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Davesnave

The neighbours' solicitor almost certainly never visited the house; they've no liability for spotting something that probably can't be seen on the paperwork. A solicitor relies on the purchasers to examine the title plan and confirm it's accurate. If original, the plan wouldn't show this room, and if it wasn't accurate, your neighbour had a responsibility to spot that and say so to their solicitor.

It looks as if the ball is in your neighbour's court for putting right anything that's wrong. If they think their surveyor is somehow to blame, it's up to them to complain. A good surveyor might question something like this, especially if the construction looked dodgy. Of course there may not have been a proper survey; perhaps just a lenders valuation.

Anyway, your neighbour saw what they were buying and that it was an addition, so it was up to them to satisfy themselves about  its legitimacy. No doubt they will bluster and prevaricate, but the buck stops with them, unless they can produce an agreement for the work in question.

Hasbeen

[DELETED USER] said:

We have a semi detached house. On the detached side there is a gap between us and the next house. About 15 years ago the previous owners secretly extended their wall and put a roof over the gap, and then put their washing machine there and used it for storage.

Because if the location we only found this out recently. Current owners have no idea, it was like that when they bought it.

Is there anything we can do? What about the status of our house, is it semi detached still? That has insurance implications, reduces value etc.

Hopefully the advice given here will help.

Struggling to understand that some one living in a semi with side access, would not notice an extension built over the access?

They would be able to build to boundary, but to go over side access and attach to your house would be noticeable?

Post a photo. If you have not noticed it on the outside then probably the new owners have either?

grumbler

Hasbeen said:

Struggling to understand that some one living in a semi with side access, would not notice an extension built over the access?

They would be able to build to boundary, but to go over side access and attach to your house would be noticeable?

[DELETED USER] said:

It connects to our garage and it's hidden from the outside by a high gate. Found out from the builder who did it approximately when it was done.

I guess there is no any passage as it was used for the garage.

lesalanos

grumbler said:

Hasbeen said:

Struggling to understand that some one living in a semi with side access, would not notice an extension built over the access?

They would be able to build to boundary, but to go over side access and attach to your house would be noticeable?

[DELETED USER] said:

It connects to our garage and it's hidden from the outside by a high gate. Found out from the builder who did it approximately when it was done.

I guess there is no any passage as it was used for the garage.

Certainly sounds like a garage has been built on the OP side, presumably with  all of the relevant permissions   
I guess next door could remove the "temporary" structure and replace with something more permanent 

frayedknot

Thing is, if your garage is up to the boundary your neighbours have just as much right to build up to it. Your house will still be a semi because garages aren't rooms.

grumbler

frayedknot said:

Thing is, if your garage is up to the boundary your neighbours have just as much right to build up to it.

Apparently, it's not just built up to it, but "cemented to it" and with a "roof attached on one side to their wall".

We can only guess what on earth "cemented to it" means.

[Deleted User]

frayedknot said:

Thing is, if your garage is up to the boundary your neighbours have just as much right to build up to it. Your house will still be a semi because garages aren't rooms.

Is that correct? If a garage separates two houses they are detached?

Barny1979

I thought they are linked-detached.

grumbler

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662877/Annex-B-Property-type-classification-HM-Land_Registry.pdf

There is a term "link semi detached "

However, my understanding is that "link" means a common wall, that may or may not be the case.

[Deleted User]

Not looking forward to telling the neighbors the bad news. Maybe I should just demolish the garage and plead ignorance when part of their house falls down too.