StreetCheck Blog - Local Area Insights for the UK

Crystal Roof Acquires StreetCheck

In a massive milestone, Crystal Roof has acquired StreetCheck. StreetCheck has been a household name in the UK for over a decade, attracting millions of users and becoming one of the most visited property data sites in the country.

By bringing this legendary domain into the Crystal Roof ecosystem, we are dramatically scaling our reach. We're combining StreetCheck's incredible user base with our modern, high-precision location intelligence platform.

Why We're Excited

Massive Audience

We are now the primary destination for millions of people researching UK neighborhoods.

The New Standard

We're giving that audience access to the most advanced, data-rich experience on the market.

Market Leadership

This move cements Crystal Roof as the #1 authority for anyone looking to live, work, or invest in the UK.

What Does This Mean For StreetCheck?

In the immediate term, nothing will change with this website, the site will continue to function as before. However, over the next few months, visitors from StreetCheck will be gradually moved over to crystalroof.co.uk, who offer a similar range of demographic, local area and crime data.

Housing Changes Coming in 2025

The government's autumn budget introduced a number of new measures that will affect house owners and renters. Many of those changes are due to come in to force this April, so let's take a look at them...

Stamp Duty Rates Significantly Increased

Home buyers in both England and Northern Ireland are likely to pay more for stamp duty land tax (SDLT) when purchasing from April 2025 onwards. The tax is due when buying a freehold, leasehold or shared ownership of a property. Early evidence suggests that buyers have been rushing to complete their transactions in early 2025, to get in before the hike.

The initial 0% band for non-first-time buyers has been reduced significantly, from £250,000 to just £125,000. Buyers will now have to pay tax of 2% on the amount between £125,000 and £250,000, potentially adding £2,500 SDLT to their moving costs for an average priced home.

There are potential higher rate SDLT rates also for buyers of second homes, even if the other house is held in your married partner's name. The allowances for this have also been reduced from April 2025. More details on rates for additional homes are available on the government website here.

For Wales, rates are unchanged - the higher residential rate of Land Transaction Tax (LTT) was already increased by 1% back in December 2024.

In Scotland, no changes are currently due to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). However, the charge on second/additional homes was raised in December 2024 from 6% to 8%. There is a review of the LBTT system currently starting in Scotland, but changes are not expected until the next Parliament.

New Funding for Affordable Home Building

Another announcement from the budget was an increase in funding for home building - a pledge to deliver 33,000 new homes with £128million pledged by the government for housing projects.

It also pledged £500million in extra funding for the existing Affordable Homes Programme, with money allocated via the scheme to Local Authorities and Housing Associations to produce affordable housing for both sale and rent.

Caps on Universal Credit Charges for Rent Arrears

Before the budget, landlords with tenants who were in rent arrears could apply to have those arrears taken directly from the tenant's Universal Credit (UC), at a rate of up to 25% of their UC amount. This deduction could also be used for other household debts such as council tax and utility bills.

This rate has now been reduced to 15% and will be known as the Universal Credit Fair Repayment Rate, putting less financial strain on UC recipients who are in debt. It will however lead to longer repayment terms, and comes as a blow to landlords, councils and energy providers who are awaiting unpaid rent and bills.

The Work and Pensions Secretary has also announced a review into the system, following a court case where tenant Nathan Roberts was ruled to have been made to repay unfairly. The system currently approves repayments automatically without the tenant's knowledge or consultation, and this is the part of the system likely to be scrutinised.

Changes to Personal Finances

While not affecting housing directly, we should wrap up this post with a mention of a couple of changes to household income. From April 2025, the National Living Wage will increase by 6.7%, Universal Credit will rise by 1.7%, and State Pension by 4.1%, all giving a boost to household income.

Scottish 2022 Census Data Added to StreetCheck

In a further update to our data analysis on StreetCheck, we are pleased to announce that demographic data from Scotland's 2022 census is now available to view.

This new data complements the 2021 census information already available for postcodes in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. With the addition of Scotland's data, we are proud to offer a comprehensive dataset for the latest census across the UK.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish government postponed the census from 2021 to 2022, resulting in a slight delay in receiving the datasets. However, with this update, we’re excited to complete the latest round of census statistics.

To start exploring data for your area, simply enter your street name or postcode in the search box at the top of the page.

Thank you for your continued support!

Best regards,
The StreetCheck Team

Northern Ireland 2021 Census Data Added to StreetCheck

In a further update to our data analysis on StreetCheck, we are pleased to announce that demographic data from Northern Ireland's 2021 census is now available to view.

This data adds to the existing 2021 census data already available for English and Welsh postcodes. We are pleased to now be able to offer the full 2021 census dataset on StreetCheck.

Scottish users will have to wait a little longer for their latest census data. As the Scottish government pushed back the census to 2022 in Scotland due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are expecting to receive the datasets from them in mid-2024.

To begin searching for data on your area, use the search box at the top of the page to enter your street name or postcode now.

Thank you,

The StreetCheck Team.

2021 Census Information Released for England and Wales

UPDATE: SINCE THIS POST, 2021 DATA FOR NORTHERN IRELAND HAS ALSO BEEN RELEASED.

StreetCheck are pleased to announce that from today, users viewing data about postcodes in England and Wales can now see charts and analysis based on the 2021 census.

Previously this website used 2011 census data, and since the government released the 2021 census data in the summer of 2023 we have been working hard to analyse and import that data.

As well as updating the existing data, we have added some new data, including adding information on household deprivation and disability.

For Welsh postcodes, data on Welsh language understanding has been added to the already existing data on Welsh speaking.

Users looking for information on Northern Ireland will also be pleased to hear that 2021 census data is now also being worked on for those "BT" postcodes, and we are hoping to release that very soon. As the census is a devolved matter, our team needs a little more time to work on analysing the data and the slightly different format of questions that were used in the Northern Irish census paper.

UPDATE: SINCE THIS POST, 2021 DATA FOR NORTHERN IRELAND HAS ALSO BEEN RELEASED.

Users looking for Scottish information will unfortunately have to wait a little longer - as the Scottish government chose to delay their census until 2022, the data is not expected to reach us until sometime in the summer of 2024.

We hope that you find the updated information useful.

Thank you,

The StreetCheck team.

Preparing Your House for a Home Viewing

Preparing in the right manner for a home viewing will be a major factor in selling your home and how long this endeavour takes. A house viewing is not just about what the potential buyer can see it is also about what they smell, what they feel and how they can imagine themselves living in the property you are selling.

The first part of the house your prospective buyers are going to see is the outside, you want a strong first impression so trim back that garden, get rid of any litter on your property and around, store those bicycles and kids toys away and make sure the neighbourhood cats haven't left any "gifts" on the lawn.

Beauty is on the inside though. So, tidy those rooms! Your viewers want to imagine their own home when they view your property so give them as blank a canvas as possible. Over the years we will all accumulate what we may affectionately call clutter (a crueler, more accurate term might be junk), this accumulation will make your home feel smaller to a viewer. Get rid of your unwanted bric-a-brac thus avoiding distractions and get some daylight in.

Avoid the temptation to shove everything into one or more cupboards though. Your visitors will likely be looking EVERYWHERE. You can't have a "no-go" area as this will raise suspicions that you have something to hide (more of the hiding damp spots suspicions than the hiding of dead bodies suspicions). If you have kids, then get them to tidy their rooms (and then tidy their rooms up properly yourself after).

Get rid of pets (and the children if you can). Maybe not permanently, but if the dog can taken out for an extended walk or Mittens can spend some time with a relative all the better. You don't want an over eager pet to become the focal point of the viewing.

You are also going to want to clean the windows, get those carpets clean, put the heating on to a "cosy" level. Minor repairs need to be completed, light bulbs all working, toilet roll up, toilet seat down. Pretend your most judgmental family member is coming to visit and she's bringing her even pickier friends from the Hyacinth Bucket Appreciation Society.

Aromas can also help. Some reckon on baking bread which may be a bit obvious but how about fresh coffee? Scented candles? The smells you don't want are your dog's stinky bed, baby's discarded nappies or last night's delicious but now pretty smelly curry that's wafting from the bin.

The kitchen is what factors most into peoples mind when eyeing up a new property - most estate agents would agree that the kitchen is the room most likely to sell a house. With this in mind, the cooker needs to be spotless, the kitchen sink needs to gleam, the floor should sparkle. This is also the perfect opportunity to remove all those fridge magnets, post cards, post-it notes and bills stuck on the fridge door. Some low labour maintenance repair work or upgrading is also a good idea.

If you want to go really hardcore then consider painting the walls in your house a more neutral colour if you haven't already. You may love bright bold colours but, and this ties back in with the blank canvas idea, your viewers may be put off.

We have covered some aspects of security on our Neighbourhood Watch article, you can impress potential buyers with your knowledge or participation of the local scheme. Also be prepared to show viewers your installed security measures.

Finally, though it may be funny the first seven or eight times, try to resist the urge to dress up as the Addams Family for prospective viewers. Save those shenanigans for Halloween.

Dealing With Noisy Neighbours

"Wouldn't it be nice to get on wiv me neighbours" sang Small Faces and whilst not required listening I encourage you to listen to their track Lazy Sunday at full blast whilst reading this article.

For the majority of us we'll either be living next door to pleasant neighbours or people that we barely acknowledge exist in our day to day lives. But, unfortunately for some of us this is not the case and the number one complaint about bad neighbours is noise. Nearly half of all complaints to councils are made up of complaints about noise levels.

So what can you do about a noise complaint? Well, if you're the instigator you can turn that bloody music down right now. No-one wants their lazy Sunday afternoon interrupted by your favourite dub-step track.

But seriously, if your life is being made a living hell by neighbours' noise levels doing your crust in, music at all hours, dogs barking through day/night, late night vacuuming or noisy endless DIY projects then there is plenty you can do outside of a polite but firm banging on the wall.

Try talking to them. If your neighbours are approachable and this is not going to put you in any personal danger then maybe a polite word in their ear might do the trick. Mayhap they didn't realise how their late-night Guitar Hero session kept you awake into the wee hours and with the benefit of a calm discussion next time they'll be more considerate. This may not be for everyone though, especially if you suspect you live next door to a crack den but remember if you feel you are being harassed or activity nearby is unlawful then contact the police.
If your neighbour does not relent after their acoustic atrocities are pointed out to them then you can contact your local council. If the council investigates and finds that your neighbours are making a statutory noise nuisance then they may issue a noise abatement order. If your neighbours then break this order, they then risk a fine of up to £5,000. When we are referring to neighbours, we are not just referring to domestic neighbours, if there is a local business making your ears ring then you can still follow up your complaint with the council and the fines for breaking a noise abatement order for business is even higher at £20,000.
If your noisy neighbour is a tenant then you can contact their landlord. This could be a private landlord, letting agency, housing association or even the council. Whomever it is, the tenant will most likely have terms in their tenancy agreement that precludes them from being a noise nuisance. Most standard tenancy agreements, as an example, forbid using washing machines at night.
Other options open to you (but maybe not as practical), are using a mediation service who can help resolve a dispute between two aggrieved parties. Alternatively, you can take legal action. This would be a costly exercise with no guarantee you could recoup your money.

Or, if everything else truly does fail, just buy some ear plugs. Well it's an option, just perhaps not a long-term solution but it's cheaper than moving to get away from your nightmare neighbours or sound-proofing all your walls. You can read further about the more sensible options at www.gov.uk to help resolve your noise issue and so you can get back to your lazy afternoon, close your eyes and drift away.

Why renting might be for you

Welcome to Generation Rent. If you are thinking of getting your own place then most likely your first home will be a rented one. But is renting really the dead money social status burden that our peers, usually older and already comfortably homed, tell us?

There are positives to renting. Whilst for a lot of people the ultimate aim is to one day own a house outright, renting is not as bad as made out. In fact, depending on your circumstances it may actually be a better decision to make.

Money, money, money

The entry requirements for getting your own home via renting is much easier. You're only going to need to get 5 weeks rent to put a deposit together. If you were buying a house, you’d be looking at tens of thousands of pounds AND you are going to have to be subject to rigorous credit checks. That phone bill you "forgot" to pay 5 years ago could come back to haunt you.

You can rent out a house with friends to share the costs. This is particularly useful if you are a student or a young working adult who doesn’t have deep-pocketed parents. Shared housing will generate some of the best times of your life (and conversely some tales of the worst housemates of your life!).

Location, location, location

You can choose the area you live in better which may be good for your commute, lots of new builds are miles away from the nearest town. This can be good for schools for your children, being near the nightlife or if you just want to live in a more desirable area.

If the house turns out to be a dud, built over an Indian burial ground or you find out your neighbours are running an all-night drugs den next door then it is going to be so much easier to move on. Most tenancy agreements are 6 to 12 months long. You can move when you need to and don’t need to go through a protracted sale of property and the inherent danger of being in a house sale chain delaying you even further.

Buying a house is a 25-35 year financial commitment and can become like an anchor tying you down. You may find the equity in your home decreases. Even worse, you’ll be the sort of person who worries about things like the equity in your house decreasing and becomes concerned when the news reports that house prices have dropped some sort of percentage.

Money troubles could mean you lose everything. As an example, if you get into debt with a credit card company, they can get a charging order against your property. Debt collectors will be much more aggressive in chasing a debt if you own property.

You break it, they fix it

We wouldn't recommend you smash down the front door or kick the radiators off the walls as you are unlikely to get any sympathy from your landlord, but you won't be out of pocket if the boiler breaks down or the electric stops working. If it breaks down then your landlord is obligated to fix it. Same with any white goods that are included with the rental, broken locks, a dodgy shower or anything that is part of the house. You won’t have any unexpected large payments to make in regards to your living conditions.

Renting is getting better protections

Finally, a pain point of renting has been the unscrupulous and downright dodgy landlords out there causing uncertainty for the future. But even this is getting better. Renting protections have improved massively in recent years, Scotland has already abolished no-fault evictions and banned tenancy fees. In England tenancy fees are also banned and no-fault evictions are soon to be a thing of the past.

Renting is much more socially acceptable now and legislation is moving in the right direction to give Generation Rent the stability that homeowners already enjoy. Happy renting!

The Census Is Coming

You may have already received a letter about the 2021 census or have seen adverts on social media, TV or the radio. But what is the Census? What is it for? And do I really have to fill it in? The census comes every 10 years and the next one, for most of the UK, is due this month. So let me answer your questions so you can answer their questions.

So, what is the census for then?

The census is a survey that is taking place on 21st March 2021, the survey is of all households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The census is conducted every ten years and is vital in letting organisations like the Government, local councils and other public bodies know how to allocate funding for education, transport, healthcare and other public services. Other organisations also use the data collected for activity like research, marketing and planning. We ourselves at StreetCheck use the data from the last census to provide demographic information for neighbourhood searches on this website.

Sounds like a lot of surveys will be going out, who is handling that then?

The census in England and Wales is run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Northern Ireland's census also takes part 21st March 2021 and is being handled by NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency).

Initial letters regarding the census are already going out now. The forms are expected to take about 10 minutes to fill in for the household and about 10 more minutes per person. Letters are already going out to householders with details of how to complete the upcoming census form.

Do I really need to fill in this form, seems like a lot of hassle?

Yes! Not completing your form can potentially lead to a maximum fine of £1,000 and a criminal record. After the last Census approximately 120 people were convicted for not completing census forms from 2011¹.

That seems really harsh, what if I forget for some reason?

Fortunately, in genuine cases it is not straight to court for you. Typically the ONS will give you the opportunity to complete the form if it is "forgotten" and again they will give you opportunities to complete the form before a court summons and again before a court case. After census day the ONS will send out field officers to homes that have not completed a census form to encourage and offer help completing forms. These officers will be following all guidelines related to Covid-19 and will be wearing Personal Protective Equipment.

What sort of questions will the census ask?

The census will be collecting demographic data so will ask questions about things like your age, sex, marital status, what education you have had, your ethnic group and your religious beliefs. Whilst completing the form is mandatory some questions will be clearly labelled as optional.

Can I do it online?

Sure thing, this census is a "digital-first census" and people are being actively encouraged to complete the forms online on computer, laptop, tablet and even mobile phone. You will receive your own unique household access code to go online and complete your survey.

So who fills it in then?

One person per household can complete the form, no need to pass the form to each person living there! Census 2021 states:

"Every householder at an address is responsible for completing a census questionnaire for their household. The householder should either answer the individual questions for all household members or make sure each member answers their own."

Can I fill my survey in early or do I have to complete it on the 21st March 2021?

Yes, you can complete your survey early as long as you are sure that there will not be any changes in the make-up of your household before the census date. If there are any changes you will need to contact the census organisers to advise of this (see our contacts link at end of this article).

I think I may need help completing my form, is there someone who can fill my form in for me?

You can contact your local Census Support Centre for support and help filling in your census forms. Whilst they are not currently open for visits due to Covid-19 you can still contact them by phone.

Find a census support centre in England and Wales

Find a census support centre in Northern Ireland

Is my census survey confidential? If StreetCheck can use census data can other people find out how I filled in the survey?

All our information is anonymous, and is aggregated into groups called Output Areas before we receive it, so we have no access to individual census responses.

In England and Wales individual census responses are not made available publicly until 100 years have passed. This was originally enforced through the Lord Chancellor's Instrument no.12, issued in 1966 under S.5 (1) of the Public Records Act 1958. That has been effectively nullified by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI Act). Despite this, Freedom of Information requests may be (and have been) denied under S41 of the FOI Act, which allows for the information to remain private where the information was provided to the public authority in confidence.

The Census 2021 website details how they will handle Your data and security.

What about Scotland, are they having a census?

Scotland's census will be performed in March 2022, you can sign up for updates and a newsletter by visiting Scotland's Census.

How can I contact Census 2021 directly?

Contact Census 2021 in England and Wales

Contact Census 2021 in Northern Ireland

Why buying might be for you

Buying a house will probably be the most expensive thing that any of us does in our lives. You may be a long way from getting to this stage but there are some great reasons why you will want to make the decision now to start saving, to start making changes to your budget so that you can get the deposit together to one day be a homeowner.

Dead money

This is what most homeowners will tell you straight away in the renting versus buying discussion. Rent money goes directly into your landlord's pocket and you will not see any return on this money when you leave (you may not even get your deposit back), with a mortgage your monthly payments are going towards you one day owning the property outright. That means eventually a huge part of your outgoings will be gone forever.

Rent can be a massive part of your expenditure with costs eating into between 20 to 40 percent of your salary depending on where you live. Though the initial outlay to get a mortgage with a deposit is a barrier, mortgage payments by the month can be much lower. The month to month cost of a mortgage versus rent is most likely going to be cheaper than renting a similar house. Santander found in a recent report that owning a home is cheaper than renting nearly everywhere in the UK.

Control

You are not in control of your destiny with a landlord. If your landlord decides to sell up, you are out. If you complain too much about maintenance or repairs, you could be out. If your landlord decides to move their friends in, you are out. If your landlord decides to convert your home into an Airbnb you’re out. In your own property you can’t be evicted at short notice for trivial or non-existent reasons.

Furthermore, you can do what you like with the property within reason (local council planning permission rules abiding). But you can certainly put nails in the walls or drill holes wherever you like. Decorate the whole house in neon pink carpets, fixtures and fittings if that takes your fancy. Even better you can install energy-efficient savings like insulation or solar panels and rake in the savings.

Also, it truly will be your property. You only have to let in who you want in your home. No 24-hour notice period that the landlord is coming over for a surprise inspection leading you to hurriedly deep clean your mess of a house. And pets, you can get a whole menagerie of cats, dogs, parrots, rabbits if you so desire without worrying about whether landlords will accept them.

Getting on the property ladder

You can save up a deposit yourself and there are schemes out there to help you. For instance, there is the Help to Buy scheme which helps by allowing you to borrow 20% of the purchase price interest free as long as you have a 5% deposit. If all else fails, you can always try the Bank of Mum and Dad and move back in with your parents to save!

Your first home could be just the first step up the property ladder. When it is time to move you can sell and get somewhere bigger as your family grows. Conversely you can downsize, releasing equity, when the children move away or you approach retirement. Or, even better, you could one day find yourself in the position of being able to rent out the property you own yourself for maximum profit.