Would an "uninhabitable" loft cause issues getting mortgage?

rococomaiden

The loft in the property has been converted, it looks good to me but it was without building regs and "can't be classed as an inhabitable room" according to the estate agents.

The house is priced in-line with other houses without a converted roof, so would this be an issue?

It's just a regular attic room with 4 velux windows on the sloped roof walls and storage eves to the sides.

FYI I would NOT be using this as a bedroom as I understand the fire/insurance risk.

Doozergirl

It won't be a problem if it isn't being sold as a proper loft conversion adding to the number of bedrooms. Most loft are uninhabitable, after all

eddddy

The loft conversion won't stop you getting a mortgage (assuming everything else is ok).

The mortgage valuer will just value it as a property with storage space in the loft.

It's up to you whether you choose to use it as a bedroom. (There are lots of older 3 storey properties with bedrooms on the top floor in use, which wouldn't meet current building regs.)

But I might be tempted to call it a bedroom for insurance purposes anyway. The premium might not be much more, and it might save arguments, if you ever need to claim.

ThePants999

So this house basically has a nice loft, and it's priced as if it had a normal loft - great. What kind of "issue" are you worried about?

Owain_Moneysaver

It may look good but is it structurally safe?

If the work has been badly done the whole roof may be structurally unsafe. In a strong wind or with snow loading it could fail disastrously. If the work was done properly why didn't the seller get building regulations approval for the small extra cost?

I would be looking to deduct the cost of getting the work either reverted to original or redone to habitable room standards from my offer compared to an unconverted building.

davidmcn

rococomaiden wrote: »

The loft in the property has been converted, it looks good to me but it was without building regs

By "without building regs" do you mean it merely lacks the paperwork, or that it patently falls short of the building regulations in force when it was built?

rococomaiden

The current owner is a window fitting specialist, I wonder if he and his builder friends converted it themselves and to save money did not do the paperwork.

Additionally I think there has to be a coridoor with a firedoor to make an attic conversion safe enough to be a bedroom.

I hope that the building survey will confirm if the roof is structurally sound (I am getting a full building survey).

davidmcn

eddddy wrote: »

There are lots of older 3 storey properties with bedrooms on the top floor in use, which wouldn't meet current building regs.

Almost all older properties, of whatever design, wouldn't meet current building regs. But we don't declare them uninhabitable.

davidmcn

rococomaiden wrote: »

Additionally I think there has to be a coridoor with a firedoor to make an attic conversion safe enough to be a bedroom.

There should be a fire door somewhere - is it simply an open staircase from the landing leading straight into the attic room?

Doozergirl

rococomaiden wrote: »

The current owner is a window fitting specialist, I wonder if he and his builder friends converted it themselves and to save money did not do the paperwork.

Additionally I think there has to be a coridoor with a firedoor to make an attic conversion safe enough to be a bedroom.

I hope that the building survey will confirm if the roof is structurally sound (I am getting a full building survey).

Your survey, of course, is your answer to whether the roof is structurally sound.

An actual loft conversion needs to conform to lots of different regulations. There are guides online. Fire doors throughout the house, providing a protected escape route to outside, are a requirement. A 'corridor with a fire door' is a heavily watered-down interpretation.

rococomaiden

davidmcn wrote: »

There should be a fire door somewhere - is it simply an open staircase from the landing leading straight into the attic room?

Yes it's just an open staircase (hence why I don't think it will meet the regs, I just want the survey to confirm that the roof/floor is safe).

And yes I doubt the rest of the house will meet modern regs as it is victorian!