Need consent from a housing association to turn flat into 2 bed - is this a big deal?

millycww

Hi there
I bought a one bed flat owned by a housing association. The reception room is big and I would like to turn half of the space into a second small bedroom but first need to get consent and am worried this will not be granted. Should I send the housing association measurements and photos of the room with a floorplan showing where the wall and the door will go? I do not need to add any windows and it is straightforward down the middle partition. Still, not sure if they will agree. Any advice, thank you.

theartfullodger

1st try & find out if any of the other flats in the block have been converted & if so present that evidence....

I presume the HA is the freeholder: What does you lease say about their rights for such changes (I can't read it from hear...)

Cheers!

richardw

Will it have its own window?

olly300

One of the issues you have with turning part of a living room into a bedroom is issues with noise nuisance.

Purpose built flats before the 1980s and planned after the early 2000s are normally build so that the living room and kitchen of one flat is next to, above or below the living room and kitchen of the flats around it.

If you convert your part of your living room into a bedroom this would cause potential issues in the future for the HA with noise complaints especially after you moved out.

This means the HA would have to convert the bedroom back to a living room so most freeholders whether HA or otherwise in flats don't allow you to move rooms around like that.

millycww

The flat is a conversion not a purpose built and the bedroom will have its own window but even though it will be quite easy to convert, like Olly300 said, noise is going to be the main issue. I did not think of this and feel like a right fool now.

paddedjohn

If you own the flat then surely putting a stud wall up is upto you and you alone.

richardw

We don't 'own' flats. You just get a lease that gives rights with conditions in the lease, which means you can't do as you like as paddedjohn suggests.

millycww

I know that John hence why I'm asking for consent.

wannahouse

milly, we have a 2 bed flat the we got permission to legally convert to a 3 bed flat...same thing, large living area, and actually works better as a 3 bed..wished we had done that when we lived there!

asides from getting consent from your management company, or HA (we thought there was no way we'd be allowed, but it was easily granted) the main thing you have to worry about is it complying with building regs..!
if you convert it illegally, and there is a fire and someone gets hurt, you do not want to end up in jail!
in our flat, 6 floors up, the problem was it becoming "a room within a room", which essentially meant that the only escape for the occupant of that bedroom, in the event of a fire, would be through the main living/kitchen area ,and hence wouldn't meet building regs...
the council said there was no way they'd pass it, but another guy at building regs said quietly to me to not go direct through the council, but to go through a building control consultancy company, as they are usually good at finding ways to make it work legally!
it cost more, (about £500 ish pounds) but was worth it..
in our case the conversion was allowed because we created a secondary fire escape, by ways of a conceal door (looks like a mirror in both rooms, ) from bed 3 into bed 2. often people have put conceal doors in the back of wardrobes etc too....!
it was all signed off and legal, and we now recieve £400 more a mth in rent on the flat than we did when it was a 2 bed, so totally worth it..
the building controls consultant will give you a list of things you must comply with when you do the work to meet energy requirements and noise requirements, such as having to install sound proofing insulation in the stud wall etc, and they did an inspection towards the end of the build and it was all signed off..
if you are on the ground floor, then it is not a problem having the room within a room as you can escape out of the window, however you will still need to meet building regs on the work, or you will have problems when you sell!
if you want to know which company we used, you are welcome to message me..

millycww

Hello wannahouse,

I tried sending you a private mssage but for some reason it vanished or did you get it? Could you please send me one and I'll reply?

Errata

millycww wrote: »

Hi there
I bought a one bed flat owned by a housing association. The reception room is big and I would like to turn half of the space into a second small bedroom but first need to get consent and am worried this will not be granted. Should I send the housing association measurements and photos of the room with a floorplan showing where the wall and the door will go? I do not need to add any windows and it is straightforward down the middle partition. Still, not sure if they will agree. Any advice, thank you.

How big is "big"? How small is "small"?