What makes a converted loft officially an extra bedroom?

Cheeselady

JQ. wrote: »

As above, it would have had to be compliant with building regs when converted and have a certificate to prove as much. It does not have to be compliant with building regs now, so long as it was and was verified at the time of completion.

It does not necessarily have to have had planning permission - building regs is the big stumbling block.

Are there any guidelines about what you can use a loft for? ie if it has a pull down ladder with hatch, can it be used as a bedroom? Sorry for so many questions, we are in the very early stages of buying a house with a converted loft, and I'm just trying to find out all I can about them. Thanks

Cheeselady

JQ. wrote: »

There is no chance that is building regs compliant.

Thanks, not really what I was wanting to hear, lol. We haven't done any searches yet for building regs, etc, we are still waiting for confirmation that the vendor has their mortgage. So it's not looking good re the loft from the sound of it, is it? What can you use a loft for then, if it has an extending ladder? It has a window put in, not sure about anything else until we check for building regs.

tyllwyd

Cheeselady wrote: »

... There is a pull-down extending ladder, but the room is used as a bedroom at the moment, and we would wish to continue using it as such.

Sounds like a can of worms to me - the big problem is fire safety, would you be happy for someone to sleep up there with only a loft ladder for escape? Is there any other means of exit in an emergency?

Are you happy that the work has been done to the right standard - have joists been strengthened, has the roof been insulated?

How long ago was the conversion done?

Cheeselady

tyllwyd wrote: »

Sounds like a can of worms to me - the big problem is fire safety, would you be happy for someone to sleep up there with only a loft ladder for escape? Is there any other means of exit in an emergency?

Are you happy that the work has been done to the right standard - have joists been strengthened, has the roof been insulated?

How long ago was the conversion done?

No there is no other means of exit in an emergency, just the extending ladder. We have no idea of the standard of the work, we are waiting for confirmation of the vendor's mortgage acquisition, and then our solicitor would search for any building regs etc. I have no idea when the conversion was done, but the window does look pretty newish, the house was built in 1955.

So a loft with just a pull down ladder, can it be used as a playroom, is it just the sleeping in there that's a problem? Thanks

Owain_Moneysaver

Cheeselady wrote: »

Are there any guidelines about what you can use a loft for? ie if it has a pull down ladder with hatch, can it be used as a bedroom?

If it has not been properly and legally converted then it is a loft, i.e. the space between the top floor ceiling and the underside of the roof.

The joists holding up the ceiling will be sized for precisely that purpose - to hold up the ceiling. They are not designed or intended to support heavy stored items, floorboards, people, etc. Neither will the house's foundations and internal walls have been designed to carry the extra weight of an extra storey.

An fixed ladder does not convert a loft into a habitable room, neither does a window, nor does plasterboarding it all out. However if you do any two of those, then Building Control may presume that the loft has been altered with the intention of creating a habitable room and may require the work to be redone to Building Regulations standards.

Cheeselady

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

If it has not been properly and legally converted then it is a loft, i.e. the space between the top floor ceiling and the underside of the roof.

The joists holding up the ceiling will be sized for precisely that purpose - to hold up the ceiling. They are not designed or intended to support heavy stored items, floorboards, people, etc. Neither will the house's foundations and internal walls have been designed to carry the extra weight of an extra storey.

An fixed ladder does not convert a loft into a habitable room, neither does a window, nor does plasterboarding it all out. However if you do any two of those, then Building Control may presume that the loft has been altered with the intention of creating a habitable room and may require the work to be redone to Building Regulations standards.

Thanks, that's really helped, I am gathering information at the moment, as I need to make sure it is safe to use, and like I say, once we have confirmaiton of the vendor's mortgage, we will be going ahead with a check on building regs and also a full survey, but it is sounding a bit iffy from the replies on here. :eek:

Owain_Moneysaver

Cheeselady wrote: »

So a loft with just a pull down ladder, can it be used as a playroom, is it just the sleeping in there that's a problem? Thanks

The law does not differentiate between sleeping and non-sleeping accommodation because there is always the possibility that someone will sleep in a living room.

With a pull down ladder you can use the loft for storage. That is all.

And in the event of a fire the stairwell will act as a chimney and the hot fumes will fill the loft quickly. The chances of children, who are likely to be scared/confused/excited, being able to find the ladder and understand that they have to climb down into the fire to escape, before they get asphyxiated, are approximately nil.

kk20

If there are no building regs then your mortgage provider may ask you for an insurance indemnity policy. Planning permission breaches also have a time limit with regard to enforcement. If it has been like that for years (and can be proved - possibly if you moved into the house with it already there) then you are fine.

Building regs are more important. If you put your foot through the floor and the roof falls in then your insurance might not pay out. Building regs prove that the work is safe and to standard, planning permission shows that you are allowed to do the work. Most modern loft conversions dont need planning permission but the building regs still stand - it needs to be both safe and up to standard (floor strength, emergency exits etc as has already been mentioned)

Cheeselady

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The law does not differentiate between sleeping and non-sleeping accommodation because there is always the possibility that someone will sleep in a living room.

With a pull down ladder you can use the loft for storage. That is all.

And in the event of a fire the stairwell will act as a chimney and the hot fumes will fill the loft quickly. The chances of children, who are likely to be scared/confused/excited, being able to find the ladder and understand that they have to climb down into the fire to escape, before they get asphyxiated, are approximately nil.

Thanks, lol, I actually got goosebumps reading that! My 'child' is actually nearly 18, but yep can see what you are saying, need to seriously think about this now, as the the loft was going to be his bedroom, so not sure what to do now.

JimmyTheWig

A beedroom needs a fixed stairway.
If the access is via a ladder then it can't be described as a bedroom.

I agree that you generally don't need planning permission for a loft conversion but you do need building regs for any work of this sort whether for a bedroom or not.