Would you buy house where loft conversion has no regs?

Bigphil1474

Getting building control sign off on a loft conversion isn't difficult unless it is built by cutting corners or knowingly not meeting the required standards. Getting retrospective sign off is difficult. I'd not entertain it at all. 

user1977

Sapindus said:

user1977 said:

I can see the logic in, say, the agent flagging up the consents point - but not sure why you can't call something a bedroom when it clearly is a bedroom, has long been used as a bedroom, and will in all probability continue to be used as a bedroom?

Because if it isn't up to consent standards it is very likely not safe to be used as a bedroom, however long someone has been using it as one and got away with it.  When a fire happens it could be fatal.  It's a matter of how likely something is to happen multiplied by the consequences if it does.  

It's like my mother trying to persuade buyers with toddlers that it was perfectly safe for them to buy her house with a huge pond in the back garden, because she'd managed to bring up two children without either of them drowning.

Are you saying there's something in law to back up either of those scenarios?

The fire safety point can't be it, because we've had previous cases discussed here where the loft appeared to meet fire safety requirements and yet still people were saying you can't call it a bedroom. And I think it's left to buyers to decide whether a pond is dangerous or not, not for that to be spoon-fed to them by agents.

What about where, say, somebody's knocked through an internal wall and there isn't a consent? Does the agent have to pretend the house doesn't have a living/dining room because it might be dangerous to use?

pretamang

Would you buy house where loft conversion has no regs?

Yes, I did this and it's absolutely fine. I did my homework on it before buying. It was an old conversion (around 1992) so building reg sign-off wasn't generally sought. I got a copy of the original plans, which were BR compliant, then had a specialist structural survey carried out to ensure it was safe and also built to the original plan.

silvercar

I would have a surveyor assess it. Either through a full survey or getting a surveyor just to look at that issue, though on a smaller property it is probably not much saving between the two. 

silvercar

Sapindus said:

user1977 said:

I can see the logic in, say, the agent flagging up the consents point - but not sure why you can't call something a bedroom when it clearly is a bedroom, has long been used as a bedroom, and will in all probability continue to be used as a bedroom?

Because if it isn't up to consent standards it is very likely not safe to be used as a bedroom, however long someone has been using it as one and got away with it.  When a fire happens it could be fatal.  It's a matter of how likely something is to happen multiplied by the consequences if it does.  

It's like my mother trying to persuade buyers with toddlers that it was perfectly safe for them to buy her house with a huge pond in the back garden, because she'd managed to bring up two children without either of them drowning.

So if someone sees the room advertised as a bedroom and is too inexperienced or careless to realise it's not safe to use as one, it wouldn't be reasonable to just say oh well buyer beware.

Sometimes safety features work against you. A pond which has been fenced off may lull you into a false sense of security, where as an open water feature would make parents more cautious.

We have a balcony that is guarded by just 3 horizontal bars, perfectly compliant at the time, because the time was before building regs existed. We would never let a child on the balcony, even supervised. Whereas if the rails were more solid we may have allowed kids out with supervision, and therefore at more risk.

sheramber

I think the OP is more concerned with paying a price relevant to a two bedroom house when it does not have sign off as a two bedroom house. 

He does not intend to use it as a bedroom. 

sJanes

sheramber said:

I think the OP is more concerned with paying a price relevant to a two bedroom house when it does not have sign off as a two bedroom house. 

This is really the point - mainly for when I want to sell on.
a) Is the price appropriate because it's not really 2 bed?
b) Is there a problem with this conversion just existing anyway, regardless of price/usage (that seems to be no, subject to suitable structural inspection, since council involvement looks unlikely and insurance seems ok)

It's a bit of a poxy bedroom anyway because it's restricted height except in the very middle and that bit of the room is useless because the stairs come up in the middle. It's near the bottom of 2-bed price range but not 'cheap'. I'd quickly move on except the rest of it ticks the boxes for me and at a lower price it would be ideal.

sheramber

My son bought a flat with a “bedroom” in the attic arched by a normal attic ladder.  How they got a bed and mattress up there  is anybody’s guess. 

He paid a one bedroom price. 

He sold it, advising the attic “room” had no building regs , as a one bedroom flat. 

donutandbeer

I would expect this place to be priced as 1 bedroom with a little bit (but not much) more space. Some people might prefer to buy one with the loft unconverted so they can do their own conversion with building control signed off. But there will also be people who don’t have the money for a loft conversion and would like to have a bit more space. 

I definitely will not pay a 2 bedroom price for it - because it’s not! 

Honestly very cheeky of them to advertised it as 2 bedroom. Most listings I saw these days don’t market that as a bedroom.

sJanes

user1977 said:

Albermarle said:

sJanes said:

user1977 said:

How old is the conversion?

Not known, could be as little as 7 years.

Then it is a definite big issue. Without the BC sign off it should not be advertised as an habitable room/bedroom ( and the agent should know that but many are not very clued up on the issue).
This issue crops up time and time again on the forum.

It does, but I can't remember anybody citing the relevant law which prohibits anybody from calling it a bedroom?

Not a law, but I did see this (rather old example) cited which ought to put agents off 'falsely' advertising, which would mean in future I would likely to only be able to market with '1bed' in the Rightmove filter. 
https://thenegotiator.co.uk/features/30220-2/