem. Read more...

Dog owners drastic action.
Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. More than half of British dog owners (58 per cent) said they suspect some vets inflate their fees by recommending non-essential treatments. Chris Price, Head of Direct Line Pet Insurance, said:. 06/10/2005 Rising vet costs are forcing British dog owners to take drastic action leaving seven per cent with no option but to put down their sick dog according to new research from Direct Line Pet Insurance. Read more...

press releases l directory l disclaimer l contact us l articles l links

Information and articles supplied on this site should not be construed as advise.
You should always seek professional advise when entering into a binding contract.