Quick answer
To check if a house in England is listed, search the address on Historic England's National Heritage List for England, which is free.1 To check for a conservation area, use your council's conservation area map or the national Planning Data map, and confirm with the council because the national map may be incomplete.2 Listing protects the whole building, inside and out, and unauthorised works are a criminal offence.3
Key takeaways
- Listed status: free search of the National Heritage List for England.1
- Grades: I (about 2.5% of listed buildings), II* (5.8%) and II (91.7%).4
- Unauthorised works to a listed building are a criminal offence.3
- Conservation areas: council map, or the national Planning Data map, which may be incomplete.2
- In a conservation area: no roof extensions, side extensions or cladding under permitted development.5
- Trees over 75mm diameter at 1.5m need six weeks' notice to the council before work.6
Buyers often find out a house is listed from the agent's particulars, but conservation areas and Article 4 directions rarely make the brochure. Both can stop the loft dormer, the side extension or the new windows you were counting on to make the price work.
This guide covers England. In Wales, listed buildings are on Cadw's register; in Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland's.
How do you check if a house is listed?
Search the National Heritage List for England on Historic England's website by address or postcode.1 A listed building has an entry with its grade, a list entry number and a description. If nothing comes up, check the map view too, because older entries sometimes describe a building by an old name.
Listing covers the whole building, inside and out, and usually fixtures and older structures within its grounds, such as walls and outbuildings. The description does not limit what is protected: a feature can be protected even if the entry does not mention it.
What does each listing grade mean?
Any grade needs listed building consent from the council for works that affect its character, which can include replacing windows, removing internal walls, or changing the roof covering. Consent is free to apply for, but the work often costs more because it must use matching materials and methods.
| Grade | Share of listed buildings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Grade I | About 2.5% | Exceptional interest |
| Grade II* | About 5.8% | Particularly important, more than special interest |
| Grade II | About 91.7% | Special interest; most listed homes |
Source: Historic England.
How do you check if a house is in a conservation area?
Councils designate conservation areas and publish maps on their websites, usually under planning or heritage. The national Planning Data service also maps conservation areas across England, but it warns that the data may be incomplete, so confirm with the council.2
While you are on the council's site, look for Article 4 directions. They remove some permitted development rights in a specific area, for example the right to replace front windows or doors, or to change a house into flats, so even small changes need planning permission.7
What can you not do in a conservation area?
Permitted development rights, which let you extend without planning permission, are narrower in conservation areas.5 You cannot add a roof extension such as a dormer, build a side extension, clad the outside walls, or build a rear extension of more than one storey without permission. The larger home extension scheme (6m or 8m single-storey rear extensions) is not available.
Demolishing a building or a substantial part of one in a conservation area needs planning permission.7 Work on most trees needs six weeks' notice to the council first.6
How do you check before you offer?
If you plan to extend or change the house, check the planning register for past applications at the address and its neighbours: a refused dormer two doors down tells you what the council thinks. Then budget as if you will need full planning permission and, for a listed home, listed building consent.
Ask the agent whether any works were done without consent. For a listed home, the liability for unauthorised works stays with the building, so a new owner can be required to put it right. Your conveyancer will raise this, but it is better to know before you offer.
Use the calculator for this topic
Frequently asked questions
Is it free to check if a house is listed?+
Yes. The National Heritage List for England is free to search on Historic England's website.
Can I get a mortgage on a listed building?+
Usually, but some lenders are cautious, and insurance can cost more because repairs must use matching materials.
Can I replace windows in a conservation area?+
Often yes, unless an Article 4 direction removes that right. For a listed building you will normally need listed building consent.
Who is responsible for unauthorised works done by a previous owner?+
The council can require the current owner of a listed building to put right unauthorised works, even if a previous owner did them.
Can I add a loft dormer in a conservation area?+
Not under permitted development. Roof extensions in conservation areas need planning permission.
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OfficialThe figures and rules on this page are drawn from the official UK government sources below. Rates are the confirmed 2026/27 amounts. Each link opens the relevant official page in a new tab.
- Historic England: Search the National Heritage List for England historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/ The official register of listed buildings in England.
- Planning Data: Conservation area dataset www.planning.data.gov.uk/dataset/conservation-area National map of conservation areas; may be incomplete, so confirm with the council.
- legislation.gov.uk: Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, s9 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/9/section/9 Unauthorised works to a listed building are a criminal offence.
- Historic England: Listed buildings historicengland.org.uk/listing/what-is-designation/listed-buildings/ Grade I about 2.5%, Grade II* 5.8%, Grade II 91.7%.
- GOV.UK: Permitted development rights for householders, technical guidance www.gov.uk/government/publications/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance/permitted-development-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance Extension and loft limits, and the restrictions in conservation areas.
- GOV.UK: Tree preservation orders and trees in conservation areas www.gov.uk/guidance/tree-preservation-orders-and-trees-in-conservation-areas Six weeks' notice before work on trees over 75mm diameter at 1.5m.
- GOV.UK: When is permission required? www.gov.uk/guidance/when-is-permission-required Article 4 directions and demolition in conservation areas.
Verified against published UK government guidance. See also Methodology and Editorial standards.