Super Speed Broadband should soon be standard in all New Build Homes

If you’re currently working from home and feeling frustrated with your broadband speeds then this may be welcome news. The government are discussing plans to make gigabit and fibre broadband a compulsory requirement of all new build homes in the not too distant future, so, if you’re thinking of moving, you could enjoy the added benefit of better broadband as well as all the other perks that come with purchasing a brand new property. The exact legislation still needs to be approved in parliament; however, the Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden and Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick are both very optimistic about the plans.

Broadband operators Virgin Media and Openreach have already committed to contributing towards the cost of installing super speed networks at new homes sites. Developers will be left to pay the remaining cost, up to £2000. The catch is, however, that if installing super-speed broadband would add costs of £2000 or more to the developer’s project, they’re not obliged to do it.

What does faster broadband mean for family life?

Faster and more reliable broadband doesn’t just support any employees working from home. It can also help homeowners who are running their own businesses to be more productive and perhaps even more profitable too as a result of being able to work more quickly. For large families, better broadband is very welcome especially with a household full of older children with multiple devices who will no doubt all want to stream music, watch videos and video chat with their friends (in amongst the homework, of course) For anyone living alone, faster broadband will support better video calling to help them stay in touch with friends and family.

Will the cost of new homes rise with faster broadband?

At Oakley, we work with a prestigious portfolio of construction companies and boutique property developers and are proud to be able to market homes with exceptional finishes and lifestyle features such as electric car charging points, gigabit broadband, video entry security and engineered flooring as standard. These are brilliant additions to a new home and does help to attract buyers. We generally work smaller development companies and family-run businesses who are very focused on the quality of life their new homes represent and want to build “forever” homes. This may add a little extra to the list price, but certainly, no more than it would cost to make these adaptations in an older property.

Alongside faster broadband, there are of course many other reasons a new build property is a good move, especially for first-time buyers. There’s the prospect of less if any maintenance, the security of a 10-year warranty, and the soundproofing and eco-conscious features such as better insulation, solar panels and so on.

If you’re considering moving to a new build home and would like to be kept informed of new developments in Sussex, get in touch with our New Homes team office:
brighton@oakleyproperty.com