Should we get a building regulations cert - we're selling our house

carmen_blue · 6 May 2010 at 12:09PM

We’ll be putting our house on the market soon and started filling in the HIP. There’s a question about any work we did and if we got planning permission and/or a building reg certificate. About six years ago, we got rid of a tiny bedroom and, in its place, we made the main bathroom bigger and put in an en suite in the back bedroom. We had good builders and the work was done without a hitch. I just called the council about this question in the HIP and they said we didn’t need planning permission but we should have had a building regs cert. They can come out and look at it and, if all is ok, give us a cert for a fee of about £250. My question is: do we really need to do this? Would this really hold a sale up? Our builder said it would pass, so wouldn’t a buyer’s surveyor see that and be ok with it?

woody01 · 6 May 2010 at 12:19PM

You do need it yes.
It should've been done at the time, regardless of what the builders said.

If the workmanship isn't correct (the things you can't see), you will have no comeback with the origianl builders.

Our builder said it would pass

Of course he did.
He wouldn't say his own work was not up to regualtion standards.

JoeAlonso · 6 May 2010 at 12:37PM

Sorry to jump in on the thread but how do you go about getting a building regulation certificate and who do you get it from?

carmen_blue · 6 May 2010 at 12:40PM

i just called our council and spoke to someone about it.

sunshinetours · 6 May 2010 at 12:42PM

I would ask your solicitor.

It may be that this could be covered under an indemnity pilicy with the new owners so that any necessary enforcement work insisted under building regs ciould be covered PROVIDING noone notifies the council themselves. You didn't give your name and address when calling the councile I assume?

Alternatively go back to the original builders if they are still around and say you never got their building regs cert and see what they say?

carmen_blue · 6 May 2010 at 12:56PM

Ahhh, that's an intereting point. No, I didn't give my name.

We still know the builders so I'll give them a call. Thanks!

headcoat · 6 May 2010 at 12:57PM

Get it! The builder should have known better than to do the work with applying and obtaining B Regs. I wouldn't touch a house that had works done without a certificate, because of future consequences and also if the builder didn't even know about this, makes you wonder if he know how to do the work.

housebuyer_abc · 6 May 2010 at 1:45PM

headcoat wrote: »

Get it! The builder should have known better than to do the work with applying and obtaining B Regs. I wouldn't touch a house that had works done without a certificate, because of future consequences and also if the builder didn't even know about this, makes you wonder if he know how to do the work.

Definelty get one, we did a similar thing around about 5 years ago and when we came to sell it almost resulted in the whole chain falling apart because the buyers solicitor wouldn't proceed without it and the council couldn't get anyone out for ages.

carmen_blue · 6 May 2010 at 2:36PM

Thanks. My concern is that we put in a sink, toilet and bath. If they need to check ‘drainage’ (as their website says they do), how do they do this if it’s already built? Would they want to rip up the floor to check or is it enough to just check the drains/pipes on the external wall?

sunshinetours · 6 May 2010 at 2:45PM

If they are doing it now then you will presumably need to comply with the latest regs not those of 6 years ago. Think they are quite hot on ventilation

Definitely try and get hold of that builder

carmen_blue · 6 May 2010 at 2:54PM

Ventilation? Like in an extractor fan? We have one of those and a big window. My concern is the pipes - would they want to check that?

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Should we get a building regulations cert - we're selling our house

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