Two storey extension- no building regs

ripley81

lincroft1710 said:

Why hasn't the vendor applied for Building Control sign off?

They thought the builder did it. 

ripley81

AdrianC said:

ripley81 said:
I need to be happy it’s still a 4 bed at the same value

Count the rooms with beds in. Four? Then it's a four bed.

It's exactly the same property you viewed, liked, and put an offer in on. It's just that there's no piece of paper going back nearly a decade and a half...

If it had been built badly, that'd be showing by now.
There is zero comeback from the local authority.
What else are you worried about with it?

Having a problem selling it because of this. I’ve been burned badly before. I’m not concerned about comeback from the LA....Only my investment choice (and why I’m asking specific questions 😊). 

AdrianC

ripley81 said:

AdrianC said:

What else are you worried about with it?

Having a problem selling it because of this.

If you own it for 5yrs, then it'll be 18yrs since the work was done. Anybody seriously considering pulling out because of sign-off missing from that far back is clearly a nervous nelly of the first water.

Yes, you could get the work certified. If the paperwork for the interim visits is present, you might be lucky and it meets current regs, so it would just need a simple visit. But, more likely, regs have changed, and they can only certify to current standards, so a lot of upgrading work would be required. And if the interim paperwork's awol or upgrading is required behind the finish, then it's going to be messy and involve ripping plasterboard down.

Personally? I wouldn't be overly worried. But that's easy for me to say.

AskAsk

DoaM said:

AskAsk said:

we had the same problem on our house when we bought it.  the sellers had a single storey extension done and they didn't have the building regulations sign off certificate.  we insisted that this was done before we complete the purchase as we didn't like the idea of an indeminity.  the sellers got the certificate, as apparently it was available but the council didn't put it on the website or gave it to the owners.  or maybe the owners forgotten about it.
you can buy the property without the certificate, but you would need to get it certified once you have bought it and that may cost a lot of money.

Why?

you can apparently get an indemnity policy but that doesn't protect you if the house fall over.  the building regulations are there for a purpose, to make sure that it is built safely and so unless this is signed off, you won't be able to know if it was built safely or correctly.  also the indemnity policy would only protect you if the council goes after you, not if the building fell over and damaged other people's property or injured/killed someone, even yourself or your family.  a bit of a OTT scenario, but it is not impossible.

AskAsk

ripley81 said:

lincroft1710 said:

Why hasn't the vendor applied for Building Control sign off?

They thought the builder did it. 

it is the responsibility of the builder to get the completion certificate as they are normally the ones who notify building control.  this is why so many properties don't have the completion certificate as the builders have been paid already when they finish, they don't want to hang around waiting for the inspection and approval.  most homeowners wouldn't know you need this final sign off and would have expected the builder to have sorted it all out.

Mickey666

If the extension really was built with building control involved but it's just that the final completion certificate hasn't been issued then there should be an 'open file' at the local council building control department because, as I understand things, there is no time limit on the completion of building works.  So, I'd be calling the local council BC office (contact details probably on the council website) and asking them if they have any records of work on the property.

Alternatively, let the solicitor dig around as part of their searches.

Mickey666

AskAsk said:

DoaM said:

AskAsk said:

we had the same problem on our house when we bought it.  the sellers had a single storey extension done and they didn't have the building regulations sign off certificate.  we insisted that this was done before we complete the purchase as we didn't like the idea of an indeminity.  the sellers got the certificate, as apparently it was available but the council didn't put it on the website or gave it to the owners.  or maybe the owners forgotten about it.
you can buy the property without the certificate, but you would need to get it certified once you have bought it and that may cost a lot of money.

Why?

you can apparently get an indemnity policy but that doesn't protect you if the house fall over.  the building regulations are there for a purpose, to make sure that it is built safely and so unless this is signed off, you won't be able to know if it was built safely or correctly.  also the indemnity policy would only protect you if the council goes after you, not if the building fell over and damaged other people's property or injured/killed someone, even yourself or your family.  a bit of a OTT scenario, but it is not impossible.

How many home insurance policies, which typically offer around £5m 3rd party liability cover, require a full set of building regulation certificates?

My house was built in the 16th century, way before building regulations were even thought about.  The foundations would not meet current regs, some of the stairs would not meet current regs, there are clear signs of historic movement because some of the floors are not level and nor is the ridge of the roof - in other words a perfect example of a late tudor timber framed house that has stood for almost 500 years.

Imagine trying to be a building regulations certificate for that little lot   

I'd like to see if any new builds, with all their certificates for this, that and the other, are still standing in 500 years from now

I wonder what the OP would think of this old house for sale: https://www.carterjonas.co.uk/house/for-sale/lavenham/mel190146

ElephantBoy57

AdrianC said:

If it had been built badly, that'd be showing by now.
There is zero comeback from the local authority.
What else are you worried about with it?

Not easy to see any cracks with "small gap of 5 inches between this extension and next doors". The OP also said "The quality of the internal finishes aren’t great."

I would be walking away, without some 'expert' advice.

Jeepers_Creepers

As devilish Mickey says, if the owners are telling the truth, there should be a file down at the building control office covering this extension. If the LA involved is reasonably up to date - as it is here in Devon, say, - you might even find this file on their on-line planning portal - try a search using the postcode. 

We had a loft conversion carried out back in around 2005, with the builder doing all the hard work and me doing the second fix. I knew the BCO had come out twice during the structural part - I was there to have a chat with him each time - but I took so long to finish off the project (stupid things like neglecting stair banisters...) that I kept putting off the 'completion' part until last year. 

I emailed the (new) BCO apologising profusely for my laxity, but that I had finally got my s*** together and finished the project - pleeeeze could you come out and sign it off? He did - no problem (after I fitted an extractor in the upstairs loo...)

I recall the responsibility for informing the BCO at the required stages was mine - the householder's - but, yes, most builders take on this task as they know when it's best to have them out. If there is a file down at the offices, and if the BCO has been out at a couple of critical stages, then they should be happy to come out and finish off the job; no-one likes an open file. If the 'finish' is poor inside the house, that's a separate issue to structural integrity of the actual build, so hopefully that part has been viewed and approved.

Let us know how you get on :-) 

ripley81

Mickey666 said:

AskAsk said:

DoaM said:

AskAsk said:

we had the same problem on our house when we bought it.  the sellers had a single storey extension done and they didn't have the building regulations sign off certificate.  we insisted that this was done before we complete the purchase as we didn't like the idea of an indeminity.  the sellers got the certificate, as apparently it was available but the council didn't put it on the website or gave it to the owners.  or maybe the owners forgotten about it.
you can buy the property without the certificate, but you would need to get it certified once you have bought it and that may cost a lot of money.

Why?

you can apparently get an indemnity policy but that doesn't protect you if the house fall over.  the building regulations are there for a purpose, to make sure that it is built safely and so unless this is signed off, you won't be able to know if it was built safely or correctly.  also the indemnity policy would only protect you if the council goes after you, not if the building fell over and damaged other people's property or injured/killed someone, even yourself or your family.  a bit of a OTT scenario, but it is not impossible.

How many home insurance policies, which typically offer around £5m 3rd party liability cover, require a full set of building regulation certificates?

My house was built in the 16th century, way before building regulations were even thought about.  The foundations would not meet current regs, some of the stairs would not meet current regs, there are clear signs of historic movement because some of the floors are not level and nor is the ridge of the roof - in other words a perfect example of a late tudor timber framed house that has stood for almost 500 years.

Your house sounds lush and like one I would happily stay in and not need to worry about resale value because it would attract the right buyers who love Tudor properties. I’ve never heard of anyone having a love for 80s properties with wonky floors 🤣🤣 

I think I need to insist on evidence that building control inspected it during construction (if not the completion certificate) and get a surveyor in. 

Thanks all