Mortgage on a borderline habitable house

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Hi folks,

I am currently looking at purchasing a property that was recently in use as an office, but prior to that was a house and has planning to convert it back to a house again.

Because the house has been used as an office it does not have a bath/shower (although has a few working toilets and sinks. Also it has a "kitchen area" that has a stainless steel kitchen sink and worktop areas but no cooker etc.

AIUI to get a mortgage on the property it needs to be "habitable" but many banks & building societies don't define what needs to be present in a kitchen / bathroom or perhaps don't readily share it. I have read some people say "a sink and a toilet" will be ok for a bathroom and others say you need a bath or shower..... whilst some people say "a sink and a microwave in a worktop" would be classed as a kitchen......

Does anyone on here have experience / knowledge of such a situation and could offer advice? Are there any "usual suspects" that we might be able to try for a mortgage that are a bit more flexible / forgiving?

amnblog

an auction property?

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Hi amnblog, no not an auction property, up for sale with an EA.

HappyMJ

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

Hi folks,

I am currently looking at purchasing a property that was recently in use as an office, but prior to that was a house and has planning to convert it back to a house again.

Because the house has been used as an office it does not have a bath/shower (although has a few working toilets and sinks. Also it has a "kitchen area" that has a stainless steel kitchen sink and worktop areas but no cooker etc.

AIUI to get a mortgage on the property it needs to be "habitable" but many banks & building societies don't define what needs to be present in a kitchen / bathroom or perhaps don't readily share it. I have read some people say "a sink and a toilet" will be ok for a bathroom and others say you need a bath or shower..... whilst some people say "a sink and a microwave in a worktop" would be classed as a kitchen......

Does anyone on here have experience / knowledge of such a situation and could offer advice? Are there any "usual suspects" that we might be able to try for a mortgage that are a bit more flexible / forgiving?

A kitchen just requires a sink with a working water supply and drainage. You can bring your own cabinets which would have a worktop. It doesn't need a cooker but it needs to have some way of fitting a cooker. An electrical outlet is all that is needed.

A bathroom just requires a working toilet. You can wash your hands in the kitchen sink. An actual bath or shower is not required.

engineer_amy

someone on another post advised they had experience of something similar. The lender would only offer a mortgage once the surveyor had evidence that the kitchen contained a sink and a plug socket 'that a cooker could be plugged into'. that was their only requirement. I don't think he mentioned the lender.

kingstreet

Speak to a surveyor and establish what will be required.

Colleys is the LBG in-house survey firm;-

http://www.colleys.co.uk/help-support/contact-us/

Lifes_Grand_Plan

HappyMJ wrote: »

A kitchen just requires a sink with a working water supply and drainage. You can bring your own cabinets which would have a worktop. It doesn't need a cooker but it needs to have some way of fitting a cooker. An electrical outlet is all that is needed.

A bathroom just requires a working toilet. You can wash your hands in the kitchen sink. An actual bath or shower is not required.

Thanks HappyMJ, can I ask where this info came from please?

The lender I asked yesterday was noncommittal on the kitchen point but did say it would need a bath or shower. I guess different lenders have dissent policies and definitions though....

Lifes_Grand_Plan

kingstreet wrote: »

Speak to a surveyor and establish what will be required.

Colleys is the LBG in-house survey firm;-

http://www.colleys.co.uk/help-support/contact-us/

LBG? Sorry don't know what that is....

HappyMJ

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

Thanks HappyMJ, can I ask where this info came from please?

The lender I asked yesterday was noncommittal on the kitchen point but did say it would need a bath or shower. I guess different lenders have dissent policies and definitions though....

Lending criteria of some banks. As you said they're all different.

Could you install a bath or shower easily? They should approve the mortgage but keep a retention. You do the work and they release the money.

You could connect a shower to the taps on the kitchen sink and place a shower tray next to it. Doesn't need to be fitted/tiled or even look pretty....it's a shower. I imagine the tray would have to be connected to the drain under the sink but that's not going to take too long to connect that. Half an hour and that'll be sorted.

kingstreet

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

LBG? Sorry don't know what that is....

Lloyds Banking Group;-

Lloyds
Halifax
Bank Of Scotland
Scottish Widows Bank
TSB...

Owain_Moneysaver

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

I am currently looking at purchasing a property that was recently in use as an office, but prior to that was a house and has planning to convert it back to a house again.

Because it's change of use, you have to meet current building regulations. Until you get that signed off by building control the building is still an office and not a habitable dwelling. This is different from a house which is uninhabitable due to dereliction, where there is no change of use and where lender's discretionary requirements apply.

You will require:
- fixed sink with hot and cold running water (an over-sink electric water heater is acceptable)
- cupboard and worktop
- space and connection point for a gas or electric cooker
- space and socket for a fridge
- fixed bath or shower with means of heating water (electric shower acceptable)
- fixed toilet
- fixed hand wash basin (with h & c as kitchen)

You may also require extractor fans in the bathroom / toilet / kitchen.