‘Our listed house kept us in perpetual poverty’: the costly reality of owning a historic home

One of the knock-on effects of this is a profound shortage of specialist tradesmen, driving up the cost of hiring. As many as 165 skills are classified as endangered or critically endangered by charity Heritage Crafts.

Another worrying consequence is that owners then resort to hiring those without the know-how, which poses serious risks to the property.

For example, something as simple as putting the wrong type of paint on a historic render can give rise to a litany of issues down the road, which may then require even more expensive remediation, Prof Ritson says.

Documentation ‘disaster zones’

For many exasperated owners like the Nighs, the best option is to sell up, but finding willing buyers can be a challenge because of the difficulty of obtaining a mortgage. Most lenders have far stricter borrowing criteria for listed buildings, which tend to carry significantly more risk.

Property lawyer Nosworthy says the biggest fear is that the property has been altered without formal consent, as local authorities can prosecute or force the new owner to reverse any unapproved modifications regardless of who originally carried them out.

“If you have a big listed country house with potential breaches – that’s a disaster zone,” he says.

Potential buyers can also be put off by the eye-watering cost of insurance, which comes at a considerable premium compared with regular homes. At £2,400, the average building and contents insurance for thatched properties has nearly quadrupled since 2022, according to Compare The Market, whereas bills for homes built in the 2000s are in the low hundreds.