Garage Conversion

rdcox

Hi,

I am looking into the possibility of converting my detached double garage into a self contained one bedroom flat to let out. The house is located at the top of a hillside with the garage about 10 metres away further down with a steep driveway of approx 15 metres leading up to it.

I also have the potential to add a new garage or parking spaces at the bottom of the hillside which would be a lot safer than the current layout.

Is it fairly straightforward getting planning permission to do this and secondly would this need to be treated as a separate dwelling with its own council tax / utilities or could they be run off the main house. I'd rather let it out on a lodging basis rather than a tenancy if possible.

Any advice gratefully received.

Red_dog_Sam

Just from a Council Tax perspective, it would be treated as a separate dwelling if it is self contained - the Valuation Office Agency would assess it once completed to determine what band should be charged.

LisaW123

Give your local council a ring and ask to speak to the duty planning officer. They are usually very helpful and should be able to give you an idea if this is a goer straight away, before you spend any money.

Hezzawithkids

We recently used these guys:

Garage Conversion Company

and during there sales/no-obligation-quoting process we discussed planning permission requirements - though there's no definitive answer until its actually applied for. Granted though our conversion was a straightforward one - our garage is now an additional reception room - so PP was not required. But they might be able to share the benefit of their experience with you before you decide to go ahead.

Richard_Webster

Give your local council a ring and ask to speak to the duty planning officer. They are usually very helpful and should be able to give you an idea if this is a goer straight away, before you spend any money.

You must do this. It is by no means a foregone conclusion and you will fell very stupid if you spend a lot of money and then find you can't sell it and letting it could bring an enforcement notice from the Council.

rdcox

Thanks for the info. Obviously would have to get planning and building regs sorted out before anything else but where would I stand with utilities - at the moment I have an electric supply from the main house and the gas meter is situated on the garage so no problem there but as it would be treated as a separate dwelling would I need separate utilities installed as well or could I continue to run them off from my house and include in any rent?

Also, if I later chose to not let out the conversion but instead had it as a home office would council tax then not be applicable?

Cheers
Richard

lincroft1710

Some councils only allow such conversions if they are going to be occupied by an aged or disabled member of the family.

Plenty of conversions have no separate mains utilities, but you need to check with building regs as to what current requirements are.

As regards potentially using the conversion as a home office I would cross that bridge if and when you come to it, as legislation may change before that time. It will depend on the exact use of the conversion.

LisaW123

I think you are running ahead a little here. Your first step really should be to speak to your local planning officer. As your garage is separate from your house, there is a good chance they will not grant permission for a change of use to a dwelling. The only person who can give you some pointers in regard to your particular council's attitude to such developments is your planning officer and their advice is free. I would definitely avail myself of it before taking your plans any further. If my some chance you did get the green light, I would imagine a separate dwelling would require separate utilities.

Red_dog_Sam

Once the conversion was complete you would end up paying Council tax on it if you did not let it out.
It would be classed as a separate dwelling if it is self-contained with its own living area, cooking, washing and toilet facilities. This includes an annex physically separated from the rest of the property. Sharing common services (e.g. if you use the same water \ elec \ gas supply) or a planning stipulation that it

cannot be sold on its own would not prevent it being classed self-contained.
The annex is only likely to attract an empty discount - a reduction of as little as 10% - if it is unoccupied so using it just as a home office could prove costly.
If it was let out, the tenant would be liable for any council tax.
Let out only to full time students or used as a granny annex for a dependent relative and there are exemptions available.

Richard_Webster

Silly not to have separate service meters if you are thinking of letting it - you wouldn't want arguments with the tenant about how much electricity he is using etc.

However this is all for the future - find out whether it is a runner at all first by talking to the planners.