Extremely worried over old rear extension !

Doozergirl

Half the houses in this country don't have any form of building regs because they predate them. Buildings Insurance is not an issue for them.

You are paying for a house of the right size in your premiums, the thing has been standing for ages now, there is unlikely to be anything structurally wrong with the was it was built therefore I wouldn't anticipate any issues with buildings insurance over the presence of a certificate. Planning permission would not even come into it - the extension is legal now.

Mags269

Thanks guys - once again for helping to put my poor mind at rest. Am I the only person to worry this much? Is there anyone else out there been worrying about the same problem?

poppysarah

One I'm now eyeing up isn't listed on the planning site for any sort of planning work or building control. They've had a big extension and a consevatory so I've emailed the planning to ask if the system isn't working.
Worryingly (or not I suppose) there's no reassess mark on the VOA site for the property either - which I would have thought there would be.

The new bit of the HIP coming in should solve some of this problem - would be great for it to be readable before you view the properties too - then you'd know you could not bother viewing the complicated ones.

hethmar

Mags, Ill tell you this - our neighbour from hell has a habit of buying up empty houses (usually from executors) doing them up in a very slip shod way (I watched him doing the foundations of an extension on the place next door - he did it over a few weeks, using different grades of cement and shutter them flat before the next lot went in - hence not joined together at all) and he apparently didnt sell his last place because the solicitors for the buyers turned up the extension and loft conversion had no building regs approval. All he did was wait for 5 years and then put it up for sale again and sold it for a quarter of a million. PLEASE dont worry, you are safe.

Mags269

Thanks so much for that - you are truly putting my mind to rest. I feel fairly happy about the way our extension was built, as I said on my opening post - it was the actual builder of our house itself. However, seeing as the extension is fairly large (it comprises of an inner hallway, utility room & small storage room), I cannot for the life of me think why he didn't apply for planning permission at the time!

hethmar

As has been said, planning permission is not always necessary - depending on the size of the original building. However, Building Regs are. You are worrying over nothing.

RLH33

Mags 269 you have had some good advice here so don't worry about it. It really doesn't matter how big the extension is as it is over four years old and is now unenforceable. The reason the owner didn't apply for permission (if it was needed anyway) is probably because he was a builder and thought he would take the risk of the Council finding out!!

Regarding the indemnity policies I am of the view that these are a complete rip off. I think Solicitors do their own bit of scaremongering with regard to extensions without planning permission, i.e. they plant the problem in the buyers mind, and the only advice they offer is to get the seller to take out an indemnity policy. 9 out of 10 times the worry or the policy is completely unnecessary as the extensions either did not require permission in the first place or is over four years old so therefore unenforceable. A quick phone call to the planning office or a chat with the seller would sort this out.

Mags269

Thanks again folks. I guess it's all down to how good/honest your solicitor is when you are buying a house with regards to properties not having planning permission - the words "no planning permission obtained" would be enough to scare some people away, wouldn't it?

hethmar

But it wont have that on there Mags! And they will only ask if any thing has been built in the last 5 years.

Mags269

Thanks hethmar, I do see where you are coming from. I was just thinking of people's reaction when they get the plans of the house from the Solicitor, with parts of the property ominously "missing"!