buying a house with a missing certificate??

adam197

Hi guys this is my first post so go easy on me. Hopefully i'll be around in the future to try and help other if possible!!

My girlfriend and myself are buying a house in the near future and one of the ones we are looking at says "No building regularisation certificate" for the work completed. How important is this? Will it affect the chances of getting house insurance? How much will it cost to get one done now the work has already been completed and how much damage will it cause internally?

thanks!

G_M

??????????
Without knowing
a) what work was done and
b) whether it was done properly or not

it is impossible to say whether
c) you could now get a certificate or
d) how much it might cost!

The reason Buildings Regs certificates are needed is to ensure cowboy builders don't do dangerous things. If there's no certificate, the first question to ask yourself is, what shortcuts did the builders take and why.

adam197

Thanks for the reply G_M. I should have added more details. This is our first house buy.


The house is a bungalow with a loft converted to have 2 rooms and a bathroom.

I am in Northern Ireland so I am unsure if the rules are different to the rest of the UK. We have not been to see the house yet because of the missing cert hence posting on here to see what our options are if we do see it and indeed decide its the right house!

hcb42

put the onus back on the seller to get it retrospectively or a letter of comfort

G_M

There could be nothing wrong with it except that the owners forgot to get, or didn't know they needed, a certificate.

Or the stairs could be a fire risk, the floor unsafe as the original attic floor was not strengthened for living use, the roof beams may have been removed, the ceiling/walls not insulated, the dormer window may hav been cut into the roof weakening it.........

you get the picture?

Building Regs are not just a way to make owners' lives difficult when they want to build, nor a scheme for councils to charge fees. They are there to protect owners. And buyers!

poppysarah

Missing or never got?