Building reg indemnity insurance

skiTTish

Hi ,I am in the process of trying to buy my mums house (gone into care )
Thing is ,she had a toilet within the premises but the door was outside ,we put a new loo in and knocked a door through to the inside and blocked up the outside door .As there was no change in use and no change to walls or any extension ,we were told we didn't need any planning permission .

Now I am trying to buy ,my solicitor is advising indemnity insurance ?
Why and should I get it ?
Cheers

Doozergirl

Planning permission and building regs are different things.

You wouldn't need planning permission but you would need building control approval if you were knocking into a supporting wall. Question is - was it a supporting wall?

skiTTish

Nup ,not a supporting wall ,was only breeze block nad plaster

wallbash

,my solicitor is advising indemnity insurance ?

Thats wot solicitor do .. advise ( always the safe option)
You have to decide wether to take the advice .


Personally as you know the house and the potential problem
I would save my money.

skiTTish

wallbash wrote: »

Thats wot solicitor do .. advise ( always the safe option)
You have to decide wether to take the advice .


Personally as you know the house and the potential problem
I would save my money.

thats what I thought too ,but could it cause probs /expense if we ever sold?

Doozergirl

If it wasn't a supporting wall then there was no need for building regs or planning permission, therefore no indemnity insurance is required.

skiTTish

thank you

Richard_Webster

Depends on where the WC opens to now - if to a kitchen etc then that very fact is a breach of the regs so you may have to have the indemnity insurance. If you are buying cash you can take the (very smalll) risk the the Council's buildign inspectors will makea fuss abou it - how will they find out? If you are having a mortgage on the property it is not up to you and if your solicitor thinks a policy is needed from the lender's point of view, then that's it, I'm afraid, unless you can persuade him there is no breach of the regs.

To check whether regs needed ring up Building Control of another Council and put the facts to them and see what they say. If you explain the precise details of where the WC is and what room it opens to then they should be able to tell you. They might even quote chapter and verse from the regulations themselves. if they say it is OK because of regulation so and so then you can go back to your solicitor and quote the regulation to him...

silvercar

Actually the regs now allow kitchen's to open onto WCs (or vice versa) provided there is a door (:eek:) and the WC has a sink.

skiTTish

silvercar wrote: »

Actually the regs now allow kitchen's to open onto WCs (or vice versa) provided there is a door (:eek:) and the WC has a sink.

I know ...our builder told us this and tbh I was shocked:eek:
Its ok though ,the loo opens into the utility so there are 2 doors betwix the loo and kitchen ,wouldnt fancy a loo opening into the kitchen even if it is allowed:eek:

Richard_Webster

silvercar wrote: »

Actually the regs now allow kitchen's to open onto WCs (or vice versa) provided there is a door (:eek:) and the WC has a sink.

OK so OP simply has to convince solicitor that there is no breach of the regs and therefore indemnity policy not needed. Does Silvercar know chapter and verse as to where this is in the regs?