House with no Building regs for loft

JessJ23425

Soot2006 said:

We have two bedrooms and  a bathroom in the loft, not signed off, marketed and valued as bedrooms, and mortgage lender couldn't have cared less as it's been in place over 10 years. Ironically, there IS some cracking that needs looking at, but the mortgage lender didn't really care about that, either! So from a mortgage perspective, likely to not be a problem ... From a safety perspective - up to you!

I see thanks - that really is our main concern. For us we couldn't care less if it was turned back into a loft to be honest!

milkyj0

Hey bumping / Hijacking a thread. Im in the process of buying a 4 bed bungalow, 2 bedrooms are in a loft conversion. It’s been marketed as a 4 bed, but now I’ve received searches etc back I can see no planning permission was obtained (it is over 30 years old). Can it be legally marketed as a 4 bed if there are no building regs in place? I don’t fancy buying a 4 bed that later turns out to be a 2 bed. Any advice is appreciated. 

Slithery

Are there beds in the loft?

Then they're bedrooms...

milkyj0

When we viewed the property there were no beds, does that mean there are no bedrooms? Is that how it works...

macman

No building regs, no planning permission, or neither? If done 30 years ago then enforcement is not going to be an issue now, but you won't know if they have put in the necessary RSJ's to support the extra weight without a structural survey and dismantling the floor to check that. A survey is not sufficient, as it's visual only.
Otherwise, it's fit for storage only, it can't safely be used as a habitable room.

milkyj0

macman said:

No building regs, no planning permission, or neither? If done 30 years ago then enforcement is not going to be an issue now, but you won't know if they have put in the necessary RSJ's to support the extra weight without a structural survey and dismantling the floor to check that. A survey is not sufficient, as it's visual only.
Otherwise, it's fit for storage only, it can't safely be used as a habitable room.

Thanks for the response, it looks like it’s neither. We’ve had a survey, but as you’ve noted it’s not enlightening as it’s only visual. The surveyor stated it could have the building regs done retrospectively. I’m just wondering if this is the buyers responsibility. I’ve asked my solicitor, no doubt I’ll get a response in a month or so... everything is so painfully slow.

thanks Macman for taking the time out to answer.

davidmcn

macman said:

No building regs, no planning permission, or neither? If done 30 years ago then enforcement is not going to be an issue now, but you won't know if they have put in the necessary RSJ's to support the extra weight without a structural survey and dismantling the floor to check that.

Doesn't the same concern about structural integrity apply to the original construction of the house, which presumably never even required to comply with building regulations... 

Mickey666

I don't really get this 'bedroom' thing.  As Slithery posted, if it's got a bed in it it's a bedroom. 

In the UK we tend to think of any room not on the ground floor as a bedroom (except bathrooms obviously) - so how does anyone decide how many bedrooms are in a bungalow?  or are houses only allowed two reception rooms and anything else must be a bedroom.  It's mad.  I much prefer the USA system of just working with square footage and number of rooms.

My previous house had three bedrooms . . . er, except for the one being used as a study . . . , oh, and the one being used as a dressing room . . . . and the extra room in the converted attic being used as a hobby room and couldn't even be mentioned by the EA when I sold it because the conversion had no building regs.

Besides, who cares how something is described?  Potential buyers will see exactly what's what when they view the property and will see that the study could be used a double bedroom or that one of the bedrooms can barely fit a single bed, or whatever. 
At least the recent trend of including a floorplan in property details has been a big step forward

BikingBud

Mickey666 said:

I don't really get this 'bedroom' thing.  As Slithery posted, if it's got a bed in it it's a bedroom. 

In the UK we tend to think of any room not on the ground floor as a bedroom (except bathrooms obviously) - so how does anyone decide how many bedrooms are in a bungalow?  or are houses only allowed two reception rooms and anything else must be a bedroom.  It's mad.  I much prefer the USA system of just working with square footage and number of rooms.

My previous house had three bedrooms . . . er, except for the one being used as a study . . . , oh, and the one being used as a dressing room . . . . and the extra room in the converted attic being used as a hobby room and couldn't even be mentioned by the EA when I sold it because the conversion had no building regs.

Besides, who cares how something is described?  Potential buyers will see exactly what's what when they view the property and will see that the study could be used a double bedroom or that one of the bedrooms can barely fit a single bed, or whatever. 
At least the recent trend of including a floorplan in property details has been a big step forward

If only we could now focus on habitable space, actual measurements and not maximum taking into account borrowed space from other rooms and not including garages etc.

But hey let's keep an antiquated system that is full of ambiguity, that ensures it takes far longer than required and that also requires many people, each paid for their wonderful contribution, to process a house purchase.

milkyj0

Mickey666 said:

I don't really get this 'bedroom' thing.  As Slithery posted, if it's got a bed in it it's a bedroom. 

In the UK we tend to think of any room not on the ground floor as a bedroom (except bathrooms obviously) - so how does anyone decide how many bedrooms are in a bungalow?  or are houses only allowed two reception rooms and anything else must be a bedroom.  It's mad.  I much prefer the USA system of just working with square footage and number of rooms.

My previous house had three bedrooms . . . er, except for the one being used as a study . . . , oh, and the one being used as a dressing room . . . . and the extra room in the converted attic being used as a hobby room and couldn't even be mentioned by the EA when I sold it because the conversion had no building regs.

Besides, who cares how something is described?  Potential buyers will see exactly what's what when they view the property and will see that the study could be used a double bedroom or that one of the bedrooms can barely fit a single bed, or whatever. 
At least the recent trend of including a floorplan in property details has been a big step forward

My wife is American and has a real estate license, my understanding is that the U.S is more strict concerning what can be considered a bedroom. 

Anyway we just don’t want to buy something that later down the line could be a problem. I see it as a four bed but just want it to be official. I don’t want any reductions in price etc just reassurances from the seller/solicitor.
I personally think it’s a fair enough question, it’s just that I can’t get a straight answer from them.