building completion certificate

sx_turbo

just about to exchange contracts on a house me and my partner are buying, and suddenly there is a problem.

the problem is to do with the building completion certificate for the extension.

The extension was built back in 1994 and was built because the then owners wife became disabled. somewhere down the line the certificate seems to have been lost, as the house has been sold twice since the building work was done.

there is full planning permision granted for the extension though.

now...

because the extension was built back in 1994 the local council (braintree) dont keep records over 15 years old. apparently all they keep is the planning permision.

does this sound about right to people on here, or am i being fed duff information.

the solicitor has said that according to the latest conveyencing rule book, if the extension existed before the current owners moved into the house then it is not down to them to provide a certificate etc.

the survey didnt report any structual problems, or fears, and the extension has so far lasted 17 years.

what are your thoughts on this please?

G_M

My own council do not keep electronic records earlier than... whatever date...., but if you go in or write and ask, they will nip down to their records dept and dig out the paper copies.

I find it hard to believe acouncil does not keep these records at all. Ask them?

See also this thread..

sx_turbo

yeah i have phoned up twice today and twice i have been given the same answer.

martinsurrey

I had the same issue on a house with an extension from 1984.

Surveyor said all was good, (well not going to fall down), so we went ahead.

martinsurrey

G_M wrote: »

My own council do not keep electronic records earlier than... whatever date...., but if you go in or write and ask, they will nip down to their records dept and dig out the paper copies.

I find it hard to believe acouncil does not keep these records at all. Ask them?

See also this thread..

My council will freely admit that their paper records are incomplete andquite frankly in a state, so they don’t rely on them at all, they wouldn’t assumebecause a document isn’t there, that it wasn’t there at some point, and so wouldn’traise proceedings based on them.

G_M

Good grief!

pmlindyloo

sx_turbo wrote: »

just about to exchange contracts on a house me and my partner are buying, and suddenly there is a problem.

the problem is to do with the building completion certificate for the extension.

The extension was built back in 1994 and was built because the then owners wife became disabled. somewhere down the line the certificate seems to have been lost, as the house has been sold twice since the building work was done.

there is full planning permision granted for the extension though.

now...

because the extension was built back in 1994 the local council (braintree) dont keep records over 15 years old. apparently all they keep is the planning permision.

does this sound about right to people on here, or am i being fed duff information.

the solicitor has said that according to the latest conveyencing rule book, if the extension existed before the current owners moved into the house then it is not down to them to provide a certificate etc.

the survey didnt report any structual problems, or fears, and the extension has so far lasted 17 years.

what are your thoughts on this please?

Never heard of this. Richard Webster who posts on here may be able to help as regards this - keep 'bumping up' your post so it doesn't get 'lost.'

However, the main thing is that it is structurally sound.

Since you have already contacted the council then an indemnity insurance isn't valid, which is the usual way round this.

The only problem that may arise is that if you sell it some mortgage lenders will insist on an indemnity policy which isn't a problem.

lincroft1710

If your council was created by a merger of 2 existing councils or became a unitary authority within the last 10 or so years and especially if they moved premises, it is a fair assumption that certain "dead" records were either lost or ordered destroyed.

I know this happened after the 1974 local government organisation.

sx_turbo

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Never heard of this. Richard Webster who posts on here may be able to help as regards this - keep 'bumping up' your post so it doesn't get 'lost.'

However, the main thing is that it is structurally sound.

Since you have already contacted the council then an indemnity insurance isn't valid, which is the usual way round this.

The only problem that may arise is that if you sell it some mortgage lenders will insist on an indemnity policy which isn't a problem.

this is exactly what the solicitor sent me when i was questioning her:

"The reason the Solicitors did not do more than say they had no paperwork is because of the new “conveyancing quality scheme” procedures, whereby if work was carried out before you purchased a property then it is no longer down to you to obtain copy documentation if you don’t have it (or words to that effect). There is probably a proviso for work having been done within just a few years ago"

sx_turbo

Bump to the top:j