Help to Buy Valuation St Margaret's at Cliffe

For homeowners in St Margaret's at Cliffe who bought through Help to Buy: Equity Loan before the scheme closed to new applicants in March 2023, a RICS valuation is still needed when selling, remortgaging or repaying the loan. That government loan was typically up to 20% of the property value, or 40% in London, and the amount due is worked out from your home's current market value, not the price you originally paid.

We provide valuations that satisfy Homes England's strict rules. Our surveyors carry out a full physical inspection inside and out, then prepare a report covering at least three comparable properties within a two-mile radius of your St Margaret's at Cliffe home. The valuer also has to be fully independent of any estate agent, and the report must be addressed to Homes England on headed RICS paper.

Valuing in St Margaret's at Cliffe is not always straightforward. The village has 34 listed buildings, made up of one Grade I listed property and four Grade II* listed buildings, and that can influence both value and eligibility for some repayment calculations. Much of the older housing also sits within the St Margaret's Bay Conservation Area, designated in November 1990, with plenty of late Victorian and Edwardian homes included.

Past events still matter here. During World War II, St Margaret's at Cliffe was hit by shelling and around 80% of village houses were damaged, which means some older properties still carry repairs or alterations from that period. Many homes have since been refurbished or rebuilt, but we stay alert to work of this kind because it can affect present-day condition and value.

Across this coastal village, we see the same defect patterns come up time and again during inspections in St Margaret's at Cliffe. They can influence both the valuation figure and our view of the home's overall condition, so knowing what is commonly found helps owners understand what may come to light and helps us report the property as it really stands.

Damp is one of the issues we come across most often, especially in period homes built before modern building regulations. Salt-heavy coastal air and high moisture levels can speed up the breakdown of materials, so we check carefully for discoloured areas on walls, salt contamination in plaster, and damaged plasterwork that may point to ongoing damp problems.

We also pay close attention to structural movement in St Margaret's at Cliffe. Kent's clay-rich soils are prone to shrink-swell activity, and over time that can lead to movement in foundations. Cracks in walls, leaning chimney stacks and gaps opening up between walls and floors are all signs we record. Some hairline cracking is harmless, but where there are indications of progressive movement, our inspectors note it because it may affect structural integrity.

Roofs deserve a careful look here, particularly on older homes in the conservation area. Loose ridge and hip tiles, worn flat roofs and trouble with sloping valleys are all regular findings on our inspections. A number of early 20th-century houses on Granville Road were built with slate roofs and, durable though slate is, some have now reached the end of their serviceable life. We inspect all accessible roof areas so the valuation can reflect any repair work needed.

St Margaret's at Cliffe has a distinctive built character, shaped by an eclectic mix of materials and construction styles linked to the coastal setting and the conservation area. During a valuation, we make detailed notes on what a property is built from because those details can have a real effect on value and on what renovation work may be possible.

Throughout the village, render and roughcast, or pebble dash, are the finishes we see most often, including smooth render and block-marked types. They offer useful weather protection, but in a coastal setting they need regular upkeep because salt air can wear them down more quickly. Homes on the seafront, and those facing the prevailing winds, often show signs of deterioration sooner.

Historic buildings in St Margaret's at Cliffe often feature flint with red brick dressings, and the Coastguard public house on Bay Hill is a well-known example. The church of St Margaret of Antioch, built around 1150, shows the long-established use of flint with Caen stone dressings, a combination that has shaped local building styles for centuries. Many Victorian and Edwardian properties within the conservation area still draw on those traditional materials.

Another local detail we regularly note is feather-edged weatherboarding, especially on houses dating from the early 20th century. On Granville Road, some homes were built with painted roughcast render beneath slate roofs, while others have the tall, sturdy chimneystacks of purple engineering brick that were intended to be proof against sea spray. All of this feeds into our valuation work.

Environmental factors play a big part in values here. St Margaret's at Cliffe sits in a dramatic position above the chalk cliffs, so many homes enjoy sweeping sea views, but the same setting can bring coastal erosion and flooding concerns that affect both market value and insurability.

From St Margaret's Bay to Sandgate, the coastline is recognised as being at risk of coastal flooding. Flood alerts are issued when conditions threaten low-lying land and roads closest to the sea, and flood warnings mean flooding to some property is expected. In severe weather, the Environment Agency monitors conditions and shuts flood gates within the coastal defences. Homes in the lower-lying parts near the seafront can be more exposed to these risks.

For properties close to the cliff edge, erosion remains an active issue. The steep chalk cliffs running from St Margaret's Bay to the east of Dover are unprotected and continue to erode, with numerous cliff falls recorded in recent years. That can have a direct effect on houses, gardens and outbuildings near the edge, so we note both the distance to the cliff and any evidence of earlier movement when preparing a valuation.

Ground conditions across Kent also feed into value. The South East of England, including the Dover area, has a notable subsidence risk because clay-rich soils expand and contract as moisture levels change. That shrink-swell activity can move foundations, so during inspection we record signs of structural movement or past repair. Where a property has significant trees nearby, or sits on clay-prone ground, further investigation may be sensible.

Although Help to Buy: Equity Loan is now closed, recent and current development around St Margaret's at Cliffe still helps explain how the local market is behaving. Several new build schemes in and around the village have completed in recent years, giving us useful comparables and influencing the wider level of values.

One example is Meadow View, a Murston Construction development in the village centre at CT15 6JJ. It consists of six properties, namely a three-bedroom semi-detached house, a four-bedroom semi-detached house and four four-bedroom detached properties. For similar homes locally, these modern units can be very useful comparables.

On the edge of St Margaret's at Cliffe, the New Townsend Farm site has outline planning permission for up to 15 residential dwellings. It is still at the planning stage, but future supply of that scale can influence values in the village, which is why we keep track of schemes like this when carrying out market analysis for valuations.

There is also Richmond Park in nearby Whitfield, where Wards of Kent and Barratt Homes offer two, three and four-bedroom houses. Prices there range from approximately £295,000 to £485,000. It is not in St Margaret's at Cliffe itself, but as a neighbouring village development it adds useful market evidence for the wider Dover area and forms part of our comparative analysis.