These are unfortunately necessary restrictions for the system they set up with the wards. Pesronally though, I'd trade the positives of the ward system (having neighborhoods for them is pretty much it) away to get an instanced housing system where everyone can have full access to housing AND THE GAMEPLAY LOCKED BEHIND THEM (airships/subs, gardening) etc.

Having persistent housing wards with neighborhoods is neat and all, but not worth restricting full on housing to a small part of the playerbase. And while apartments 'help' they are small, have no outdoor, and are lacking the outdoor gardening and airships/subs that only full on fc houses can get you.

So yeah not a fan of the ward system all in all, though with us HAVING the ward system, the demolition timer is neccisary to ensure the limited supply of plots are vacated when not being used, so the housing timer is here to stay outside of times they pause it due to natural disasters etc.