Conservatory indemnity

housebuyer143

Is there still an access hatch for the drain outside or in the conservatory?
The problem comes if there is a major issue with the drainage and the water board need to dig up the ground to rectify it then they will damage the conservatory and the cost is yours to bare. That is why the indemnity might be good for that one. The indemnity for building regs is pointless tbh, but if the seller is getting it, just take it. 

You would have needed building regs of it's connected to the mains heading. 

ThisIsWeird

housebuyer143 said:

Is there still an access hatch for the drain outside or in the conservatory?
The problem comes if there is a major issue with the drainage and the water board need to dig up the ground to rectify it then they will damage the conservatory and the cost is yours to bare. That is why the indemnity might be good for that one. The indemnity for building regs is pointless tbh, but if the seller is getting it, just take it. 

You would have needed building regs of it's connected to the mains heading. 

Thanks - that's interesting. So you reckon the policy will pay out to make good any damage caused by the WB having to dig up to make a repair? That's good, and clearly worthwhile.

I believe the non-conforming CH rad can not now be acted on - too much time has elapsed.

powerspowers

We also bought a house with an illegal conservatory! Like other posters said, no one is going to do anything about it. 

However, like most conservatives it’s cold  and sucks heat from the living room. We are looking at making it in to a garden room and getting it signed off with proper regs. Just bear in mind that if you want to do similar you’ll have to contend with the sewer issue which could be costly. 

housebuyer143

ThisIsWeird said:

housebuyer143 said:

Is there still an access hatch for the drain outside or in the conservatory?
The problem comes if there is a major issue with the drainage and the water board need to dig up the ground to rectify it then they will damage the conservatory and the cost is yours to bare. That is why the indemnity might be good for that one. The indemnity for building regs is pointless tbh, but if the seller is getting it, just take it. 

You would have needed building regs of it's connected to the mains heading. 

Thanks - that's interesting. So you reckon the policy will pay out to make good any damage caused by the WB having to dig up to make a repair? That's good, and clearly worthwhile.

I believe the non-conforming CH rad can not now be acted on - too much time has elapsed.

I don't see why not, that is the reason for the policy as far as I know. If you have an access hatch so you can rod it if it's blocked then with the policy I wouldn't be concerned. 
I sold a house recently with a conservatory over a drain but it was built a few years before the drains were adopted so we didn't need an indemnity to sell it, but I did a lot of research into it to explain this to my solicitor.

Section62

ThisIsWeird said:

The 'not making alterations' bit could be tricky, but then how will 'they' know what alterations have been made should any claim be required? Ok, that's not the correct approach to this, but I'd suggest that reasonably like-for-like repairs will have zero bearing, but - say - turning it into more of a 'garden' room - part wall - may do so, the reasoning be the potential added weight on the founds (and you presumably don't know the quality of the founds or if the pipe was properly built over). Ditto for a new roof - if going 'insulated', make sure it's a lightweight type, such as plastic tiles, and not real tile and/or glass.

Both of those would be "alterations".  The issue here isn't about adding additional weight to the foundations (although that is an issue) - the primary issue is that making these alterations is a construction operation which by itself would potentially require BR o planning involvement.  The indemnity policy would typically cover you for the mistakes of others in the past, but not something you've done yourself in the knowledge you aren't supposed to.

'They' can find out through a variety of means - for example looking at old EA photos, Streetview etc, or alternatively from the materials used in the work. Compulsory product marking leaves tell-tale signs all over building projects.  There's no point claiming your conservatory is exactly as built in 2012 if your alterations have 2023 printed/stamped all over them.

Dustyevsky

powerspowers said:

 

However, like most conservatives it’s cold  and sucks heat from the living room.

A terrible slur on a political party that has led us fearlessly through hell and back in the past few years; though why we needed to go there in the first place is a different matter.

Luckily, we have our own supply of wood for the stove in the living room, and a pair of double-glazed external grade doors give sufficient protection against the leech-like qualities described, with not much inconvenience. I'd argue sensible people who take this precaution are probably still the majority, albeit silent, especially when viewing other people's abominations that "don't interrupt the flow."whatever that is!