I previously submitted a number of historic multi-family homes around 2021/2022 that were all accepted. I recently submitted three new ones that were all rejected, but I don’t believe there have been any changes in the submission rules (There was a post with a similar issue in December). After an appeal for one of them it was still rejected for being a private residence despite evidence. I am assuming my other two were rejected for the same reason, but I don’t have the ability to appeal them yet.
I have not seen any change in the eligibility of multifamily dwellings.
The clarification covers locations in common areas being eligible. It does not cover the entire building either as eligible or not eligible. I do not know how to apply the SFPRP rule to entire buildings, as that would include the private areas of the residents within.
To me it still looks like SFPRP, they do have separate front doors, but to me it looks like SFPRP sharing the same roof. Most houses in Holland share the same roof, but have separate front doors. If there are multiple doorbells per frontdoor, I would not consider it SFPRP.
As I understand it, a former single family home that now has provable other use than being a single family home (in this case subdivided into apartments) can certainly be eligible.
The burden for the submitter then becomes to show how it meets (presumably) the exploration criterion. Just being “old” may not be good enough. Is it on some historic register, notable for its architectural value, former home of locally significant person, etc.
I’ve done a couple of submissions in this vein and had mixed results: Apartment buildings specifically listed as part of a formally recognized historical district.
This has been my experience as well. All of the historic homes (that are now apartments) I have submitted have been in a historic district.
The ones I submitted in 2020/2021 were all accepted with similar descriptions and supporting evidence. One I submitted last year went through on appeal, but now my appeals are being rejected, which is why I am confused.
As you are submitting the building as a place to explore, my view is that you need to provide evidence of the specific value of that building. I would not consider that the area being of historic interest was sufficient. That comes from the area as a whole. The question is, does a specific building have some sort of protected status either for its distinctive architecture reflecting something that is now rare or something very specific about what historical value it has.
In the U.K. these are known as listed buildings and a database is available to check. For example they can’t be altered without meeting specific planning consents.
Separate to that you need to demonstrate that multiple families live there. Typically I will be looking for evidence such as @frealafgb demonstrated and not that the house has been simply split into 2.
Each case will need to be presented separately and assessed on its individual merits.
