House without planning consent and completion certificate

Section62

tristanjourney said:

what has happened since is more likely to be a matter of concern (e.g. undocumented DIY alterations)  The building needs to be looked at as it stands today.

I am worrying it will be super difficult to find out, especially if there is no paper works at all (like the design plans for the original works).

This is what the survey is for - the surveyor will look at the building as it stands and comment on the potential problems they see.  If there is suspicion - for example a garage has been poorly converted - then you get what further investigation carred out as necessary (and as the vendor will permit).  Beyond that you need to budget for the possibility of doing some rectification work if anything comes to light after completion.  But returning to a point I made earlier - if it is something like poor insulation, then the money you might need to spend to improve the insulation to modern standards will be one of the better investments you make (especially as the 1960's ideas about insulation weren't that great)

Unfortunately property ownership always comes with a degree of uncertainty, and some liability to pay for stuff which goes wrong.

tristanjourney said:

 Unlike building regulations, there should be no concern whatsoever after the relevant time limit for planning enforcement has passed, unless enforcement action has already been commenced.

Can I easily find out if there are enforcement ongoing for a property?

The council's planning website may show an enforcement case for the property, otherwise it should come up in the searches.  You could also ask the council, but that would effectively rule out an indemnity policy.  Clearly if you don't want an indemnity policy and intend to regularise everything before you come to sell, then contacting the council before buying is less of an issue (for you).

tristanjourney said:

I also have a general question. If the owner claims that the house has done a large extension back in 1960s but they don't have any paperworks at all, and local searches also didn't show anything, then how can I be sure it is indeed done in 1960s but not 1990s? And presumably most lenders still require some sort of paperwork for the work?

A surveyor or anyone with some experience in the industry should be able to date most modern building works within 10 years or so.  For practical purposes you only really need to be sure it is at least 10 years old (unless a listed building).

From what I understand most lenders aren't much bothered about paperwork, so long as the buyer's solicitor says they believe everything is in order.  This is why indemnity policies are so popular.  The solicitor can then say everything is in order, regardless of the actual issues.

user1977

tristanjourney said:

what has happened since is more likely to be a matter of concern (e.g. undocumented DIY alterations)  The building needs to be looked at as it stands today.

I am worrying it will be super difficult to find out, especially if there is no paper works at all (like the design plans for the original works).

It's not usually all that difficult. In real life, nobody tries to trace the whole history of the property through archived drawings etc.

Can I easily find out if there are enforcement ongoing for a property?

Look up the property on the council's planning portal. For most councils, any enforcement cases (from modern times) will be there.

If the owner claims that the house has done a large extension back in 1960s but they don't have any paperworks at all, and local searches also didn't show anything, then how can I be sure it is indeed done in 1960s but not 1990s?

In the same way you know whether a house was built in the 1960s rather than the 1990s - because it will look like it was. If you can't tell, others can. You can find other evidence if you want though e.g. from old mapping.

diystarter7

welly_59 said:

As far as I know you don't need planning permission for converting a garage

You do need planning in certain circumstances when doing that. Look it up on the local council website.

FreeBear

tristanjourney said: I also have a general question. If the owner claims that the house has done a large extension back in 1960s but they don't have any paperworks at all, and local searches also didn't show anything, then how can I be sure it is indeed done in 1960s but not 1990s? And presumably most lenders still require some sort of paperwork for the work?

Ordinance Survey maps and aerial photographs are available online going way back. Some of the old OS maps have enough detail to discern outbuildings & alterations(1:1250 and 1:2500). Much of the aerial photography concentrates on urban areas, and coverage is limited - The bulk of these were taken shortly after WWII through to the 1950s.