Block Management in Teignmouth
Principal residence restrictions and the second homes premium stack on Teignmouth's flats.
Teignmouth sits 40 miles from our Plymouth head office, and as managing agent we offer RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders there block management with budgets, accounts, insurance and lease consents. 30.3 per cent of households live in flats, against 13.9 per cent across Teignbridge, and new homes carry a principal residence requirement under policy H1. Teignbridge also charges a 100 per cent premium on second homes, including restricted property.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
Occupancy Terms, the Right Warning Area and Grade II Consent
Check Occupancy Restrictions in Subletting Consents
New homes in Teignmouth carry a principal residence requirement under policy H1, and Teignbridge charges a 100 per cent premium on second homes, including restricted property. When handling subletting consents we would check whether a flat carries that restriction.
Leasehold managementIdentify the Coastal or Estuary Warning Area
The coastal warning area names the Back Beach and town centre, while the estuary area names the Quays. We would establish which applies to the block and place buildings insurance with that exposure disclosed.
InsuranceRecommend Radon Measurement Throughout
Class 3 covers 60.6 per cent of Teignmouth's built-up area and class 2 the rest, so measurement is advised across the whole town. We would recommend testing in ground floor communal areas and record the results.
ComplianceSecure Grade II Consents Before Major Works
The Town Centre conservation area holds 130 listed buildings in 19.60 hectares, 129 of them Grade II. For a block there we would confirm listed building consent before issuing a Section 20 specification.
Major works and Section 20Teignbridge Council Where the Estuary Meets the Coast
- Local authority
- Teignbridge District Council
- Authority type
- District, under the county council
- Building control
- Devon Building Control Partnership, covering South Hams, Teignbridge and West Devon
- County
- Devon
- Fire and rescue service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 40 miles by road, under an hour
- Setting
- Coastal
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency long term flood risk; Environment Agency flood map for planning; Historic England, National Heritage List for England; UKHSA UK radon map; GOV.UK council tax premiums guidance.
Switching a Teignmouth Block: The One-Off Fee
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and changing your managing agent.
ACE Awards 2022 Managing Agent of the Year. ISO 9001 certified. Google reviews.
Service charge or accounts query? Email accounts@
Occupancy Restrictions Do Not Exempt the Second Homes Premium
Teignbridge has charged a 100 per cent premium on furnished homes that are nobody's main residence since 1 April 2025. A principal residence condition does not create an exception: the national exception covers homes whose planning condition prevents year-round occupation or limits them to holiday use, not homes required to be someone's main residence. The long-term empty premium has run since 1 April 2024 at 100 per cent after one year, 200 per cent after five and 300 per cent after ten.
Flats Run at Twice the Teignbridge Share
At the 2021 Census, 2,170 of 7,160 Teignmouth households, 30.3 per cent, were in flats, against 13.9 per cent for Teignbridge as a whole. 633 of those were in a converted or shared house. Measured as shares of all households, 17.3 per cent are in purpose-built blocks and 8.9 per cent in a converted or shared house. A further 2.4 per cent are in another converted building and 1.8 per cent over commercial premises.
Both the flat and the conversion shares run at roughly twice the district rate. The pattern is even rather than concentrated: all three Teignmouth wards carry substantial flat stock, and Central and East both exceed 10 per cent converted or shared house. For a converted building, fire separation and service charge apportionment need checking at handover.
Open Coast and Estuary Meet at Teignmouth
Teignmouth sits where the Teign estuary meets the English Channel, so it carries both open-coast and estuarine frontage. For a block on either frontage, salt air shortens the life of external paintwork, railings and fixings.
Coastal or Estuary Warning Depends on the Side of Town
Teignmouth has two Environment Agency flood warning areas, and which one applies depends on which side of the town a block is on. The South Devon Coast at Shaldon and Teignmouth area names the Back Beach and Town Centre areas of Teignmouth, and The Strand, Bridge Road, Fore Street and Ringmore Road at Shaldon. A second area, covering low-lying parts of the Teign estuary, reaches only 7.7 per cent of the town and names the Quays at Teignmouth.
Teignmouth lies essentially outside the River Teign fluvial alert area. The Environment Agency treats the sea wall as flood infrastructure rather than amenity, describing it as providing coastal flood protection to the town. For a block, knowing which warning area applies matters for insurance disclosure and for signing up to the right flood warnings.
Almost Every Consent Here Is a Grade II Decision
Teignmouth has two conservation areas. The Town Centre area was designated on 21 November 1972 and modified on 15 November 1994. It covers 19.60 hectares and contains 130 listed buildings, one Grade II* and 129 Grade II, with no Grade I. The St James area was designated on 15 November 1994, covers 2.73 hectares and contains five listed buildings, one Grade II* and four Grade II. Each has an appraisal and a management plan, all four adopted on 19 May 2008. For a block in either area, the management plan sets out what external works will need consent.
The Town Centre conservation area holds 130 listed buildings in 19.60 hectares, of which only one is above Grade II. Almost every consent here is therefore a Grade II decision in a dense terraced townscape. A leaseholder altering a flat will usually also need the landlord's licence to alter.
Across the built-up area, 134 entries are on the National Heritage List, and not one of them is Grade I. Three are Grade II*. The Church of St James is the parish church of West Teignmouth and sits in the St James conservation area. The United Reformed Church and its attached wall are in the Town Centre conservation area. Bitton House, the town council's own offices, is inside the town but outside both conservation areas.
Measurement Is Advised Across the Whole Town
In Teignmouth only two radon classes occur across the fifteen one-kilometre squares over the town. Class 3, at 3 to 5 per cent of homes at or above the action level, covers 60.6 per cent of the built-up area. Class 2, at 1 to 3 per cent, covers the remaining 39.3 per cent. No part of Teignmouth reaches even the 5 to 10 per cent band. Radon measurement is advised across the whole town for ground-floor and below-ground spaces, so ground-floor communal areas of any block should be tested.
New Homes Must Be Principal Residences Under Policy H1
Teignbridge formally adopted its Local Plan 2020 to 2040 on 19 May 2026, under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act as amended by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act. The legal challenge window closed on 30 June 2026. It replaces the 2013 to 2033 plan and includes a district design code. Teignmouth is one of the parishes named under its policy H1 principal residence requirement, alongside Bishopsteignton, Dawlish, Stokeinteignhead and Shaldon. New homes in those parishes must be occupied as a primary residence, secured by a legal mechanism, and the plan cites the district's 1,600 plus second homes and self-catering units as the reason.
Subdividing an existing dwelling is governed by policy H15. It sets eight tests covering access and parking, amenity space, character and heritage, occupier amenity, and sound insulation, daylight, ventilation and fire safety. The Teignmouth Neighbourhood Plan 2018 to 2033 was made in July 2024, having gone to referendum in March 2024. For a block, any new flats will carry the principal residence restriction, and a conversion must meet the H15 tests, including fire safety and sound insulation.
Teignbridge Stands Until the Devon Reorganisation Takes Effect
Devon's councils are being reorganised, subject to Parliament, and until then Teignbridge remains the planning authority for Teignmouth, with April 2028 the target date for the change.
Teignmouth Questions on Second Homes and Listing
Does a Principal Residence Condition Exempt a Flat from the Second Homes Premium?
No. Teignbridge has charged a 100 per cent premium on furnished homes that are nobody's main residence since 1 April 2025, and the national exception for planning-restricted homes covers seasonal and holiday-only conditions, not a requirement to be a main residence. Policy H1 of the new local plan names Teignmouth among parishes where new homes must be occupied as a primary residence, so the two controls stack rather than cancel.
Which Flood Warning Area Covers a Block in Teignmouth?
It depends on where the block sits. The South Devon Coast at Shaldon and Teignmouth area names the Back Beach and Town Centre of Teignmouth; its other named streets, The Strand, Bridge Road, Fore Street and Ringmore Road, are at Shaldon. A separate Teign estuary area reaches 7.7 per cent of the town and names the Quays.
What Rules Apply to Converting a House into Flats in Teignmouth?
Subdividing an existing dwelling is governed by policy H15 of the Teignbridge Local Plan 2020 to 2040, adopted on 19 May 2026. It sets eight tests covering access and parking, amenity space, character and heritage, occupier amenity, and sound insulation, daylight, ventilation and fire safety. The Teignmouth Neighbourhood Plan 2018 to 2033, made in July 2024, also applies.
Along the Teign Estuary
Talk to Us About a Teignmouth Block.
A free, no-obligation proposal, written so it can be circulated to a board.