Affordable homeowners in Rutland to be given help to sell properties

A historic legal agreement which is hampering a dozen affordable homeowners in Rutland from selling their properties will be redrawn.

The 12 properties in Ruddle Way, Langham were part of a 53-home scheme given planning permission more than 20 years ago. But due to various conditions agreed at the time of the original sale, the homeowners have been finding it hard to sell their homes.

These include a restriction on the geographical area where potential buyers can live and on the amount the homes can be sold for. The result is that it it tricky for buyers to be granted mortgages.

Rutland County Council has now said it will scrap the current agreement and draw up a new one. Head of planning Roger Ranson said it was a ‘complex and unusual case which is ‘creating a real issue for owners and buyers’.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the council's planning committee, he said: “The nature of that discounted arrangement does not meet modern standards; it is out of date in the way it is crafted.

“The situation that is resulting is it makes it difficult for the owners of those houses to sell them and the buyers to be able to get a mortgage.”

He added that: "It was established with good intent and purpose, but clearly it is proving difficult to deal with modern day requirements for buying and selling.”

The new legal agreement will involve changing the property deeds at the Land Registry and the authority has decided to waive some fees to help the current owners. They will however still need to pay for two specialist valuations at their own cost.