Estate agents and letting agents could be accredited as providing tailored services for older people.
The idea was originally proposed in a report by the Housing Communities and Local Government Select Committee inquiry into housing for older people.
It has now been accepted by the Government in its official response.
The Government says it would welcome trade bodies such as the NAEA to set up an accreditation scheme for its members.
However, the Government makes no comment on the proposal that there should be no Stamp Duty exemption for older people who downsize.
This says: “We have carefully considered calls for a Stamp Duty exemption for older people but are not convinced that this would enable many more people to move.
“Many older home owners are likely to receive a capital gain when they move that will cover the cost of the Stamp Duty payable on their new home.
“In addition, we believe that an exemption would be extremely difficult to implement.
“We believe that Stamp Duty is not the main barrier to older people moving home and that there are many other practical, emotional and financial factors which act to deter people from doing so.”
The fact that the Government has made no response to this suggests that it is in agreement.
On the issue of downsizing, the Government says that further research into the impact of older people moving home is needed.
NAEA Propertymark chief executive Mark Hayward said of the Government’s response: “Currently there isn’t adequate provision of homes for older people, meaning they typically stay in their big family homes longer than they need to, and this affects the whole housing market.
“Our Housing 2025 report revealed that 16.1m households in England and Wales are under-occupied, which limits the supply of available homes for families and second steppers.
“We welcome the Government’s response to the Select Committee inquiry into Housing for Older People, and agree that more support and information should be available to help those looking to down-size in retirement.
“But this needs to be an industry-wide priority, so older people can secure lending, and feel empowered to move into homes better suited to their lifestyles.”
Comments (4)
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That’s it – I’ve seen it all now.
Mr Hayward, in his blind rush to get his nose deep into every trough that gets NAEAs its’ column inch here and there, once again shoots wildly from the lip and in doing so injures the vast majority of his Members with far-from-friendly fire.
Show me an agent that HASN’T “provided services for the elderly”.
Correction. Show me a HIGH-STREET Agent that HASN’T “provided services for the elderly”. The ones, that is, that have their doors open six or seven days a week for their customers – old… young… and every stage of life in between – to come in, to discuss their needs, their wishes – their worries and woes, and to help them through them in the best way that we can. To be somewhere they feel they can call in just for a chat… somewhere to catch their breath or shelter from a cloudburst… even somewhere to wait for their taxi home – we have been there for them now for decades.
(And guess what, Mr Hayward – we also help them to move home, if that’s what they want to do.)
Estate Agency is a SERVICE INDUSTRY – and the the majority of Agents offer a fuller service to the proportion of people who need or like that fuller service than do others.
And the Trade Association who purport to represent that service industry would do well to try to represent it and shout from the rooftops that its Members are actually doing something – instead of intimating that they aren’t… and that they’ll champion the totally unnecessary push for it to happen.
well said
Thank you.