Exchange delayed due to retrospective consent certificate

hue2345

Hi,

we are in the house buying process with 3 parties in the chain including us. Our seller seems to be waiting on retrospective consent certificate to be issued by the council for the property they are buying before they can exchange. To my knowledge, they have already had the retrospective planning permission but they don’t have the certificate. 

Do you have any experience on how long this sort of thing takes?

user1977

Without knowing anything about the works in question or which council it is (or when the request was originally made), I doubt any of us can give a useful answer. Could be already issued, or worst case is it might never be issued. It's not generally fast anyway.

Thrugelmir

Have you asked your solicitor? 

Enforce1

I am assuming that where they are buying had some building work that required planning permission, and that they have tried (or the vendor) to regularise it by putting in a retrospective planning application?

If the Council have made a decision it will be on the Councils planning website.  Look for the Councils website and find their "Planning/Building Control" link and if you know the address then you can see the Decision Notice. It will say either Approved or Refused or if not issued "Pending".

If its been issued the electronic version online is the definitive document.  A paper copy means nothing - just like car insurance - its the electronic version that confirms you are insured.

If you do not know the address then get your solicitor to try and find out if the seller won't say where they are hoping to move to.