How to Sell a House with Non-Standard Construction in the UK

Steel-framed houses have metal frames instead of brick walls.

British Iron and Steel Federation (BISF) houses were built after World War Two using steel frames. The steel can go rusty over time, which makes the whole house weak. Many insurance companies won’t cover these houses because of rust problems.

Getting a mortgage on steel-framed houses is very hard. Most banks think they are too risky.

Timber-framed houses use wood as the main building material.

These houses can catch fire more easily than brick houses. Damp is also a big problem because wood rots when it gets wet. Insurance costs are often higher for timber-framed properties.

Banks like newer timber-framed houses with proper promises. Older ones are much harder to get loans for.

Precast concrete houses are made from concrete panels put together.

PRC houses were built quickly after the war using concrete panels. The panels can crack and let water in over time. Some types have problems that make them unsafe.

Most banks won’t lend money on PRC houses. Fixing concrete panel houses costs lots of money and is very complicated.

In-situ concrete houses are made on-site rather than using panels.

Wimpey No-Fines houses use concrete poured without fine sand. This makes the concrete weaker and more likely to crack. These houses often don’t keep heat in well and can be cold and damp.

Some banks will think about these houses, but usually want detailed reports first.

Some houses use unusual building stuff like cob, thatch, or have flat roofs.

Cob houses are made from clay, sand, and straw mixed together. Thatched roofs look lovely but need ongoing care. The ridge needs replacing every 10–15 years, and a full re-thatch is needed every 25–40 years for water reed, or as little as 15 years for longstraw.

Flat roofs often leak and need looking after regularly.

Special insurance is often needed for unusual building materials. This costs more than normal house insurance.

Modular houses are built in bits in factories, then put together on-site.

Post-war prefabs were meant to be temporary, but some still exist today. Many have problems and don’t keep heat in well. Modern prefabs are of much better quality, but some banks still won’t give loans for them.

If your non-standard construction house has become hard to live in safely, specialist buyers might be your best choice.

Most buyers don’t want non-standard construction houses.

Normal homebuyers get scared by unusual building methods. They worry about hidden problems and expensive fixes. Many people don’t understand how these houses are built.

Cash buyers are often your best choice. They can buy without needing a bank loan. Finding the right buyer takes much longer than normal house sales.

Banks don’t like giving loans for non-standard construction houses.

Most banks won’t give loans on these houses. They think they are too risky. Even small unusual things can make a property hard to get a loan for.

Some special lenders will think about non-standard houses. But they want more money up front and charge higher interest.

Standard home insurance won’t touch most non-standard properties. The big high-street insurers either decline outright or quote prices that make buyers walk away.

Specialist insurers exist, but they charge a premium for the risk. Expect quotes that run two to three times what a brick-built house on the same street would pay. For some property types, like steel-framed BISF houses or thatched cottages, even specialist cover can be hard to pin down.

This matters more than people think. Buyers don’t just look at the asking price. They run the numbers on monthly costs too. A buyer who can stretch to the mortgage but not the £1,800-a-year insurance bill walks away. Plenty do.

Surveyors price your house by looking at similar ones sold nearby. With non-standard homes, those sales often don’t exist. So agents and banks end up guessing.

The guess usually goes down. Industry figures put non-standard homes at 10% to 30% less than a normal brick house next door.

You’ll also pay more for the survey. A normal RICS Level 2 report costs £400 to £900. For non-standard, you need a Level 3 Building Survey. That starts at £600 and can hit £1,500.

A normal house sells in 6 to 12 weeks. Non-standard ones don’t.

Six months is normal. A year is common. Two years happens with the trickier types like Cornish Units or Airey houses. Even when you find a buyer, the legal bit drags on. Lenders ask more questions. Surveyors flag more issues.

Sales also fall through more. The buyer’s bank sees the house type and pulls the loan. You’re back to square one.

Buyers and banks want proof your house is safe. That means papers most owners have never heard of:

• A structural engineer’s report (£500 to £1,500)
• A PRC certificate if your house is on the defective list and has been fixed
• Specialist insurance papers
• Building regulation sign-off for any work done

Find a proper engineer through the Institution of Structural Engineers. Don’t use your local builder. Banks want a chartered structural engineer, full stop.

Sort the paperwork before you list. If a buyer asks and you can’t find it, the sale dies.

This is the one to check first.

The 1985 Housing Defects Act named certain post-war houses as defective. The list includes Airey, Cornish Unit, Boot, Reema, Wates, and Woolaway. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) keeps the full list.

If your house is on it and hasn’t been fixed, almost no bank will lend on it. That leaves you with cash buyers and a few specialist lenders. Expect 30% off the price.

If the repairs were done, you need a PRC certificate signed by a licensed engineer to prove it. No certificate, no mortgage. The bank treats it like the work never happened.

Check your house type before you list. Finding out it’s defective halfway through a sale is the fastest way to lose a buyer.

Use an agent who has sold non-standard houses before. Most haven’t. The ones that have will price it lower than you’d like, but they’ll price it right.

Asking too much is the biggest mistake sellers make. The house sits. Buyers assume something’s wrong. By the time you drop the price, the listing looks stale.

Damp patches, cracks, and leaks scare buyers more than the construction type itself. Sort them before you list.

Old wiring and old pipes are next. A modern kitchen and bathroom won’t change what your house is built from, but they shift the buyer’s focus. People walk in and see a nice home, not a problem.

Spend money where it shows. Skip the rest.

Buyers worry non-standard homes are cold and expensive to heat. Often they’re right.

Better loft and wall insulation, double glazing, and a modern boiler all help. So does a current EPC. Anything below a D will put buyers off and may put lenders off too.

Pull together everything before the first viewing:

• Recent structural engineer’s report
• PRC certificate if your house needed one
• Specialist insurance quotes (not just policies, quotes too)
• Building regulation sign-off for any work done
• EPC and any guarantees on recent work

Buyers and their solicitors will ask. Having it ready in a single pack stops the sale dragging.

This one’s smart. Get two or three specialist insurance quotes for the property. Hand them to the buyer.

It does two things. It proves the house is insurable. And it shows the actual cost, so buyers don’t panic and assume it’ll be £3,000 a year.

Bad photos kill listings. A non-standard house with phone snaps looks like a project nobody wants.

A decent property photographer costs £150 to £400. They’ll shoot the house so the unusual features look like character, not problems. Worth every penny.

Spring and early summer are the busiest months for buyers. Autumn is decent too. Winter is dead.

If you can wait, list in March or April. More buyers means more chance of finding the one that gets it. For more on this, see our guide on the best time to sell a house.

Most house sales take months, but we can buy your property in as little as 7 days.

This quick process is perfect if you need to move soon or want to avoid being stuck in a long chain of buyers and sellers. We have the cash on hand so don’t need to wait for mortgages or a chain to collapse. 

Did you know 1 in 3 sales fall through on the open market?

We know how frustrating it is to get 6 months into a process and have a buyer pull out.

When we give you the final price for your house, that’s the amount you’ll get. Guaranteed!

You won’t face any costs with us.

We handle all the expenses involved in buying your property, including legal fees and surveys. You get cash in your bank when the sale is complete, and there are no surprise estate agent commissions to worry about.

We handle the heavy lifting from start to finish. You get one point of contact, regular updates, and straight answers to your questions. No chasing solicitors. No wondering what’s happening. You’ll always know where the sale is and what’s coming next.

We value your house properly and we don’t charge for it. Our team looks at the property, checks recent local sales, and factors in the subsidence properly. You get an honest figure based on what the market actually pays. No obligation, no pressure, no follow-up sales calls if you decide it’s not for you.

Forget the cleaning, the tidying, and the strangers in your kitchen. We buy your house off one assessment. No open houses. No back-to-back viewings every Saturday. No nosy neighbours pretending to be interested. Your daily life carries on as normal while the sale goes through.

Whether your house needs work or is in perfect condition, we’ll buy it.

We have experience with all types of properties and conditions. This means you can sell your house to us no matter what state it’s in.

Our expert team manages all the legal requirements for you.

We work with experienced property lawyers who make sure everything runs smoothly, and put your property at the top of their list. This gives you peace of mind that your sale is being handled properly from start to finish.