Buying house- build over, building regs advice

porgiegeorgie

Chanes wrote: »

the only input I can give you is what you fear about the situation - I wouldn't touch a property with that issue, it isn't like a missing FENSA cert. it is a potential horror. So unless you can get the correct documentation you would lose a cautious buyer at the first hurdle, which reduces your market to sell on immediately.

Being a cautious buyer myself this is what concerns me, I do wonder if I am being too cautious though. I also wouldn't want to mislead anyone in the future, even by omission, knowing there could potentially be something wrong. I will request that the owners try and obtain a retrospective build over agreement and if they refuse to will have to consider pulling out, it's disappointing but doesn't seem worth the potential future hassle.

Sedge123 wrote: »

Can't answer your question but I am reading with interest as we are in exactly the same position. Currently waiting to hear if vendors will pay for indemnity. Wondering whether we could or should offer to pay for it ourselves?

I think it is usually the vendors who pay for the indemnity insurance, but I might be wrong! If it was due to work they'd done though I'd expect them to take the responsibility.

Hoploz

The building inspector makes a series of visits at particular stages of the build. I remember seeing the schedule when we did a similar thing. We built over a pipe too, although don't remember anything about agreements or who owned the pipe, it's a while ago now. But I do remember the bridges, as someone has already said, and we had a rodding point put in at either side of the building. Now it's been mentioned, I also remember a steel reinforcement cage going in the floor as well, but didn't realise until now that was probably the reason!
Point is, the BI comes out at these certain stages to check foundations etc. Lack of completion certificate only indicates the final sign-off visit never took place after occupation ... It could be that all other visits took place. There could be many reasons why a certificate wasn't issued. Could be they never bothered getting one, could be the BI asked for extra work the builder couldn't be bothered with. You have, I think, established at least that an application was made, so it wasn't that they were stupid enough to think they could do just as they liked chucking bricks up without any intervention, which is something.

Hoploz

P.S. if it comes down to an indemnity, I would argue that as they were personally responsible for lacking paperwork, they should cough up for the policy. It's not as if they bought the house after the work was done by a previous owner.

Chanes

porgiegeorgie wrote: »

Being a cautious buyer myself this is what concerns me, I do wonder if I am being too cautious though. I also wouldn't want to mislead anyone in the future, even by omission, knowing there could potentially be something wrong. I will request that the owners try and obtain a retrospective build over agreement and if they refuse to will have to consider pulling out, it's disappointing but doesn't seem worth the potential future hassle.



I think it is usually the vendors who pay for the indemnity insurance, but I might be wrong! If it was due to work they'd done though I'd expect them to take the responsibility.

Anyone can pay for an indemnity, it's a conversation you'd have with whoever. You sound like a good guy too, many would try and hoodwink some poor soul in a future purchase by some form of deception. Your instinct should be your guide, once you've signed to exchange whatever happens after that will be all yours to deal with and at the moment, disappointing as it is, you have the luxury of walking away if it cannot be made right.

Sedge123

We have made the decision to go ahead on ours as long as the vendors put the indemnity in place. Apparently the pipe only goes under the corner of the extension.

Interestingly when you look at the Thames water plans this same pipe actually goes underneath at least 10 of the original properties in the road so i would imagine they will do everything possible not to have to dig up this pipe.