House purchase - loft space and building regs

Hoploz

I read the comments as saying that despite the floor joists being shallow, the steel beam is doing the job ok.

bris

lastbigspender wrote: »

I relation to this I am purchasing a property which a loft conversion was completed 35 yrs ago with no Building Control (BC) Regs. BC Officer has assessed it as my solicitor has asked for a Certificate but there is quite a bit of work to do. I assume that the BC Officer cannot apply the current regulations but apply the regulations that were at the time of conversion work?

Any work carried out now must be to the current standards.


If it's not been signed off 35 years ago then officially it doesn't exist. Building control will want it done properly.

Doozergirl

lastbigspender wrote: »

I relation to this I am purchasing a property which a loft conversion was completed 35 yrs ago with no Building Control (BC) Regs. BC Officer has assessed it as my solicitor has asked for a Certificate but there is quite a bit of work to do. I assume that the BC Officer cannot apply the current regulations but apply the regulations that were at the time of conversion work?

How have you gotten building control involved?

Current Building Regulations started with the Building Act of 1984. There's a clue in the year.

If it is 35 years old, there's no reason for a certificate to exist and it's ridiculous to get BC involved at this point. It's been stood that long, anything you do should be considered an improvement to something that should only be meausred against its own age.

It certainly shouldn't be expected to meet current regulations at all. What's the point? Are you bring the whole of the rest of the house up to regulations as well?! I'm amazed they're involved. It defies logic.

lastbigspender

Doozergirl wrote: »

How have you gotten building control involved?

Current Building Regulations started with the Building Act of 1984. There's a clue in the year.

If it is 35 years old, there's no reason for a certificate to exist and it's ridiculous to get BC involved at this point. It's been stood that long, anything you do should be considered an improvement to something that should only be meausred against its own age.

It certainly shouldn't be expected to meet current regulations at all. What's the point? Are you bring the whole of the rest of the house up to regulations as well?! I'm amazed they're involved. It defies logic.

I understand what you mean Doozergirl but I had asked at viewing stage with Agent was BC approval got with the loft conversion and he spoke with the vendor who assured him that it had on 2 occasions. I know about BC regs and yes 35 yrs ago may be before the regs came into play but as its a loft conversion I want to be sure that fire regs & health & safety regs have been adhered too.


I also understand that BC officers can make a mountain out of a mole hill but we can never be safe enough and its not as if its a small offer that was made!!