The short answer
- The portals have no annexe filterThe links below put "annexe" into each site's keyword search for South Wales and its main towns, so you can start straight away.
- The planning permission decides who can live thereRead the permission for the annexe and its conditions before you make an offer, and see what your council says about annexes below.
- Council tax depends on who lives in the annexeAn annexe lived in by a dependent relative is exempt in Wales too.
- Care can come to the annexeHourly care on PrimeCarers costs £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included. Live-in care starts at £1,050 a week.
Ready-made searches
Houses with an annex on the market in South Wales
Each link opens a property site's search for South Wales, or one of its towns, with the word "annexe" already in the keyword box. The sites search the words in each listing's description, so a house is only picked out if the agent mentioned the annexe. Rightmove still lists every home and moves the matching ones to the top.
All of South Wales, searching for “annexe”
Agents spell it different ways, so try the other words too on Rightmove: annex, granny flat and self contained.
The main towns, searching for “annexe”
- CardiffRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- SwanseaRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- NewportRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- BridgendRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- BarryRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- NeathRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
- PontypriddRightmoveZooplaOnTheMarket
What the councils say
What the councils of South Wales say about annexes
South Wales is not one council area. This page covers the seven councils where most of the region lives: Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, the Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf. Wales has its own planning rules and its own council tax rules, so guidance written for England does not always apply.
Cardiff Council
Covers Cardiff
Planning
No annexe-specific page that we could read. Its site refuses automated requests, so check it in a browser.
Swansea Council
Covers Swansea, Gower and Gorseinon
Planning
No annexe-specific page that we could read. Its site refuses automated requests, so check it in a browser.
Newport City Council
Covers Newport and Caerleon
Council tax
Lists the exemption for an annex lived in by a dependent relative.
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Covers Barry, Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major
Council tax
Lists annexes lived in by a dependent relative among exempt properties.
Bridgend County Borough Council
Covers Bridgend, Porthcawl and Maesteg
Planning
Its householder guidance says an extension giving semi-independent accommodation should not form a separate home, and should be designed so it can easily become part of the house again.
Council tax
Lists the exemptions for an empty annexe that is hard to let separately and for an occupied annexe.
Neath Port Talbot Council
Covers Neath, Port Talbot and the valleys behind them
Planning
No annexe-specific guidance that we could find; its householder guidance is the place to start.
Council tax
Lists annexes lived in by dependent relatives among its exemptions.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council
Covers Pontypridd, Aberdare, Llantrisant and the Rhondda
Council tax
Lists an annexe to a family home lived in by elderly or disabled relatives among exempt properties.
For the national picture, our guide to planning permission for a granny annexe explains when permission is needed in England; Welsh rules differ in places, so check with the council.
Council tax
How council tax works on an annexe
The Valuation Office usually gives an annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and entrance a council tax band of its own. What you then pay on it depends on who lives there.
| Who this means | What you pay on the annexe | |
|---|---|---|
| A dependent relative lives in the annexe as their main home | Aged 65 or over, or substantially and permanently disabled, or severely mentally impaired | Nothing. The annexe is exempt |
| It stands empty and cannot be let on its own | Because it is part of the main home or a planning condition ties it to the house | Nothing while it stays empty |
| The household uses it as part of the main home | For example as a spare bedroom | No second home or empty home premium on top |
| Another relative lives in it | Not a dependent relative | Not covered on the council pages we read. Ask the council |
A dependent relative lives in the annexe as their main home
- Who this means
- Aged 65 or over, or substantially and permanently disabled, or severely mentally impaired
- What you pay on the annexe
- Nothing. The annexe is exempt
It stands empty and cannot be let on its own
- Who this means
- Because it is part of the main home or a planning condition ties it to the house
- What you pay on the annexe
- Nothing while it stays empty
The household uses it as part of the main home
- Who this means
- For example as a spare bedroom
- What you pay on the annexe
- No second home or empty home premium on top
Another relative lives in it
- Who this means
- Not a dependent relative
- What you pay on the annexe
- Not covered on the council pages we read. Ask the council
From the exemptions pages of the councils listed above. Wales sets its own council tax rules, so confirm with the council before you rely on a discount.
You can check whether an annexe already has its own band on the GOV.UK council tax band checker, which covers Wales as well as England.
Before you make an offer
What to check on a house with an annexe
An annexe changes what a house is worth to you, so check the paperwork and the practical details before you make an offer, not after.
The planning permission and its conditions
That it was built with permission
How it is banded for council tax
That it is on the same title
That it works for your parent now and later
Room for help when it is needed
If you are buying with your parent, our guide to buying a house with an elderly parent covers the money and the legal side.
If care is needed
What care in the annexe costs
A house with an annexe lets you live close by while your parent keeps a front door of their own. If your parent needs more help than you can give, care can come to the annexe, from a few hours a week to a carer living in.
| On PrimeCarers | Through an agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly visits | £18 to £25 an hour, with our fee included | £28 to £35 an hour |
| Live-in care | From £1,050 a week, typically £1,120 | Around £1,400 a week |
Hourly visits
- On PrimeCarers
- £18 to £25 an hour, with our fee included
- Through an agency
- £28 to £35 an hour
Live-in care
- On PrimeCarers
- From £1,050 a week, typically £1,120
- Through an agency
- Around £1,400 a week
Figures are what families pay on PrimeCarers with our fee included. Agency figures are the typical range for the same care, for comparison.
For local figures, see what live-in care costs in Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bridgend, the Vale of Glamorgan and Neath Port Talbot. A live-in carer moves into a spare room in the home, so if the annexe has one bedroom, the carer can sleep in the main house close by; our guide to preparing the room for a live-in carer covers what they need. Our guide to care in a granny annexe covers how hourly and live-in care work there.
PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency. You search the profiles of self-employed carers near the house, message the ones who suit your parent, and choose who to book. Every carer has passed an ID check, a right to work check and an enhanced DBS check (PVG in Scotland) issued within the last two years, and an online interview. We do not check qualifications, training or references, and the reviews and references on a profile are not verified by us, so ask each carer about the experience your parent needs. When you are ready, you can find a carer near the house.
Questions
Questions about annexes in South Wales
None of the big portals has a tick box for an annexe, so the searches on this page put the word into the keyword search for you. Use the links for all of South Wales on Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket and PrimeLocation, then the links for each town. Try the other spellings as well (annex, granny flat, self contained), because the search only finds the words the agent used. On Rightmove, sort the results by keyword so the matching homes come first.
An annexe lived in by a dependent relative is exempt, and so is an empty annexe that cannot be let on its own. Wales sets its own council tax rules, and the 50% annexe discount used in England was not on the Welsh council pages we read, so ask your council what applies to a relative who is not dependent.
A new building in the garden that someone will live in usually does. Councils such as Bridgend explain where the line falls, and the council-by-council list above links each council's own guidance. If you are buying a house that already has an annexe, ask to see its planning permission and any conditions on it, because those decide who may live there and whether it can ever be let or sold on its own.
Yes, if there is a spare bedroom for them, in the annexe or in the main house. A live-in carer moves into a spare room in the home where they are caring, so an annexe with one bedroom works when the carer can sleep in the main house close by. If you plan to build or extend an annexe with a room for a carer, explain why in the planning application and ask the council how it will look at it.
On PrimeCarers, hourly visits cost £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, against £28 to £35 an hour through an agency. Live-in care starts at £1,050 a week and is typically £1,120. The local cost pages linked above show what carers near you advertise.