Buying house with unofficial loft bedroom - the final reckoning

NervyBuyer

user1977 said:

NervyBuyer said:

user1977 said:

If the conversion is really of unknown age then why is anybody assuming that building regulations even applied to it in the first place? I presume you're not concerned about the lack of building regs approval for the rest of the house...

If there's some sort of exemption based on age, that would change things

The requirements (if any) for building regulations are dictated by when the works were carried out. Is nobody able to even guess at a decade? There are usually sufficient clues as to whether something is very modern or rather elderly.

Only '20+' years ago, verbally from the architect via solicitor. Would the recent work (which bafflingly was done with the express intention of satisfying regs and then not getting any certification) override that anyway?

Hoenir

I'd be investing my time in finding another property. End of the day it's safety that matters. Not pieces of paper. 

NervyBuyer

By 'safety' I mean the thing isn't about to fall down. Not fire safety, that's clearly not up to scratch for use as a habitable room, but neither will the first floor doors and staircase be up to that standard either, same in any old house.

Is it going to fall down and will it be hard to sell as a 1-bed are the questions.

Section62

NervyBuyer said:

By 'safety' I mean the thing isn't about to fall down. Not fire safety, that's clearly not up to scratch for use as a habitable room, but neither will the first floor doors and staircase be up to that standard either, same in any old house.

Is it going to fall down and will it be hard to sell as a 1-bed are the questions.

For a property with only a first floor (and ground) then the doors and stairs aren't a particular concern as you've only got one set of stairs to go down, and exiting from a first floor window (in an dire emergency) is more likely to be achievable without help from the fire service. Typically the stairs are arranged so there's only one room (the hallway) to pass through to get outside.

From the second floor you've got two sets of stairs to negotiate, so they need to be protected to make sure they are still there when you need them, as well as keeping that corridor clear of smoke and flame so you have some chance of using them in relative safety.  The stairs conforming to standards (e.g. not too steep) is important because if you are rushing to get out you are more likely to fall if the stairs aren't right.

Jumping from a second-floor window isn't ideal, and no option at all if the window is too small for egress.

This is why loft conversions without building regs signoff can be an issue.  Especially if you as a consumer are asking professionals to advise you on the purchase and whether it will all be Ok.

Generally buildings don't fall down that often - when built there are usually factors of safety applied to the loadings (knowingly or not) so typically structural failures happen slowly, or through a combination of events.  Only a structural engineer who has done some intrusive inspections can tell you whether this particular building is likely to fall down in specified circumstances.

The ease of selling as a 1-bed will depend on whether you want to price it as a 1-bed, or would hope to get a 2-bed figure for it.  The probability is there will be 1-bed properties on the market cheaper than what you'll hope to get.  Therefore yours needs to offer something the others don't to justify a higher price.  The additional room in the loft is one such extra... until the prospective buyer finds out and understands there is a limitation on what it can safely be used for.

NervyBuyer

Understood about the fire safety, but I am considering the loft not to be (used as) a habitable room.

I covered the pricing in my OP - the huge difference between 1 and 2 bed prices is what concerns me about saleability.

Sapindus

If you are using it as a one bed, don't pay for a two bed.  Offer the price of a one bed. 

newatc

We bought our current house nearly 40 years ago and it had a large loft area used as two decent sized bedrooms with central heating. We have updated the windows, put in fire retardant plasterboard walls and added smoke alarms. We have always used them as bedrooms without any issues.
We did some changes to the first floor not long after moving in which required some building regulation and the council officer who checked the new work saw the loft area and merely commented "that wouldn't be allowed these days" but wasn't particularly concerned.
Recently we considered moving and asked an estate agent for a valuation .The valuation was a little disappointing but they pointed out they would have to market it as a three bedroom property (as opposed to 5) because the loft rooms clearly don't meet current regulations. We bought it as a 5 bedroom house and I looked backed on the survey and there is hardly any mention of the loft area and certainly no reference to regulations.
So it seems to me that this has become an issue in more recent times. 

Hoenir

NervyBuyer said:

Understood about the fire safety, but I am considering the loft not to be (used as) a habitable room.

Not fire that's the immediate danger it's smoke that kills.  

I get you are heavily invested emotionally in this property. Like buses there'll be another one along soon enough. Be active with the local EA's. Many properties are sold without ever hitting the market. 

NervyBuyer

Hoenir said:

I get you are heavily invested emotionally in this property. 

I'm not, I certainly don't 'love' it, but it does suit me very well. It's more the practicalities of having to start for a third time in such a competitive market, and probably find another problem with the next house. I'm very happy to move on if that's the right thing to do, but I also don't want to overreact. I haven't bought a house for nearly 20 years and everything seems much more difficult now.