Remortgage Survey After Knockthrough Gap Between Beds 2 & 3

turquoise_fairy
turquoise_fairy Posts: 7 Forumite
in Mortgages & endowments
Hi, first time poster here but lurker of many years.

Last year we knocked through a gap of just over 6ft wide between our front and back bedrooms as the kids have left home and we use the front bedroom as an office now. The door to the hall from each bedroom has remained untouched and is not blocked off, we just only use one of them.

We thought if we ever sold (which we don't intend to as we've invested a lot of time and energy on improving the gardens - building a wine cellar, ponds and other landscaping) that we would just fill the gap with a stud partition and redecorate.

However as things stand there is a gap in the wall.

My (massive, sleep-loss inducing) worry is that the mortgage surveyor will now class the property as two-bedroomed which will impact our ability to go through with the mortgage as the LTV will sky-rocket.

Would inserting a set of double doors connecting the rooms suffice? Because we could do that very quickly and easily.
Or don't we need to do anything? :beer:
Or have we completely blown it survey wise? _pale_
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Comments

  • Thrugelmir
    Thrugelmir Posts: 89,546 Forumite
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    Easy enough to reinstate a partition wall. I wouldn't be concerned for valuation purposes. .
  • turquoise_fairy
    turquoise_fairy Posts: 7 Forumite
    Thanks Thrugelmir. I don't know anyone here so may I ask if you're a surveyor or on what you're basing your advice?

    I like your signature btw.
  • Thrugelmir
    Thrugelmir Posts: 89,546 Forumite
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    No I'm not. Sometimes just look at matters pragmatically.

    Rather than just having a hole. If the change is permanent why not have a builder in and tidy it up properly.
  • Tom99
    Tom99 Posts: 5,371 Forumite
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    [FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]I think the mortgage valuer might take the view that £1,000 worth of reinstatement is required and deduct £1,000 from the value they might otherwise have given.

    [/FONT] [FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]I don't think its a big deal and I would not add folding doors as that only makes your change seem more permanent.[/FONT]
  • turquoise_fairy
    turquoise_fairy Posts: 7 Forumite
    edited 15 July 2017 at 6:49AM
    Tom99 wrote: »
    [FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]I think the mortgage valuer might take the view that £1,000 worth of reinstatement is required and deduct £1,000 from the value they might otherwise have given.

    [/FONT] [FONT=Tahoma, sans-serif]I don't think its a big deal and I would not add folding doors as that only makes your change seem more permanent.[/FONT]

    Hi Tom99, that seems pretty sensible actually and gives me a good guide as to what to say to the surveyor, ie "If we were selling we'd insert a part partition wall to separate the rooms again. I realise that's going to bring down the value a bit considering there's maybe a grand's worth of work there..."

    Thanks for the advice. :beer:
  • turquoise_fairy
    turquoise_fairy Posts: 7 Forumite
    Thrugelmir wrote: »
    If the change is permanent why not have a builder in and tidy it up properly.

    Thanks for getting back to me again Thrugelmir. We want to keep the gap, we'd only block it back up if we were selling. So it seems like a drastic option to block it back up just for the survey, then a day later knock it all back down again (I remember the mess and dust from the first time we knocked through.:laugh:)
  • AnotherJoe
    AnotherJoe Posts: 19,622 Forumite
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    Do you know the new lender will want a physical survey at that level,of detail ? Generally they will,do a drive by or not even that, just use the initial value plus house price inflation index for the area. So they most likely won't be aware what you've done anyway.
  • Thrugelmir
    Thrugelmir Posts: 89,546 Forumite
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    turquoise_fairy wrote: »
    (I remember the mess and dust from the first time we knocked through.:laugh:)

    Hopefullly not a supporting wall then.
  • Keezing
    Keezing Posts: 322 Forumite
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    When you submitted the remortgage application, how many bedrooms did you say the property has?
  • turquoise_fairy
    turquoise_fairy Posts: 7 Forumite
    AnotherJoe wrote: »
    Do you know the new lender will want a physical survey at that level,of detail ? Generally they will,do a drive by or not even that, just use the initial value plus house price inflation index for the area. So they most likely won't be aware what you've done anyway.

    Well, when we remortgaged years ago, they sent a surveyor to have a quick look round. My mortgage broker thinks they will this time too. But as you say I've heard of many cases where the surveyor just sits in the car and checks the house is still standing and that's it!
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