Building regs for Orangery

mylilangel

Having narrowed down a specific area (an estate build over the last 5 years), I have been actively looking for a house to buy there. Nothing to sell, currently renting, and have a good deposit.


There is a house which has just come back on the market after having a Sold STC status for the last 2 months. 4 bed modern detached house built in 2013, with a beautiful orangery extending out of the open plan kitchen into the spacious back garden. Current owners I have been told are relocating due to a change in job, and have already reserved on a new build.


The estate agent for a change communicates honestly and nicely, and he tells me that the buyers pulled out because the orangery did not have building regulations certificate, however it is a built to a high standard and has all the necessary warranty paperwork. The vendors have already offered to buy 'indemnity insurance’. I have requested a viewing anyways.


The Orangery:


a) Has no doors separating the main house (kitchen) from the orangery


b) Has a radiator which is fired by the main central heating


After having looked through various building regs information for orangeries on the internet, and this forum, my questions to the ever so helpful members of the forum are:





1. Would the indemnity insurance cover me if the building regs inspector at a later date asks me to do remedial work?


2. I understand such policies are largely to put the lender’s mind at rest, but are they really actually worth if I were to have problems at a later date, as I have seen some members mentioning such indemnities having a lot of exclusions?


3. How am I to know if the council has already been tipped off, because then such indemnity becomes useless?


4. Does having an Orangery without building regs invalidate your home insurance?


5. Is the heat loss substantial from such structures in winter months? This is not a south facing garden unfortunately, but a north facing one.

6. Does it become a problem again if I come to selling it (i.e. if I buy it in the first place)?


7. Can the buildings regulations inspector enforce remedial work, or demolition of the orangery?



Thanks very much.

mylilangel

Anybody who can advice me on this please? The estate agent says this is a minor issue, and I feel they will now accept a lower offer as well.


However, the fact that the previous buyers pulled out despite having spent money on conveyancing and survey makes me feel it could be serious.


I do not want to go through the same as the previous buyers did, hence the queries to the forum members.


Many thanks.

fashionvictim

I think the removal of the wall and lack of doors is the issue.

Is there anyway they can put the wall back- then assuming it's not over sized it could come under Permitted Development Rights.

However as they did not get planning permission then how do you know the house is properly supported if they have removed the back wall.

Personally I think it would make your house really cold in the winter. If it's north it might not be as bad in summer

This will be a problem for anyone buying- really THEY need to sort it out. I would not buy a house that might be unsafe, if you love it say you'll wait for them to fix it :eek:

silvercar

A north facing orangery in the UK won't produce many oranges, but presumably you realise that and the addition of heating to it confirms that it is cold in winter.

1. Would the indemnity insurance cover me if the building regs inspector at a later date asks me to do remedial work?AIU building regs inspector can only enforce action in the first 12 months.


2. I understand such policies are largely to put the lender’s mind at rest, but are they really actually worth if I were to have problems at a later date, as I have seen some members mentioning such indemnities having a lot of exclusions?The fact that they are so cheap indicates their value.


3. How am I to know if the council has already been tipped off, because then such indemnity becomes useless?It is virtually useless anyway, other than to keep a lender happy. Better not to ask the council.


4. Does having an Orangery without building regs invalidate your home insurance?Not that I've heard unless it is something that is related eg if the back wall of the house fell down because the builders had taken a chunk out of it to open up to the orangery then insurance won't pay. But if you have a flood then the fact you have an orangery is not relevant.


5. Is the heat loss substantial from such structures in winter months? This is not a south facing garden unfortunately, but a north facing one.
Possibly, depends how they are built and the insulation factor of the windows, thickness of the wall etc

6. Does it become a problem again if I come to selling it (i.e. if I buy it in the first place)?Not if you have an indemnity in place, plus it will be years down the line.


7. Can the buildings regulations inspector enforce remedial work, or demolition of the orangery?Planning could give you a fight if it needed planning approval and was within 4 years (12 in circumstances like listed buildings/ change of use. Otherwise they are unlikely to be bothered about something in the back garden.

mylilangel

Thanks very much for the very helpful reply.

Kind regards