Re-selling potential issue

massilia13

Good afternoon everyone,

I am in the process of buying a bungalow (currently advertised as a 3 bedrooms bungalow) and I have a simple question:

Will I be able to 'market' the bungalow, in the future, as a 3 bedrooms property if one of the bedroom, a loft conversion done at least 26 years ago, is missing planning permission and building regulations?

Thanks
Jerome

SmashedAvacado

Legally the time for enforcement of planning permission and building regs has passed. Your issue will be what the surveyor thinks of it.

lincroft1710

2 bed bungalow with loft room

Albala

Ask your surveyor, it may depend on things like exit routes in case of fire.

kinger101

No need to start a new thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6002829/loft-conversion-without-planning-permission-and-br

Personally, I'd not buy (unless priced as a two bed). A large number of EAs would not advertise this as a three bed now. And regulations on advertising are unlikely to become less stringent in the future.

massilia13

Could a lawful development certificate of existing use resolve this potential issue?

Cakeguts

Massilia13 wrote: »

Could a lawful development certificate of existing use resolve this potential issue?

What issue? The one where there isn't a safe fire escape route? If you use a loft as a bedroom that fact that you have used it in this way when there is no safe fire escape route doesn't mean the the next buyer will want to use it like this.



If you want to sell the property with a safe loft conversion to a bedroom you will have to pay for the work to be done to make that possible.

Davesnave

Massilia13 wrote: »

Could a lawful development certificate of existing use resolve this potential issue?

It's not a 'potential issue,' if its non-compliant with the fire regs, that is an issue, so no one with any sense is going to pay for it as a bedroom.

diggingdude

OP you need to think like this, if you are questioning it future buyers will question it. Not many people at the moment would buy a high rise ex council flat in a block like Grenfell. You only need a house fire story to become national news and many will rule out any house with a "dodgy" extension

Cakeguts

Your problem is that you are buying what is advertised as a 3 bed but what might in face only be a 2 bed with a very nice storage space in the loft.


The offer you make will reflect that this is more likely to be only a 2 bed and not a 3 bed so you won't be offering the price of a 3 bed because you know that in order to make it into a 3 bed you will have to spend a lot of money on the loft conversion to make it safe as a bedroom in the event of a fire.

massilia13

Thank for all your replies

I have booked a building survey for 03rd June (I briefed them about the loft).
To be fair the bedroom does not look like a loft conversion but a bedroom.

If it does comply with building regulations or more likely if it needs reasonable work to do so (which will be use to negotiate the price) would that be enough to make this extension fit for a bedroom?
What about the lack of planning permission? would a lawful development certificate of existing use do the job?

Thanks again for all your inputs!