Chimney breasts and lounge wall removed without plan/docs

pieroabcd

Hi,
this buying odyssey isn't over yet.
Now that I'm more or less content with the builder survey I've come across another situation that I don't know how to deal with.
The surveyor told me that it's better to make sure that the works that the sellers did (they removed the chimney breasts and the lounge wall) were done with a sound engineering plan and with proper paperwork. Accoridng to him the chimney stack may not have enough support and could potentially risk to collapse.
The sellers said that those works were done before they bought the house, from the previous owner. They have the papers for the loft and kitchen extensions, but almost surely nothing regarding the chimney and lounge wall. They are still searching.

What would the implications be for me as a buyer? And also as a seller in the future, too.
Could the Council come after me?

I understand that here in the UK ithe burden of "soundness" is entirely on the buyer, but i'll never understand why the seller basically can get away nearly with everything .

If I bought  it, would it be possible to have an engineer recertify the works that don't have any docs?


Thanks

user1977

How long ago were the works done?

pieroabcd

user1977 said:

How long ago were the works done?

12 years ago

MikeJXE

If the chimney that is left has no support it could collapse anytime 

user1977

pieroabcd said:

user1977 said:

How long ago were the works done?

12 years ago

Well, no chance of the council being interested in enforcement after this length of time. And I suppose you have the reassurance that nothing adverse has (visibly) happened so far. I would ask your surveyor what they recommend if you assume nobody can find consents from the time.

pieroabcd

user1977 said:

pieroabcd said:

user1977 said:

How long ago were the works done?

12 years ago

Well, no chance of the council being interested in enforcement after this length of time. And I suppose you have the reassurance that nothing adverse has (visibly) happened so far. I would ask your surveyor what they recommend if you assume nobody can find consents from the time.

Yes, everything looks fine. 
I've asked the surveyor.

pieroabcd

Uhm, it seems that the removal of chimney breasts is always subject to plannig permissions, in which case the Councill will know?
On the other hand stirring a hornet's nest if it wasn't done with permission...
But on the other other hand for the for the purchase of my lifetime property...

https://www.direct-fireplaces.com/resources/should-you-remove-your-chimney-breast/ says that chimney breasts can be load bearing. 

pieroabcd

Interesting. I've found the applications for the kitchen extension, the "lawfulness" of the dormer window, but nothing relative to the wall and the chimney,

hazyjo

You said it as plural, so does that mean the ground floor chimney breast AND the one above it were removed? Or is the top one still there, and the one beneath it removed?

And what about the chimney itself?

pieroabcd

hazyjo said:

You said it as plural, so does that mean the ground floor chimney breast AND the one above it were removed? Or is the top one still there, and the one beneath it removed?

And what about the chimney itself?

both chimney breasts were removed, at the ground floor and at the first floor.
The chimney is (unfortunately) still there. Never been my passion.
Maybe it's not a coincidence that my damp meter measured 47% humidity in the wall between the 2 main bedrooms, that is a very unusual place to find humidity.
Not that I was scared by this reading, but everything seems to point to the chimney structure.

LHW99

Is that area of the roof still flat or is it beginning to curve?