Asking to change house types within a development

Bionic6103

Hi everyone,

I think I already know the answer to this but thought it was worth asking seeing as a quick search didn't show up anyone asking this previously. I've attempted to type this up a few times now and upon reading back, I feel I'm not explaining it very well but here goes...

I have found a local development that I would like to move to. There are 3 house types that I am interested in but I'm a little unsure about them due to not ticking all the right boxes. I know the developers offer another house type on some of the other developments that they have and this house type ticks all the boxes.

Would there be any point in asking if they would be willing to build one of the 'ideal' house types on the development or would that not even be entertained?

Sorry if it's not really making much sense, I'm struggling to understand it myself after reading it back.

elsien

I understand what you're asking - what is the difference between the house type you want and those that they are offering in your preferred location?
I'm guessing planning permission has already been granted, as the decision may no longer be the developers to make.

Bionic6103

I was ideally after a 5 bed, they have 2 on the development (one sold and the other isn't available for quite some time yet). The 5 bed that they offer has a poor layout and room sizing for my family so I don't want to buy that one. I have so far 'settled' with making do with a 4 bed and having 2 children sharing one of the rooms. The 4 bed houses have things like suitable bedroom sizes but lack in other areas like kitchen size and vice versa.

Yes, planning permission has already been granted for the whole site and I have seen the full site layout.

Bionic6103

I've read online that the planning permission gives the rights to build a certain property of a certain size on a certain plot. So does this mean they have to submit the detailed plans of the houses or is it less detailed as in they grant planning permission to build a 5 bed detached house no larger then X sqm on plot Y?

EachPenny

Bionic6103 wrote: »

I've read online that the planning permission gives the rights to build a certain property of a certain size on a certain plot. So does this mean they have to submit the detailed plans of the houses or is it less detailed as in they grant planning permission to build a 5 bed detached house no larger then X sqm on plot Y?

Yes. The developer submits detailed plans of the proposal - part of the planning process will check things like adequate room sizes and locations, windows in suitable positions (relative to neighbouring properties), an adequate provision of garden space/parking for the size of the dwelling etc etc. The plans will show the appearance of the building, and in some cases the consent will be conditional on samples of the materials being approved by the planning department.

Typically the developer will have a number of standard house types for the development, so each type of house will be approved in detail, alongside the distribution and co-location of the types of property across the development.

In theory it is possible for the developer to apply for consent to change one building type to another and this isn't uncommon (in terms of changing the locations of types within a development). Modification of details of a particular house type also isn't unheard of. But substituting an entirely different house type into the development is a more substantial change.

You would need to look at whether it was possible to build your preferred type on the plot - is the one you like the same size, and would it fit on the plot maintaining the garden and parking provision? It will also depend on whether the materials used for your preferred design are suitable in the development - not only in terms of appearance, but also in technical terms. There could be very significant additional costs involved in providing the materials for a one-off build in a development - even if the developer was willing to entertain the idea.

And the developer would almost certainly expect you to cover the costs of all the required re-design (e.g. revised drainage layouts) and planning consents. There may be additional costs caused by any delays to the build as a result of revising the planning consent.

All in all I think it is unlikely you will get them to agree to make changes, and if they do, the costs involved will make the property overpriced compared to other properties within the development. The extra you pay is unlikely to be something you will recover when you come to sell.

Bionic6103

Thank you very much for your reply!

That's what I was expecting would be the case so I may mention it in a conversation to see if I get any sort of response from them but I won't be expecting it to happen in reality.

harz99

As Eachpenny has said, it is unlikely any developer will be willing to make the change you want. Youd be better to find either the house type you want on another site from that developer or look elsewhere at different homes.

davidmcn

Even the change in the number of bedrooms may have a complex knock-on effect, as planning policies can be based on the total number of bedrooms for things like school provision, payment of developer contributions to the council, etc. I wouldn't expect a developer to reconfigure things just for one potential buyer's preferences, it's not going to be worth their while.

Bionic6103

Thank you harz99 and davidmcn. I thought that would be the case but with me having no experience with something like this, I didn't want to assume and then miss out.

Robin9

If the builder is finding that the market has changed since he got his planning permission he may change his layout and seek a new planning consent. Just perhaps others are asking the same question as you.