No Building Regulations Completion Certificate. Advice Please!

larryson8

Hi All, 
We need some advice. We put in an offer for a 4 bedroom terrace in August which was accepted. The loft was recently converted into a living space with ensuite in Feb 2015.
We received search results today and learn that there building regulation approval was issued, however no building regulations completion certficate was issued.
This really came as a surprise and we are not sure where to go from here. It is very strange as the vendor is a plumber by trade and should be well aware of this.
It is also advertised by the EA as a 4 bedroom semi detached.
Where can we go from here? Appreciate some advice on this matter?

SMR710

Our buyer had this problem when selling theirs. It ended up that her buyers renegotiated based on the fact it was now a 2 bed house with attic space rather than a 3 bed. They then had to go back to the bank (survey & valuation had been done prior based on 3 bed) and they had to submit a revised application based on the new offer and check that the bank agreed with the new offer based on 2 bed house which luckily they did.
As I say that was our buyers relate sale.

Splatfoot

Well, there is an indemnity policy the vendor can buy. Or.. If they actually had building control approval in the first place, they will have an open case. They will also have paid a fee. Just get them to ring building control to check its all good and sign it off. We converted our loft back in 2014/15. We did a lot ourselves which meant that there was never really an end date. We are selling now and had no sign off. Our last sale fell through because of it. So, we rang up one morning, they came round the same day. There were a couple of things we needed to do (brackets on soil pipe, extractor fan in bathroom). My husband cracked on with them and sent videos and photos and we were issued the certificate. It was 4 days between contacting them and getting it issued. It was sent via email. 

AdrianC

larryson8 said:

We need some advice. We put in an offer for a 4 bedroom terrace in August which was accepted. The loft was recently converted into a living space with ensuite in Feb 2015.
We received search results today and learn that there building regulation approval was issued, however no building regulations completion certficate was issued.
This really came as a surprise and we are not sure where to go from here. It is very strange as the vendor is a plumber by trade and should be well aware of this.
It is also advertised by the EA as a 4 bedroom semi detached.
Where can we go from here? Appreciate some advice on this matter?

Three basic choices.
1. Throw your hands up in panic, and run screaming for the hills.
2. Buy a useless indemnity policy that promises faithfully to pay for your legal costs in the zero-risk chance of any enforcement for lack of final sign-off.
3. Shrug, get on with buying the place.

Given that you know it was inspected through the build, you know it's up to BR scratch. So it's merely a question of the final sign-off not being done. There's nothing the LA can do about that, five and a half years down the line.

As far as what the EA called it in the ad... The EA details got you to view. If you didn't like the difference between the details and what you saw, you would have walked out there and then, not offered.

When you viewed, you could see the property, and how it relates to the properties on either side. You saw that before you put the offer in, and you offered based on what you saw. Right?

So what changed between then and now?

Splatfoot

AdrianC said:

larryson8 said:

We need some advice. We put in an offer for a 4 bedroom terrace in August which was accepted. The loft was recently converted into a living space with ensuite in Feb 2015.
We received search results today and learn that there building regulation approval was issued, however no building regulations completion certficate was issued.
This really came as a surprise and we are not sure where to go from here. It is very strange as the vendor is a plumber by trade and should be well aware of this.
It is also advertised by the EA as a 4 bedroom semi detached.
Where can we go from here? Appreciate some advice on this matter?

Three basic choices.
1. Throw your hands up in panic, and run screaming for the hills.
2. Buy a useless indemnity policy that promises faithfully to pay for your legal costs in the zero-risk chance of any enforcement for lack of final sign-off.
3. Shrug, get on with buying the place.

Given that you know it was inspected through the build, you know it's up to BR scratch. So it's merely a question of the final sign-off not being done. There's nothing the LA can do about that, five and a half years down the line.

As far as what the EA called it in the ad... The EA details got you to view. If you didn't like the difference between the details and what you saw, you would have walked out there and then, not offered.

When you viewed, you could see the property, and how it relates to the properties on either side. You saw that before you put the offer in, and you offered based on what you saw. Right?

So what changed between then and now?

You can still get the sign off certificate. We've just done the very same thing, 6 years after we started the build. The L.A. still has all the details. 

Rural_Puppy

Ask the seller via your solicitor to ask the LA to sign off the loft conversion.

Jeepers_Creepers

I'm not sure that larryson knows it's been inspected during the build, only that 'building regs approval was issued' - I'm guessing that refers to the pre-build conditions. 

If the build has been inspected at stages throughout as it should have been, then I see no reason why the vendor wouldn't finalise the issue and call the BCO our for a final inspection and sign-off. (I did that more than 10 years after our loft was converted...) Why on earth isn't he doing this?

If the conversion has not been inspected, then you have little idea beyond the cosmetic finish how much of it conforms. Ok, if it looks good and hasn't fallen down, chances are it's 'ok', but you just don't know.

But why wouldn't the vendor carry through this BC certification? 

steve866

Do you think the loft room would meet building refs? I viewed something similar (advertised as a loft room) and it would not get building regs as there was no door or hatch at the bottom or top of the stairs. I did end up offering on the property (didn’t get it) but the agent had been up front with me. 

I would be asking the seller to get it signed off or explain why it can’t be.

FreeBear

Just because the vendor is a plumber doesn't mean he knows building regs.

There are plenty in the building game that pay scant regard to the legal requirements and try to dodge building regulation compliance. But as long as this conversion has been done properly and BC has made periodic checks, the final certificate should just be a formality. Something that the vendor should be chasing as a matter of urgency if he wants this sale to complete without further hitch.

davidmcn

steve866 said:

Do you think the loft room would meet building refs? I viewed something similar (advertised as a loft room) and it would not get building regs as there was no door or hatch at the bottom or top of the stairs.

It would be odd for them to bother to get approval for a compliant conversion and then built something significantly different. Most likely explanation is that somebody simply forget or couldn't be bothered to get sign-off (e.g. contractor was meant to organise it but instead handed over shiny conversion to happy client and b*ggered off to their next job).

larryson8

AdrianC said:

larryson8 said:

We need some advice. We put in an offer for a 4 bedroom terrace in August which was accepted. The loft was recently converted into a living space with ensuite in Feb 2015.
We received search results today and learn that there building regulation approval was issued, however no building regulations completion certficate was issued.
This really came as a surprise and we are not sure where to go from here. It is very strange as the vendor is a plumber by trade and should be well aware of this.
It is also advertised by the EA as a 4 bedroom semi detached.
Where can we go from here? Appreciate some advice on this matter?

Three basic choices.
1. Throw your hands up in panic, and run screaming for the hills.
2. Buy a useless indemnity policy that promises faithfully to pay for your legal costs in the zero-risk chance of any enforcement for lack of final sign-off.
3. Shrug, get on with buying the place.

Given that you know it was inspected through the build, you know it's up to BR scratch. So it's merely a question of the final sign-off not being done. There's nothing the LA can do about that, five and a half years down the line.

As far as what the EA called it in the ad... The EA details got you to view. If you didn't like the difference between the details and what you saw, you would have walked out there and then, not offered.

When you viewed, you could see the property, and how it relates to the properties on either side. You saw that before you put the offer in, and you offered based on what you saw. Right?

So what changed between then and now?

Hi there, when I put an offer in, it was for a 4 bedroom. Without building regulation completion certificate, it is really a 3 bedroom. It would mean more money to ensure it conforms to building regulations.

I only knew about this after we hired a solicitor and conducted the searches etc., as the vendor was upfront about this.