Buyers survey told to enquire about building regs

ashe

Our buyers homebuyers survey has advised to enquire about building regs as the previous occupant added a bathroom window in 2001. We bought in 2006 and our survey didn’t bring this up, which was also a homebuyers survey.

Is this likely to be an issue? I’ve seen mention of an indemnity - is anything likely to be needed after 17 years?

Surrey_EA

The buyers and their solicitor may insist on an indemnity policy, or they may not. If there are no building regs for the addition of the window I suspect they will insist.

However, unlikely to be very expensive.

Selling property these days is one big paper trail.

ashe

Thanks. My solicitors say this isn’t required as the regs came out in 2002 for windows but it was installed in 2001, buyer says that it will still need them due to creating a new opening etc - I will leave it to his solicitors to discuss with mine if the policy is needed

Surrey_EA

When you say added a window, can you clarify whether there was an existing window that was replaced in 2001, or if an entirely new window opening was created?

AdrianC

You have four basic choices.
1. Buy the indemnity to keep him happy.
2. Try and educate him.
3. Tell him to buy his own indemnity.
4. Tell him where to shove it, you're remarketing.

There's a reasonable chance 2 and 3 will have the same end effect as 4.

ReadingTim

AdrianC wrote: »

You have four basic choices.
1. Buy the indemnity to keep him happy.
2. Try and educate him.
3. Tell him to buy his own indemnity.
4. Tell him where to shove it, you're remarketing.

There's a reasonable chance 2 and 3 will have the same end effect as 4.

If by "reasonable" you mean 50/50, then I'd agree with you. It's probably also reasonable to conclude that if a buyer is going to get spooked by the absence of a meaningless piece of paper, the purpose of which is mainly to cover someone's @rse, then they're also likely to be spooked by some other trivial aspect of the process, leading to a fraught, and probably fruitless attempted sale process.

Therefore them pulling out of said process is probably no great loss.

ashe

The buyer is pretty sound in general and has said it isn’t a deal breaker, he is just enquiring for his own curiosity and completeness.

Surrey_EA

ashe wrote: »

The buyer is pretty sound in general and has said it isn’t a deal breaker, he is just enquiring for his own curiosity and completeness.

Does your buyer need a mortgage?

If yes, then it may not matter what the buyer himself thinks.