Building regs for integral garage

[Stewart1982]

Hello, I'm in the process of buying a house built in 1986. The integral garage has been converted to a small room at the front and utility room at the back. They also removed an internal wall in the living room. It was picked up in the survey to check for building regs. The seller has put on the information form that there has been no alterations to the propert. My solicitor has raised some pre contract inquiries regarding this which they have not responded back yet. My question is; when did building regs come into force for integral garages? I have a feeling they will play dumb and say the previous owners did the work. Last sold in 1999. Thanks in advance.

 

[GeoffJ]

What difference does it make that the living/utility room was previously a garage. The owners may well claim the conversion was done by prior owners (plausible deniability).

- it has sat there for at least 5 years and caveat emptor applies.

 

[motorbiking]

They can obtain a one off insurance to indemnify you against Building control taking action against you - which would be highly unlikely. You need to think about possible lack of insulation in the room which might not have been converted properly. It would cost maybe 1500-3,000 to bring it up to modern standards if it hasn't been done.

The property needs to be correctly described and valued accordingly

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

It's all immune from prosecution anyway.

They can obtain a one off insurance to indemnify you against Building control taking action against you

Building Control can only take action for a structural problem and if there was a problem that would have appeared long ago. And even then they would only prosecute if the owners (OP) refused to fix it. Chances of that happening is about 1 in a million.

 

[motorbiking]

Sure, but if I was the OP sitting in my living room in January wondering why it was so friggin cold, I'd want to know I'd taken it in to account in the price. Having said that I have some bay wall in the original part of my 1920s house that are single skin brick.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I didn't question that part of your post, that's why i didn't quote it. Maybe the property is already correctly valued.

 

[^woody^]

Never mind what a poxy conveyance solicitor says, what does a surveyor say about the condition of the alterations?

 

[Stewart1982]

The surveyor questioned if the floor had been upgraded and isulated and that I should check if building regs are in place. Also as an update the vendor has put on the form you get when you buy the house (fixtures fitting etc) that there has been no alterations to the property?? The solicitor has submitted some enquiries from the survey to the vendor so Ile need to wait and see what they come back with and take it from there. Thanks for the responses.

 

[^woody^]

The thing that matters is the surveyors opinion on whether the alterations are structurally satisfactory, not whether they have a bit of paper. That's not surveying, that's arse covering.

The vendor may well stat that there are no alterations of he had not done any.