So stressed regarding this situation..advice plz

mummy26

Hi I'm in need of some advice..im currently in process of a house purchase with mortgage sorted and solicitor searches under way everything was going well until the mortgage valuation report came through...it says that a loft conversion has been carried out which does not comply with building regulations requirements and that area isn't considered habitable... I thought loft was converted well wen I saw the house and has stairs and skylight window and is small and I wouldn't use it as a bedroom just for storage ad it's quite small...I'm confused given the above does it mean it's not safe..not done well or broken te law?? I'm so close to completion and this has thrown me off track...any advice plz?

AFK_Matrix

No expert here but I would think that it probably doesn't have building consent to convert it into a bedroom? Have you got any building reg documents from the current owners in regards to the loft conversion?

TOOTHACHE

we viewed a few properties with 'conversions' in the roof, from what I understood - not sure how 100% this is but if it doesn't have enough head height it cannot be deemed a habital space, ie : advertised as a 3rd / 4th bedroom etc...
many of the loft conversions we viewed were regarded simply as loft rooms, playrooms or studies.
has the conversion been described as a bedroom?
also it might have something to do with window size / fire escape etc??

mummy26

No when I viewed the house it wasn't advertised as a bedroom just an additional space..the house is already 3bedroom so not to fussed about the above loft space I just want to make sure it's legal and safe being there and would jut use it to store things not as a bedroom..I don't want to go ahead ad find I could be in trouble with this..sorry jut panicky bait as iv small children and on my own and don't want to risk it financially or safety wise..it looked fine for storage etc

googler

If you're not going to use it as a bedroom, what does it matter?

It was a loft before, you're going to use it as a loft now, right?

What could possibly have been done to make it LESS safe, as a loft, than it is now?

Honestly, I don't see why any of this should be stressful...

mummy26

Reason being they have added a window and stairs which were not there before and iv read it can effect your home insurance if permission not sought?? I just want to be sure that's all hence why I asked.

mildred1978

googler wrote: »

If you're not going to use it as a bedroom, what does it matter?

It was a loft before, you're going to use it as a loft now, right?

What could possibly have been done to make it LESS safe, as a loft, than it is now?

Honestly, I don't see why any of this should be stressful...

Cutting through joists without putting in additional supports? Have you never seen "cowboy builders"?

DTDfanBoy

googler wrote: »

If you're not going to use it as a bedroom, what does it matter?

It was a loft before, you're going to use it as a loft now, right?

What could possibly have been done to make it LESS safe, as a loft, than it is now?

Honestly, I don't see why any of this should be stressful...

There is plenty that could have been done to make the roof unsafe. Chances are the lack of building regs have also devalued the house, so it's little wonder you lender is unwilling to provide the mortgage.

A property down the road from us has been on the market for over a year, it now has an asking price 25% less than several nearly identical properties have sold for during the same period. It goes under offer on a regular basis and comes back on the market when prospective buyers discover that the loft conversion, and large rear extension have no building regs.

mummy26

The mortgage lender is willin to lend the amount..given the report so I'm assuming it prob isn't as bad?

AFK_Matrix

Not sure how much this will help but there is another post on here about a loft not having any building regulations:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3488985

G_M

mummy26 wrote: »

...it says that a loft conversion has been carried out which does not comply with building regulations requirements and that area isn't considered habitable... I thought loft was converted well wen I saw the house and has stairs and skylight window and is small and I wouldn't use it as a bedroom just for storage ad it's quite small...I'm confused given the above does it mean it's not safe..not done well or broken te law?? I'm so close to completion and this has thrown me off track...any advice plz?

Possibly not safe. Impossible to tell without extensive examination eg of floor and roof joists etc. (which were probobly not accessible to the suveyor without removing plastr, floorboards etc).

Probobly not done well. People who do jobs well, tend to get the right paperwork. People who skip getting the paperwork tend to.... yes?

Broken the law? Maybe. Does it say it doesn't comply with current Buildings Regulations (but did at the time of conversion and there's a Certificate to prove it) or that there is NO BRs Certificate? If the latter, then clearly the owners who converted failed to obtain the required Buildings Regulations Certificate so it does not comply with the law.

Does that answer your question?