No viewings in a month - "illegal" loft conversion

dancingfairy

Hi. I've just skim read your thread so apologies if I'm missing the mark here.
You appear to have already contacted the council and enquired about building regs? I guess this mean you then can't offer an indemnity policy? If so it might be worth investigating how much it would cost to get the loft conversion sorted. If it's relatively cheap to get some sort of sign off, it would probably be worth doing. If it is going to involve work then maybe you will have to knock that amount off the asking price (depending on how desperate you are to sell)?
Can you find out what neighbours have done to theres?
Best of Luck
df

welshgirl78

Thanks again all, this has really helped to clarify things.

Dancingfairy I rang building regs and left a message - then read the advice so just told them it was for someone else. So hopefully the imdenity insurance path is still open to us I think I'll have a wander and ask the other houses what they've done, which might throw up some ideas.

In the mean time I have adapted the descriptions (NOT calling the loft room a bed room - don't worry!) and am going to ask to remove the floor plan. That way we will hopefully get some viewers and people can then make up their own minds.

Thank you also for the comments about photos etc, I will remove the one that is essentially a compost bin! I will also try to make the other improvements suggested and get some more taken.

I will also have that glass of wine

yoyoegg

Yours has waste of time written all over it

In a buyers market (we can say Nottingham is that!), then there's definitely a problem that the description, pics and labels don't make sense.

Unless you nail down whether the attic bedroom is legal (at the time is was created), mortgage lenders won't come up with the money for a 2-bed, when realistically it's a one bed.

Pretending that you can walk in the front door into a bedroom is a non-starter IMHO.

notanewuser

What's the reason for selling, OP? Might it be better to stay out and do some work to improve/extend the house?

Alan2020

Lovely well kept house from the pictures, lots of TLC given to it
The reason the house is not selling IMHO is simple;

The layout was carried out by someone who doesn't understand the market.

1. Bathroom is way too big for what is essentially a one bed house.

If I were the owners I would reinstate Bed 2 upstairs where it was originally by the looks of things and possibly have a shower room upstairs or have a downstairs bathroom.

If they had money, do the loft conversion and have a master bedroom with ensuite up there and a smaller shower room and bed 2 on the second floor

Hope this helps

alwaystryyourbest

Alan2020 wrote: »

Lovely well kept house from the pictures, lots of TLC given to it
The reason the house is not selling IMHO is simple;

The layout was carried out by someone who doesn't understand the market.

1. Bathroom is way too big for what is essentially a one bed house.

If I were the owners I would reinstate Bed 2 upstairs where it was originally by the looks of things and possibly have a shower room upstairs or have a downstairs bathroom.

If they had money, do the loft conversion and have a master bedroom with ensuite up there and a smaller shower room and bed 2 on the second floor

Hope this helps

Just what I was thinking bathroom is way to big should be a bedroom,and bathroom moved somewhere....loft rooms done properly with all plans etc...mostly always add money..good luck..

hcb42

I know the area and the row of cottages very well, it is a lovely area.
Looked at a fewm myself now

You def have a one bedder here, with two receptions and a loft room. You should market it as such or get the building regs sorted

DRP

yoyoegg wrote: »

In a buyers market (we can say Nottingham is that!), then there's definitely a problem that the description, pics and labels don't make sense.

Unless you nail down whether the attic bedroom is legal (at the time is was created), mortgage lenders won't come up with the money for a 2-bed, when realistically it's a one bed.

Pretending that you can walk in the front door into a bedroom is a non-starter IMHO.

what i have seen fairly often is the EA's description as a 'boarded loft room' and the photo shows a beautifully arranged double bedroom in the loft. Perfectly legal and everyone knows where they stand.

JQ.

DRP wrote: »

what i have seen fairly often is the EA's description as a 'boarded loft room' and the photo shows a beautifully arranged double bedroom in the loft. Perfectly legal and everyone knows where they stand.

But the reason that creates an issue for the OP is that their house is then listed as a 1 bed house on Rightmove. Most people looking for a 2 bed house will "filter" out 1 bedders on Rightmove, so they won't even see this house. And this is exactly the reason the EA has said the lounge is a bedroom.

JimmyTheWig

The entrance room isn't a bedroom.
The loft room isn't a bedroom.
The bathroom isn't a bedroom.

It _is_ a one bedroom house.

I know marketting it as a one bed house will reduce the number of people who find it, but I don't see an alternative short of converting it, properly, into a two bed.


I think the kitchen is lovely, and the bathroom is huge.