A coastal home offering picturesque views and fresh sea air billowing in through the window, all for just £30,000, sounds like an offer too good to be true.
And that’s because it is. These seaside properties along the Marrams in Hemsby, Norfolk are on the market for a bargain – but could leave their owners homeless at any moment.
They sit on the fastest-eroding stretch of coastline in Europe, where fierce storms can wash away 20 metres of beach overnight.
The upshot is that the homes closest to the beach could be in the water within years.
Indeed, more than 20 in the area have been lost to the lapping waves in just the last 15 years and experts say more will inevitably follow.
At least three wooden chalets on the front are now being flogged by estate agents for knockdown prices ranging from £30k to £50k, with one advertised as offering a ‘relaxed, coastal lifestyle’.
There is no mention, however, of the watery fate that potentially lies ahead – just a simple disclaimer that buyers are advised to do ‘their own due diligence with their solicitor and surveyor in regards to environmental changes in the area’.
Council officials have blasted estate agents for not spelling the dangers out more clearly, reminding them they ‘have a moral duty’.
Homes in Hemsby, Norfolk are facing demolition due to high exposure to coastal erosion and the potential for them to fall into the sea
A house in the area pictured teetering on the edge of a cliff. Homes such as this are being flogged for low prices by estate agents
Agents snapped back and defended the sales by claiming some buyers don’t care about coastal erosion, adding that Hemsby was an affordable area.
In July, a wooden chalet teetering on the cliff edge sold for under £10k.
And a two-bedroom bungalow listed for £50k is described as ‘offering stunning sea views and a relaxed, coastal lifestyle’.
The detached property is listed as having an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room with a garden and off-road parking.
Another, described as an ‘ideal holiday residence’, has sold subject to conditions for just £30k and has ‘direct access onto sandy beaches and dunes’.
The two-bedroom white bungalow reportedly is in a ‘prime elevated position’ with a fitted kitchen and family bathroom.
One two-bedroom chalet sold for £60k with two spacious bedrooms and ‘offers the perfect blend of comfort, charm, and coastal living’.
Natasha Hayes, executive director for places at Great Yarmouth Brough Council (GYBC) said: ‘Homes are still being sold now. It is awful for the people that are buying them.
Pascal Rose pictured on top of the cliff outside of her home, which is along a stretch of coast exposed to erosion
The properties sit on the fastest-eroding stretch of coastline in Europe, where fierce storms can wash away 20 metres of beach overnight
‘We do not advise people to purchase these properties. Local estate agents should have a moral duty.’
Some home owners do not live in the area all year round but rather head to the coast during the holiday season.
But long-term residents might have to flee their homes as the cliff edge erodes.
Pascal Rose, 51, has registered herself homeless after she was told her house was at imminent risk.
She told the BBC: ‘I was advised two weeks ago my home was in the red zone.
‘I am taking everything left out of my property into a storage unit, to be prepared for demolition. I’ve got days.
‘It would be a case of myself just picking my dog up and my suitcase and going, but with nowhere to go.’
Great Yarmouth Borough Council said it is not legally possible for it to compensate homeowners at risk of erosion due to government policy.
The upshot is that the homes closest to the beach could be in the water within years
Indeed, more than 20 in the area have been lost to the lapping waves in the last 15 years and experts say more are to come
But it claimed it continues to lobby the government for rule changes via its partners at Coastal Partnership East.
It comes after the council proposed a £1.6million pilot scheme to rehome 30 households in the area in July.
Up to 30 homes perched on the highest risk spots in Hemsby could be demolished in the coming years and replaced with new housing built on farmland elsewhere.
A council report said: ‘The aim is for the very first time to give people at high-risk of erosion, choices through financial support, whilst addressing coastal erosion impacts and accommodating coastal adaptation.’
Ian Brennan, who has been heavily involved with the Save Hemsby Campaign, aiming to raise awareness of the coastline’s predicament, said: ‘Estate agents are mis-selling properties. They are not talking about the reality of the situation.
‘Some of these homes may have to be knocked down. It is wrong.’
Jamie Minors, who co-founded Minors and Brady in 2014, defended the sales of erosion-threatened properties and said they could benefit buyers and sellers.
He said the sales gave confidence to other Hemsby homeowners that there may still be some value in their homes – despite their short life span.
Natasha Hayes, executive director for places at Great Yarmouth Borough Council said: ‘Homes are still being sold now. It is awful for the people that are buying them’
Property owners currently do not receive any compensation when their homes are demolished or washed away.
He said: ‘Even in areas where there are environmental challenges, which have not been protected by councils and governments, buyers are seeking life by the coast, even if there is a possible future risk.
‘We recently had a purchaser explain they didn’t care about possible erosion, as in their words, life is short and they wanted to relocate to the coast for the last few years of their life and Hemsby was affordable due to the environmental challenges.’
Mr Minors added that all buyers are advised to instruct their own surveyors and solicitors to give them professional advice on their purchase and protect their interests.
