Advise re attic bedroom.

jimbog

theartfullodger said:

invite fire service round to comment. Suspect they'll tell you to stop using.

Do this for your sake and that of family & visitors. Please.

this could be advised for hundreds of thousands of large Victorian houses too

Fdbjg123

NameUnavailable said:

How is the room accessed? Is there a staircase from the hallway/landing (not a loft ladder?)?

Yes there’s a staircase from the hallway/landing. There’s also a dormer window leading to the roof. A viewer brought their uncle with them (who happens to be a surveyor) and he advised her the loft wouldn’t meet current building regs. So having a nightmare trying to explain it’s an original part of the house so no it wouldn’t meet current regulations. Not sure how to proceed. Lower price to reflect it doesn’t meet current building regs? Even if it’s always been there and isn’t a conversion/has always been a room?

CSI_Yorkshire

Just keep pointing out that only the regulations at the time of any works apply.

Current regulations do not apply to that room.

Almost every house in the country does not comply with all current regulations.

Don't reduce your price just because they don't understand (or they do and are going you will not).

RAS

The only houses meeting current regulations might be those built in the last 5 years. So the purchasers needs to get real or buy a new build.

CSI_Yorkshire

RAS said:

The only houses meeting current regulations might be those built in the last 5 years. So the purchasers needs to get real or buy a new build.

Two years more likely - the electrical bits have changed very recently.

pretamang

Do you have paperwork to shoe that it was original, and not converted later?

Perhaps get a structural survey done (£500~£1,000 when I last did one) to show that it's sound?

Fdbjg123

pretamang said:

Do you have paperwork to shoe that it was original, and not converted later?

Perhaps get a structural survey done (£500~£1,000 when I last did one) to show that it's sound?

No, I was considering contacting the council to ask for the original blueprints of the house but again I don’t want to make the indemnity insurance redundant if I do. The most I can find online is an aerial view of the house from 1985 showing the dormer window was there. I’d be happy to do that but think the potential buyer has been spooked by her uncle now. 

user1977

pretamang said:

Do you have paperwork to shoe that it was original, and not converted later?

Where would one get such paperwork for a 19th century house?

Section62

Fdbjg123 said:

pretamang said:

Do you have paperwork to shoe that it was original, and not converted later?

Perhaps get a structural survey done (£500~£1,000 when I last did one) to show that it's sound?

No, I was considering contacting the council to ask for the original blueprints of the house...

Very unlikely the council will have such documents, even if you risk your indemnity policy options by asking them.

Some of the contributions to this thread seem a bit confused about the situation.  If there were evidence the loft had been converted at some date post-construction then there may be reason to be concerned whether the conversion was structurally Ok and/or that the space was 'safe' to use as a bedroom.

But you have a situation which is very different to the typical 'loft conversion'.  Attic rooms were a common feature of larger Victorian properties (often used as accommodation for servants) and although they may be small and/or less easy to access than the bedrooms intended to be used by the family, this doesn't automatically mean they are deathtraps and mustn't be used.  There are hundreds of thousands of older properties in the UK that have rooms (and other features) that don't comply with modern standards, including building regulations.

If the property is being used as a single-family residential dwelling there is no legal requirement to make alterations and/or get planning consent to continue using these 'historic' homes in the way they were originally designed.

TW are tugging your chain. Either the people you are dealing with are uninformed about planning and building control law, or they are hoping to con you into accepting a significant reduction in what they are willing to pay you for your property as a part exchange.

Have you already committed to buying from TW? What would you lose by pulling out?

Fdbjg123

Section62 said:

Fdbjg123 said:

pretamang said:

Do you have paperwork to shoe that it was original, and not converted later?

Perhaps get a structural survey done (£500~£1,000 when I last did one) to show that it's sound?

No, I was considering contacting the council to ask for the original blueprints of the house...

Very unlikely the council will have such documents, even if you risk your indemnity policy options by asking them.

Some of the contributions to this thread seem a bit confused about the situation.  If there were evidence the loft had been converted at some date post-construction then there may be reason to be concerned whether the conversion was structurally Ok and/or that the space was 'safe' to use as a bedroom.

But you have a situation which is very different to the typical 'loft conversion'.  Attic rooms were a common feature of larger Victorian properties (often used as accommodation for servants) and although they may be small and/or less easy to access than the bedrooms intended to be used by the family, this doesn't automatically mean they are deathtraps and mustn't be used.  There are hundreds of thousands of older properties in the UK that have rooms (and other features) that don't comply with modern standards, including building regulations.

If the property is being used as a single-family residential dwelling there is no legal requirement to make alterations and/or get planning consent to continue using these 'historic' homes in the way they were originally designed.

TW are tugging your chain. Either the people you are dealing with are uninformed about planning and building control law, or they are hoping to con you into accepting a significant reduction in what they are willing to pay you for your property as a part exchange.

Have you already committed to buying from TW? What would you lose by pulling out?

We aren’t doing part exchange with Taylor wimpey because they had a problem with the attic room. We’re still on the open market but keep having recurring problems with people not wanting to offer because of the attic room and it not having building regs. I’ve tried explaining to the potential purchasers that it’s likely an original room because of the reasons above but they can’t get their heads around the building regs thing.