Non Building-Reg Compliant Loft Conversion

RiotBadger

We are interested in buying a house that is listed as a 3-bed but when we went to view we found that there is actually a fourth room (being used as a bedroom) but isn't up to building regulations so isn't actually an official bedroom.

The house appears to have been sold twice but the sales have fallen through and i'm wondering if this is to do with the result of surveys and that loft. We don't need to use it as a fourth bedroom and it'd make a great office or similar.

My question is, do rooms like this cause a significant problem in surveys even if not advertised as a bedroom? What sort of things should I be aware of going forward?

davidmcn

How old is the conversion? Works only need to be compliant with the building regulations which apply at the time they were done. If historic then unlikely (or impossible) for anyone to enforce the lack of paperwork (and such risk as exists is easily covered by an indemnity policy).
More relevant is the quality of what's been done, is it structurally sound, what additional fireproofing or insulation you might want etc.

RiotBadger

I think the work is pretty recent, definitely within the last ten years and seems solid work to me (but i'm no builder!).

I was under the impression that the space would only need to be up to code if used as a bedroom, is that a misnomer?

dunroving

My neighbourhood is chock-full of such properties. Often the lack of compliance is to do with the stair access - compliant access often costs more than the owner is willing to pay. As far as I know, many use the attic room as a bedroom, but as you have indicated, they can't advertise the room as a bedroom.

If it is an access issue, you might want to avoid using as a bedroom in case of fire, but probably no reason to avoid for other use. I regularly spend time in my floored attic (accessed by a pull-down ladder) riding my bike trainer , but as I am awake at the time, the "noncompliant access" isn't an issue to me.

RiotBadger

Thanks, according to the seller it was a staircase access issue. There needed to be a flat section at the second to last step which would have eaten into the ceiling of one of the bedrooms.

Like I say, there are three good sized bedrooms anyway so we really wouldn't need to use it as a bedroom... and the turbo trainer is a great idea!