Completion cert/building regs

mrsmchapman

Sorry another question on this.

The house we are buying as a two storey and garage extension and rear single storey extension. Planning was applied for and approved for all the works and I've seen this on the council website. When asking for the building regs her solicitor said oh let's not worry it was built back in 1986, quite rightly my solicitor stated he wanted these regs before exchange. Now we saw the seller yesterday and she has submitted everything she has to get solicitor regarding the house and assumes a building cert is in their but as this was something her deceased husband dealt with she's not 100% sure. I have looked for the building regs online but sadly they don't go back that far online.

So what happens if they can't find them?

Thanks again

martinsurrey

mrsmchapman wrote: »

Sorry another question on this.

The house we are buying as a two storey and garage extension and rear single storey extension. Planning was applied for and approved for all the works and I've seen this on the council website. When asking for the building regs her solicitor said oh let's not worry it was built back in 1986, quite rightly my solicitor stated he wanted these regs before exchange. Now we saw the seller yesterday and she has submitted everything she has to get solicitor regarding the house and assumes a building cert is in their but as this was something her deceased husband dealt with she's not 100% sure. I have looked for the building regs online but sadly they don't go back that far online.

So what happens if they can't find them?

Thanks again

Ipersonally (and I bought a house with a 1984 extension without the paper) wouldbe more interested in what the survey said, than the lack/presence of abuilding control letter.

Back thencompletion certificates were not issued as a formality so one might have never existedand the records of the council may be incomplete, so you might not even findout if it ever was inspected.

BUT the extension has stoodfor 27 years, since then any real structural problems (that building control would have prevented) would have come out by now, anywiring/plumbing will have been replaced, or need it soon.

mrsmchapman

Thanks for the reply.

The heating and plumbing needs updating, whichever we knew about on viewings and expected this to come up in the survey.

They survey showed no other problems, it did of course mention the garage and that the house had been extended but gave the garage a rating of 1- no concerns.


Of course in the report he stated to obtain all necessary regulations from the seller via the solicitor.

I'm hoping to hear back from the solicitor today and see what he advises but I also like to get opinion here so I know how to reply back to him and what to ask for and about.

mrsmchapman

Also would it affect our mortgage if we didn't have these building regs? Would the solicitor have to advise the mortgage company? And would it affect re-sale, although we don't intend on moving for a very very long time, no one can ever been 100% certain.

Richard_Webster

Also would it affect our mortgage if we didn't have these building regs? Would the solicitor have to advise the mortgage company? And would it affect re-sale, although we don't intend on moving for a very very long time, no one can ever been 100% certain.

Theoretically it would be a concern to a lender - but some e.g. Nationwide BS, are not concerned about work more than 10 years old.

In practice the way forward is for your solicitor to write a letter to the lender pointing out that survey revealed no real issues but he cannot completely guarantee 100% compliance with the regulations. Then go on to say that as a solicitor cannot give advice about structural matters but their surveyor may feel that after this length of time it was unlikely there would be a problem. In my experience surveyor usually confirms to lender that is the case and they confirm they will go ahead,

mrsmchapman

Thank you Richard for your reply, I will suggest this to te solicitor when we speak this afternoon

martinsurrey

mrsmchapman wrote: »

Thank you Richard for your reply, I will suggest this to te solicitor when we speak this afternoon

and also point out that the issues isn’t that the build isn’t to regulations, but that it’s not known if it has regulations, and there may not be a way to ascertain either way.