Selling house with unapproved alterations in Scotland

Tonmill

Hi, Could anyone advise me or direct me to where I could find help on this subject:

In 2011 I made my loft into a bedroom without the local authorities approval including a staircase, velux window, radiator, power points plasterboard walls etc. I now need to move house now and wonder what I need to do to be able to sell my house. I am looking for the cheapest option i.e. what is the littlest I need to do regarding the loft or do I need to put everything back as it is on the original house plan?

Any help would be very much appreciated

deedee71

I bought a tenement flat where this had been done by the previous owners. They had to get agreement from everyone else in the tenement and at least one owner demanded a hefty sum for the change of title deeds to allow them to "own" the windows, before selling to me.

Kept me waiting 7 months, it was a terrible time.

The conversion had been there for over 20 years, so all they got from the Council was a letter saying it was ok. As yours is a lot more recent, the Council may want to look at it more closely.

Maybe give your planning dept a call?

TartanSaver

This sounds almost entirely internal, so it probably won't have needed planning permission (unless you live in a conservation area or something.)
http://doineedpermission.co.uk/planning-permission-loft-conversions/

However, it should have had a building warrant. You want a "letter of comfort" from the Council. See http://blog.gspc.co.uk/2013/02/14/what-if-i-dont-have-a-building-warrant-2/
There will be a fee!

fivetide

And did you do it properly?


If the staircase isn't safe or you removed a wall and haven't braced the ceiling to take weight etc you could be in grief.


I can't see any reason why you wouldn't get permission if you were doing it properly so I hope you have. Basing this on the fact we saw a house once where the survey noted "a dip in the upper floor". Turns out the previous owner had enlarged the kitchen downstairs by taking out a supporting wall and not actually bothered to support the ceiling!

Pixie5740

Loft conversions don't usually require planning permission but they should have building regulations approval if you're turning the loft into a habitable space. Did you turn your loft into a habitable space and did you get building regulations approval?


Assuming you didn't get building regulations approval then you cannot market the loft as a habitable space, it will just be marketed as a loft and the property valuation will reflect this.

googler

Contact Planning or Building Control at your local council.

If you can retrospective BC approval, or a Letter of Comfort from the council, you may be OK. Otherwise, I'd suggest 99% of the solicitors in the land would advise their client (buyer) against buying your house.