Solid Conservatory Roof No Building Regs

20 years is about the limit where people (ought to) stop caring about a lack of paperwork. If the foundations were rubbish, why would they wait 20 years before starting to sink?

Ah, missed the point about the new roof. But I don't think that in itself needs building regulations. Really more a point for you to satisfy yourself via your surveyor(s) that it's structurally sound. What has your surveyor said about it?

Having looked at this because I am considering a solid roof (although plastic slates), have fitted internal french doors and have a radiator in the conservatory, it does need building regs. I have no intention of going through that palaver.

Sounds like your vendor has made an big effort to make the room far more usable throughout the year by keeping it cooler in the summer with a solid roof and heating for the winter plus new windows.

Suggest you go for the indemnity.

Bit of a guess, but the original conservatory in this house of yours didn't need building regs at the time it was fitted because they don't if any heating in the conservatory isn't connected to the house CH or at least have a valve to isolate it. That the majority of the conservatory is glass or plastic etc and there is something about internal doors to the rest of the house needing to be external door quality.

We have radiators in the conservatory down on frost setting but can't turn them off from the main house central heating. The french doors between the house and conservatory are very nice mat varnished teak but only internal quality so don't comply. However, they look perfect and fit really well for something that I bought off e bay second hand. Finally we will change the roof to reflect heat during the summer because plastic roofs are dreadfully hot even with a roof window open and I am not convinced glass is much better. The cost of changing all this to comply with building regs is more than I am willing to pay and for what? who benefits? so I will take the risk that the council are not interested in our 1991 conservatory. In 25 years when we move into a sheltered flat our buyers can worry about it, because we won't be.

You can try asking the vendor for any paper work for the roof, but builders could be anything from a one man band to a large company who did the design first and then followed this through without alteration. You are unlikely to be able to tell the difference even if the builder is still in business from a receipt. By chance our extension which our conservatory is built on to has drawn plans which I hold a copy of but this is rare because paperwork gets lost. Just wish they had done the same for the conservatory.

If you have time or are willing to wait you could take a gamble and ask the vendor to sort out building regs. However, they could equally say no. Do you play poker well? its that sort of game and depends on who blinks first, or worse a third party comes in and says we will buy it.

Do not give the council the address as that will stop any chance of an indemnity policy being taken out. You are on a sticky wicket just talking to them about it.

Pete