Housing developer offers to pay £40,000 of private school fees on behalf of homeowners in bid to lure in buyers

A housing developer is offering to pay £40,000 worth of private school fees in a bid to encourage families to buy luxury newbuild homes that are sitting empty amid London's stagnant property market.Berkeley Group will cover up to two years' tuition at St John's Preparatory and Senior School for parents who buy in its Trent Park gated community near Enfield, north London. The homes, which come with 24-hour security and amenities such as a pool and gymnasium, start at around £760,000 for a one-bed and £1.8million for a five-bedroom property.When the Daily Mail visited the luxury estate, located within a 413-acre country park, a number of homes appeared to be empty and had 'for sale' signs outside. On its website, Berkeley Group says Trent Park is 90 per cent sold.Homeowners, some of whom had already paid to send their children to private school, said the deal had not been offered to them and they were 'unaware' it was being advertised. They added that the offer, which is branded as 'exclusive' in the company brochure, says 'a lot about the people they are trying to sell to' - but questioned whether it would work. Richard Gray, 57, a father-of-two, who lives on the Trent Park estate, said: 'This is the first I have heard of the deal. I have lived here for six years and I certainly was not offered it. Homes are listed for sale inside the Trent Park estate in north London which was built by Berkeley Group The homes, which come with amenities such as a pool, onsite gymnasium and 24-hour security, start at around £760,000 for a one-bed and £1.8million for a five-bedroom property Fees at St John's Preparatory and Senior School range from £13,500 a year for children in reception to £17,400 plus VAT for students in years seven to 13'I have two children and they went to private school. My son did his GCSEs at the private school but he is now moving to state school to do his A Levels. 'There has been a decline in the number of pupils going to private school with the introduction of VAT so I imagine the developer and school came up with the deal.'I do think it is a bit of a whimsical idea. It wouldn't get me to buy a place here.' Fees at St John's Preparatory and Senior School range from £13,500 a year for children in reception to £17,400 plus VAT for students in years 7 to 13.The maximum Berkeley Group would pay out is therefore £41,760 for two years of education, though it is not clear whether parents would be able to divide this among two pupils.St John's, with 480 pupils, was rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2019, and almost two thirds of its A-level entries received an A* or A last year. Several residents raised concerns about the state of the London property market, which is making it hard to sell luxury homes. Homeowner Dan Ball said: 'I think it is difficult for developers and people generally to sell houses at the moment. 'I presume Berkeley are also struggling. I hadn't heard about the private school offer but I think that says a lot about the people they are trying to sell to. Trent Park describes itself as a gated community with 24-hour security Homeowners have access to an onsite gymnasium and swimming pool 'Berkeley is losing money through these houses. It is just hard to shift expensive properties at the moment. This is just a two-bed flat and it was £750,000.' A mother, who rents a property in Trent Park with her newborn baby, added: 'I do not think the deal wouldn't tempt make me want to buy a place.'There are really good state schools around here.'She added: 'I know a lot of the homes are for sale at a discounted rate. I think the housing market is really struggling at the moment.'The Trent Park development comprises of two collections of newbuild homes, as well as conversions of grand old buildings, in the grounds of Trent Park House.Also within the 56 acres of parkland are the Lawn Club gymnasium and swimming pool, a daffodil lawn, a Japanese garden and tennis courts. The Grade-II listed Georgian mansion, part of which opened as a public museum just last week, has been fitted with 14 luxury apartments.One woman, who lives in Enfield, said it was the 'first she was hearing' of the private school offer. 'It wouldn't be enough to make me buy a house here. You do get a pool but the gardens are tiny,' she said. The Trent Park development comprises of two collections of newbuild homes, as well as conversions of grand old buildings, in the grounds of Trent Park House.Another visitor added: 'If you were looking around the area and had children of school age, it would definitely be a perk. 'But what would happen after those two years, would you have to take the children out.' Berkeley Group's offer to pay private school fees is just one of a number of financial incentives being offered to potential buyers. It is understood that some have promised to cover council tax or service charges for the first year after moving in. And according to the i Paper, housebuilder You Are Home offered a Polestar two electric car, worth around £44,000, to buyers of £1.65million townhouses in Brighton. Other developers have thrown in electric bicycles, upgraded fittings and consultations with interior designers.The offers come as a record number of newbuild properties in London have gone unsold in recent months.Data from analysts at Molior shows that 4,629 recently completed homes in the capital failed to find a buyer during the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, work on another 2,704 homes was halted with them only partly built.Housebuilders are cutting prices by an average of 8 per cent in a bid to sell the homes, while combined discounts and incentives on some properties are reaching 30 per cent.A spokesman for Berkeley said: 'Now is a very good time to buy and like most homebuilders we can offer a range of buyer incentives.'They added: 'Trent Park is over 90 per cent sold with a small number of houses and apartments left available, some of which are still under construction.'