Building Control Completion Certificate Not Required/Provided?

Snich76

We have recent finished a major renovation with rear/side extension as well as full rewire and new boiler etc.

We submitted plans to the Council Building Control (under permitted development) for a loft conversion as well as the extension as we thought we may go in the loft at some point in the next few years and get all the permissions in place at the same time, however subsequently decided to only do the extension for now.

Now that the work has finished, the Gas Safe Certificate is through and the EIC all in order, and just had our final inspection from BC. All appears to be ok but the Council have said that they will not issue a completion certificate for the extension as we didn't do the loft work at the same time and because they were all part of the same plans/permission, they cant issue a certificate as they say the work hasn't been completed, even though its a completely different part of the house.

Surely they can (and are required to) provide a Building Control Completion Certificate for just the extension/ground floor? Can they really withhold a completion certificate just because work on part of the original plans (that were on a different level) were not carried out? If we decide not to do the loft and decided to sell I assume the buyers solicitors will want to see a completion certificate for the extension which we will not have and that doesn't seem right to me.

I will be speaking to BC on Monday but just wondering if anyone had come across this before?

Owain_Moneysaver

Permitted development is a planning regulation, not a building regulation. They are completely separate.

If you have put in a building control application for extension and loft, then you will not get a completion certificate until you have completed all the work on that application. If you don't want to do the loft conversion now then file an application to amend the plans, simply removing the loft work. You can then get a completion certificate for the extension.

Planning permission for the loft will remain in force (although this may be time limited) but if you or a future owner want to convert the loft a new building regs application will be required to the standards then in force.

rxbren

Completion certificate = completed all building work on planning permission

The planning for rest of the build should stay active for years as you have 3 years to start the building work and as your extension is up you have fullfilled that part

Snich76

Ok I see. Will a lack of completion certificate cause problems if we come to sell the property down the line? Do buyers solicitors insist on having this as part of their conveyancing duties (if so, without it we cannot sell the property!)?

I probably know the answer to this already, but does a completion certificate get sent to us after the 3 year cut off, by which time the work would have deemed to have been completed as the loft couldn't be done without submitting further application?

jbainbridge

It won't stop you selling the house but you will probably need to provide an indemnity ... if you can wrap it up cleanly now it will be easier in the future. Also not having the cert will of course put a seed of doubt in any buyer's mind.