Building control status "work started" from 2000

SG27 · 10 April 2018 at 9:15AM

We are looking at a house that has an extention by the current owners in about 2000. The building contol council website status as "work started" so I assume the owners never got the completed work signed off? Why would they not do this? Possible a bodge job?
Also the plans dont quite match the actual layout and a previously detached garage has been converted and linked up with house which doesnt show on the planning application. Anyone got any experience of similar?

System · 10 April 2018 at 9:37AM

could be a whole host of reasons - why not just ask the vendor to provide a completion cert. tbh it's nearly 20 years on might be that you just have to take a view of it.

Doozergirl · 10 April 2018 at 9:51AM

Nobody applies for building regs to bodge a job. They just wouldn't apply in the first place. What's the point in paying a fee and drawing attention to job when the purpose is to avoid thebfee and attention? What is more common is people forgetting the final inspection.

There are plenty of non material changes that don't require planning permission (separate to building regs anyway) or fall under Permitted Development. Building regulations can be dealt with without drawings, so if they did make changes they can be dealt with on site.

You're better off asking the vendors than making negative assumptions.

Davesnave · 10 April 2018 at 9:58AM

You might be able to find out how many inspections and what stage was reached when they ceased, but I doubt if the council will now sign it off or want to know, especially if further work has been done without notification.

The involvement of the council shows good intentions, but the road to hell is paved with those, so I'd be suspicious that some laxity in specs occurred along the way. Could be a multitude of reasons.

Was it even the vendor who did it?

After 20 years, signs of problems should show if there really are any, or has it been freshly decorated?

SG27 · 10 April 2018 at 10:09AM

I assume as it required planning permission that building control would automatically be involved?

Yes I will ask the vendor about it. We havent sold our house yet but when we do we will get a second viewing.

System · 10 April 2018 at 10:25AM

SG27 wrote: »

I assume as it required planning permission that building control would automatically be involved?

Yes I will ask the vendor about it. We havent sold our house yet but when we do we will get a second viewing.

That is not the case - there are plenty of thing that require planning permission but not building regs and vice versa - don't assume anything in these situations, ask the people with the answers

maisie_cat · 11 April 2018 at 4:16AM

Agreed that there are a host of reasons, I think the most common is that the building work itself is done and then the final elements are not completed immediately due to financial constraints/illness/divorce etc. It is then easy to live somewhere without doors for example but because they are on the drawings you hold off the final inspection.
Sometimes people do not realise, and think that the builder has done it. Given that the building is in use and has been for years I would doubt that there is anything fundamentally wrong.
Best bet is to see if they can get sign off, but depending on your attitude to risk (and your lender) you could use as leverage.

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Building control status "work started" from 2000

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