Thinking of buying house but owner didn’t play by the rules with planning permission - ok or not ok?

njlj1992

Trying to gauge if this is a common thing that many people do.

Devongardener

A lot more detail is needed!  

njlj1992

Sorry clicked post and couldn’t figure out how to delete so including more info below… 

Found a house we love, recently been extended from a bungalow to a 2 story house. It’s on at a good price for a detached property, but am starting to get cold feet after reading through the planning permission portal. 

Seems the owner proceeded with the extension even after it was initially refused (and many locals were not happy about the plans, though this itself is not really anything ‘new’ with PP), and he did retrospectively get the planning permission, albeit way after the work had commenced and it was presumably finished/nearly complete by this point. 

My concern is that if he was willing to go ahead without going through the right process - is this something we should be worried about, or is it the norm when it comes to PP? E.g is there other stuff he might have cut corners on that we can’t ’see’ for example? 

I did ask if there was any warranties in place (I know new builds offer this, less sure with extensions) and he said no but council has inspected and you can get insurance. There were quite a few finishes that weren’t up to standard - eg rough plastering, skirting board gaps, a little shoddy work on the bathrooms BUT I was happy to look past these given the asking price, with a view of updating over time. 

Keen to get people’s views on this whilst we assess whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Thanks in advance!

njlj1992

Devongardener said:

A lot more detail is needed!  

Sorry newbie error, clicked post by accident! Additional context below thank you 

Slinky

Did he get building control oversight and sign-off? If not, run away very quickly.

Section62

njlj1992 said:

Sorry clicked post and couldn’t figure out how to delete so including more info below… 

Found a house we love, recently been extended from a bungalow to a 2 story house. It’s on at a good price for a detached property, but am starting to get cold feet after reading through the planning permission portal. 

Seems the owner proceeded with the extension even after it was initially refused (and many locals were not happy about the plans, though this itself is not really anything ‘new’ with PP), and he did retrospectively get the planning permission, albeit way after the work had commenced and it was presumably finished/nearly complete by this point. 

My concern is that if he was willing to go ahead without going through the right process - is this something we should be worried about, or is it the norm when it comes to PP? E.g is there other stuff he might have cut corners on that we can’t ’see’ for example? 

I did ask if there was any warranties in place (I know new builds offer this, less sure with extensions) and he said no but council has inspected and you can get insurance. There were quite a few finishes that weren’t up to standard - eg rough plastering, skirting board gaps, a little shoddy work on the bathrooms BUT I was happy to look past these given the asking price, with a view of updating over time. 

Keen to get people’s views on this whilst we assess whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Thanks in advance!

If he got retrospective consent - and the finished job matches what the consent was for - then planning shouldn't be a concern, unless there is an enforcement notice still on file.

Were the works checked and signed off by building control?  Compliance with building regs is absolutely vital when adding a storey - if he skipped the planning (despite the initial refusal) then skipping building control approval would be the next logical step (to avoid the council finding out about the planning breach).

njlj1992

Section62 said:

njlj1992 said:

Sorry clicked post and couldn’t figure out how to delete so including more info below… 

Found a house we love, recently been extended from a bungalow to a 2 story house. It’s on at a good price for a detached property, but am starting to get cold feet after reading through the planning permission portal. 

Seems the owner proceeded with the extension even after it was initially refused (and many locals were not happy about the plans, though this itself is not really anything ‘new’ with PP), and he did retrospectively get the planning permission, albeit way after the work had commenced and it was presumably finished/nearly complete by this point. 

My concern is that if he was willing to go ahead without going through the right process - is this something we should be worried about, or is it the norm when it comes to PP? E.g is there other stuff he might have cut corners on that we can’t ’see’ for example? 

I did ask if there was any warranties in place (I know new builds offer this, less sure with extensions) and he said no but council has inspected and you can get insurance. There were quite a few finishes that weren’t up to standard - eg rough plastering, skirting board gaps, a little shoddy work on the bathrooms BUT I was happy to look past these given the asking price, with a view of updating over time. 

Keen to get people’s views on this whilst we assess whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Thanks in advance!

If he got retrospective consent - and the finished job matches what the consent was for - then planning shouldn't be a concern, unless there is an enforcement notice still on file.

Were the works checked and signed off by building control?  Compliance with building regs is absolutely vital when adding a storey - if he skipped the planning (despite the initial refusal) then skipping building control approval would be the next logical step (to avoid the council finding out about the planning breach).

Section62 said:

njlj1992 said:

Sorry clicked post and couldn’t figure out how to delete so including more info below… 

Found a house we love, recently been extended from a bungalow to a 2 story house. It’s on at a good price for a detached property, but am starting to get cold feet after reading through the planning permission portal. 

Seems the owner proceeded with the extension even after it was initially refused (and many locals were not happy about the plans, though this itself is not really anything ‘new’ with PP), and he did retrospectively get the planning permission, albeit way after the work had commenced and it was presumably finished/nearly complete by this point. 

My concern is that if he was willing to go ahead without going through the right process - is this something we should be worried about, or is it the norm when it comes to PP? E.g is there other stuff he might have cut corners on that we can’t ’see’ for example? 

I did ask if there was any warranties in place (I know new builds offer this, less sure with extensions) and he said no but council has inspected and you can get insurance. There were quite a few finishes that weren’t up to standard - eg rough plastering, skirting board gaps, a little shoddy work on the bathrooms BUT I was happy to look past these given the asking price, with a view of updating over time. 

Keen to get people’s views on this whilst we assess whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Thanks in advance!

If he got retrospective consent - and the finished job matches what the consent was for - then planning shouldn't be a concern, unless there is an enforcement notice still on file.

Were the works checked and signed off by building control?  Compliance with building regs is absolutely vital when adding a storey - if he skipped the planning (despite the initial refusal) then skipping building control approval would be the next logical step (to avoid the council finding out about the planning breach).

Section62 said:

njlj1992 said:

Sorry clicked post and couldn’t figure out how to delete so including more info below… 

Found a house we love, recently been extended from a bungalow to a 2 story house. It’s on at a good price for a detached property, but am starting to get cold feet after reading through the planning permission portal. 

Seems the owner proceeded with the extension even after it was initially refused (and many locals were not happy about the plans, though this itself is not really anything ‘new’ with PP), and he did retrospectively get the planning permission, albeit way after the work had commenced and it was presumably finished/nearly complete by this point. 

My concern is that if he was willing to go ahead without going through the right process - is this something we should be worried about, or is it the norm when it comes to PP? E.g is there other stuff he might have cut corners on that we can’t ’see’ for example? 

I did ask if there was any warranties in place (I know new builds offer this, less sure with extensions) and he said no but council has inspected and you can get insurance. There were quite a few finishes that weren’t up to standard - eg rough plastering, skirting board gaps, a little shoddy work on the bathrooms BUT I was happy to look past these given the asking price, with a view of updating over time. 

Keen to get people’s views on this whilst we assess whether or not it’s a good idea to proceed. Thanks in advance!

If he got retrospective consent - and the finished job matches what the consent was for - then planning shouldn't be a concern, unless there is an enforcement notice still on file.

Were the works checked and signed off by building control?  Compliance with building regs is absolutely vital when adding a storey - if he skipped the planning (despite the initial refusal) then skipping building control approval would be the next logical step (to avoid the council finding out about the planning breach).

So reading through the permission granted, he hasn’t met all conditions. There was a requirement for 3 parking spaces, there is a max of 2 (and that’s a stretch). Also ref to a dropped kerb which hasn’t been put in, and conditions around a porch which is non existent. Would we be liable for any fines etc if we bought a house that hasn’t met PP conditions? 

njlj1992

Slinky said:

Did he get building control oversight and sign-off? If not, run away very quickly.

I actually don’t know if got building control oversight/sign off. He referenced some certificates but I’m unsure what they relate to. I can ask the question, thank you!

theartfullodger

So he cheated and ignored laws and regulations.  Wonder what else he ignored. ... Unsafe gas/electric, bodged repairs, other incomplete documentation .. fiddled meter readings.  Dunno about anyone else but I don't ( knowingly ) do business with crooks or cheats.

Section62

njlj1992 said:

So reading through the permission granted, he hasn’t met all conditions. There was a requirement for 3 parking spaces, there is a max of 2 (and that’s a stretch). Also ref to a dropped kerb which hasn’t been put in, and conditions around a porch which is non existent. Would we be liable for any fines etc if we bought a house that hasn’t met PP conditions? 

Strictly, if the planning conditions haven't been met then the council could take enforcement action - if you buy then the action would be against you rather than the previous owner as the planning consent relates to the property not the person.

Not providing the required parking is a significant issue - and the absence of a dropped kerb could mean the highways department stop you using the parking (though lots of ifs and buts with that).  Could the additional parking be provided somehow if the council demanded it?

What are the conditions regarding the porch about?  Applying for consent to build a porch doesn't necessarily require the porch to be built (unless the conditions require this) - so if the owner decided not to build the porch then conditions specific to that may be irrelevant (unless someone now builds the porch).

Bottom line - it sounds like there are multiple problems with this property.  You may want to think carefully whether you want to make their problems your problems, and if not, now might be the time to look elsewhere.

njlj1992

Thanks all, this is super helpful. Seems I might have got some of these points wrong, my partner thinks the drop kerb was in (I can’t see it in the pics I took but maybe it’s to the side). The condition around 3 spaces was reduced to 2 after the design was amended from 4 bed to 3, so in reality it looks like only the absence of a porch is there (which may not be such an issue)

That said, I think you’ve all affirmed my nervousness is justified! Thank you