So stressed regarding this situation..advice plz

mummy26

Thank u for all your replies really appreciate it... Just had a look throughout the paperwork and loft was converted in 2000 nearly 11yrs ago...

ruggedtoast

You have to apply for planning permission to put a loft in, or you did in 2000, that will show up on the searches. I presume the mortgage company are still lending are they? If not its become a moot point.

If you have just had a valuation survey I recommend you have at least a homebuyers survey, which will tell you if the house is safe.

G_M

ruggedtoast wrote: »

You have to apply for planning permission to put a loft in, or you did in 2000, that will show up on the searches. I presume the mortgage company are still lending are they? If not its become a moot point.

If you have just had a valuation survey I recommend you have at least a homebuyers survey, which will tell you if the house is safe.

Don't think this is true (might be wrong.....). In a Conservation area, or for a Listed Building, yes. Maybe if adding a dormer window (skylight probobly OK).

But Building Regulations - yes.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

mummy26 wrote: »

does it mean it's not safe..not done well or broken te law??

Chances are it's some relatively minor breach of regulations such as a stairway being too steep or a door being too narrow.

If the mortgage lender is still willing to proceed I wouldn't worry about it all that much, but for your peace of mind best to get a survey done to identify what exactly it is and that it's safe. That shouldn't delay things more than a few days, and will only cost a few hundred quid.

If you can prove it's safe, aren't counting on it as another bedroom, and it hasn't proved a problem for your lender, it shouldn't really effect the value.

mummy26

Thanks for the useful replies..after much search I really like the house and prob won't even use the loft.. It was a pull out type but was converted for extra storage in yr 2000 and a narrow staicase was added and small sky window and definitely not enough room for bed etc so perfect for a few boxes..checked all search paperwork and said no relevant paperwork for it and no permission sought but that was 11yes ago and I'm thnkng surely not that bad as it looked in good condition? I feel I'm so close to it and has been a rough ride juggling things so got a bit stressed over this as it's not something I knw much about.. The mortgage survey also valued it as same as what I'm paying.. So I'm thinking if was serious the lenders wouldn't give me the money .. Am I being naive?

trueblue61

i am a builder and have been gutting and renovating houses for years. if your lender is prepared to give you a mortgage having had copies of searches/surveys etc then dont worry, probably the estate agent listed the property as 3bed as you say..if the relevant planning had been submitted by the previous occupants/ owners at the time the conversion was done and checked and passed by building inspector then the property could and would have been advertised as a 3/4 bed (with attic room/study/bedroom ) with added value / cost.
i have converted attics for several customers and without relevant planning, which you DO need if you wish to use the room as a bedroom ( or sell as stated above ) then access has to be a fixed secure staircase and with a window in the roof that will allow escape in case of say fire or allow resue services to gain access.
simple way to check if the attic floor has been strengthened with thicker joists get a tape measure and measure the distance between the ceiling below ( landing ceiling ) and the surface of the loft floor. typical joists that just support a landing celing are only about 3inches thick anything more and the ceiling has probably been cross braced with thicker joists held with joist hangers.
when householders just use the attic for storing junk they tend to just lay 1/2 inch thick chipboard ( loftboards acroos the original joists.
if thats the case most loads/weight are spread across the floor/loft space..so unless you plan to store bull elephants up there then your fine,,
P.s. your loft window is probably a VELOUX, if so its designed to comply with all building regs requirements..google veloux windows to compare what you have..any more help give us an e-mail ( [EMAIL="homestyle61@hotmail.com"]homestyle61@hotmail.com[/EMAIL]
now relax,get out the housewarming vino and enjoy your new home..!!

DocProc

Ask a "Building consultant" or a reputable builder to check it out with an inspection.

I would agree with a previous poster who has the opinion that there might be a technicality breach of some sort, like stairs to it are of wrong construction type or method or steepness.

It may or may not be anything to do with an unsafe roof but you really need to find out what is 'wrong' somehow, don't you?

cubanbetty

erm - if your a builder trueblue 61 then you will know that you dont need planning for sleeping accomodation only if its making certian changes to the roof piptch, pover looking a highway and other such related things but you always need buiding regs... and its velux not veloux!
mummy26 i know this is a bit late but you may find some releif if you have bought the house... you do need building regs for the loft to be a habitable space - the definition of which does not include storage - the fact the house doesnt have building regs is not really a concern if you arent going to use it for sleeping or any heavy loading! the concern would be that sufficient support has been provided around the opening to the stair and velux such as the use of trimmers to ensure the structural integrity remains.
if at a later date you were to use this space for sleeping acomodation you would need an intrusive survey (if plans are not available of the work already carried out) and would likely need to upgrade doors etc in the house so that it meets fire regs.

i wouldnt panic too much - my parents did a loft conversion and they got building regs approval for everything except the fire safety aspect of things - as such the loft room cannot be sold as a bedroom only a games room or such like