Points to consider before extending your property
Extensions are a great way to raise a property value or increase rental income though landlords should be careful not to overdevelop or comply with local planning rules. There are points to consider when carrying out an extension at your property;
1. Understand market needs
The best time to extend is when you’re changing the property materially for a different demographic or market. For instance, if you have a two-bed house and you know the local market is short of three-bed properties. But be careful not to overdevelop the property so it is bigger than everything else in the street; some areas have a value limit. Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and flat-shares generally make more sense to extend than family homes, because if you add another bedroom the rent increase will be incremental rather than marginal. An extra tenant in an HMO will earn you an extra room's rent, whereas an extra bedroom in a family home is unlikely to increase your rental income by more than 10-20 per cent.