Structural engineer for remortgage

Martinjh_2

Hi all, I bought a house back in 2006 and am now looking to remortgage, we cannot get a new one with our current lender as they are no longer taking new bunnies. We have an offer from tesco but after a valuer has been around he suspects that the loft conversion that was completed before we bought the property is suspect and may have left the property unmortguagable, has told us we need a structural engineer to verify the property is safe.

The quote we have had is £1500! Just the check the loft hatch and ensure the roof is stable, is this a fair price or does anyone know of anyone in the burnley area that can help?

Many thanks

Furts

My puzzle is how the home received a mortgage in 2006. Why did this query not arise then?

Was the roof conversion subject to an Application for Buildings Regulations? If so did a Completion Certificate get issued? Again, if so I would have thought that this reasoning would satisfy a mortgage provider.

However if no Application was made or no Completion Certificate issued then I understand the concerns. In essence it will be deemed Cowboy built until evidence is provided to the contrary

Your quote seems high, but I do not know the details. If it came via, or indirectly via, the Tesco valuer, then you may be viewed as a good source of profit for this "extra".

Hope this helps.

Martinjh_2

Thanks furts, we did question the validity of the loft conversion at the time but where told it was irrelivent as the rooms created in the loft were not classed as livable space just, in effect, glorified storage (not classed as bedroom, reception room etc) and as such did not contribute to the value of the house so we had no issue (even with bad credit) getting the mortgage.
Having looked through the paper work unfortunately we cannot find a certificate if we did receive one from the previous owner.

Furts

Martinjh wrote: »

Thanks furts, we did question the validity of the loft conversion at the time but where told it was irrelivent as the rooms created in the loft were not classed as livable space just, in effect, glorified storage (not classed as bedroom, reception room etc) and as such did not contribute to the value of the house so we had no issue (even with bad credit) getting the mortgage.
Having looked through the paper work unfortunately we cannot find a certificate if we did receive one from the previous owner.

This sounds like the previous owner may have been sailing close to the wind. Even "non-habitable" space should be created in a structurally sound and safe means.

Make enquiries at your local authority because there may be records of the conversion. Just because you did not receive a Completion Certificate does not mean that one was never issued. Alternatively there may be partial inspection records to assist your appointed structural engineer.