Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Rupert Jones

‘The market is dead’: why aren’t flats in England selling?

Balconies sit on the outside of residential flats near the Canary Wharf financial, business and shopping district in London
Most flats listed for sale in England are leasehold. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

‘The market is dead for flats,” says Susan Young*, who has been trying for some time without success to sell her two-bed flat in a popular Devon seaside resort.

The first-floor property is in “immaculate condition”, Young says, thanks to the £15,000-£20,000 spent on renovations. It has “superb views” across the beach. And, perhaps most crucially, it is a freehold flat, so is untainted by the controversies associated with the discredited leasehold system.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.