Over the last financial year, there were an estimated 7,000 applications for new garden annexes
There are an estimated 10,000 applications made to councils across the UK each year to create garden annexes, equating to one every 53 minutes, Churchill Home Insurance has found.
Of these applications, for both new and converted garden annexes, 82% are successful. In total over the last financial year, there were an estimated 7,000 applications for new garden annexes, those which have been newly built rather than converted, with 5,700 of these applications successful (81%).
Craig Rixon, head of Churchill home insurance, said: “Developing your own, new or converted garden annexe can be a very exciting process and is becoming ever more popular as people get increasingly savvy about home renovations.
“Whether you’re building an annexe for an older relative or just for the additional space, it is often a cheaper and easier alternative than moving to a larger property.”
“It is important that you inform your insurer of any home renovations you plan to make so that your home and its contents are adequately insured during the course of the renovation and upon completion.”
There were an estimated 2,800 applications recorded by local councils for converted garden annexes, those produced using an outbuilding or conversion of a shed or building already there, of which 2,400 (84%) were successful.
Between April 2015 and March 2018 there has been a 5% increase in the number of successful applications for new garden annexes and a 7% increase in the number of successful converted garden annexe applications.
Some homeowners are taking advantage of the benefits a garden annexe can offer when trying to sell their homes.
Research among estate agents found that three and four bed homes with a garden annexe can command asking prices as much as 27% higher than the average comparable property in the area.
In the last financial year, Torbay council received 466 applications for new garden annexes, the most of any council that responded to Churchill’s FOI request. On the opposite end of the scale, Wigan Metropolitan Council received no applications for new garden annexes in the same time period.
