Retrospective building regs for wall

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Char1980

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Hi there, grateful for some advice on this query.

We purchased our house in 2016, with a little conservatory on the back. Apparently this was built before previous owners bought in 2007, and no building regs in place so We purchased indemnity insurance instead in order to get mortgage agreed and satisfy solicitor.

Forward to now- We knocked through kitchen and dining room supporting wall in 2017 and didn't get building regs. Needed a steel and all done to regs by a good local builder.

We now want to sell As husband has new job 3 hours away, and in dilemma whether to just get council to come round and Grant retrospective regs for the knock through wall that we did - we are pretty confident that it's been done properly and there will be no problems getting it signed off. I am, however, now worried that they will see the ancient conservatory and check/ ask about regs on this too, thus invalidating any ability for potential buyer to get a mortgage as they won't be able to get indemnity insurance for the conservatory. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't pass building regs! Would the council do this and ask about other work done? Would their concerns get logged anywhere this pricing indemnity insurance was invalid?

We are keen to just get the regs done for our work on the wall so as not to scare off potential buyers but worried that it will open up a whole can of worms with the conservatory if they question it.

I can't sleep for worrying what to do as I'm freaking myself out that we won't be able to sell.

Thanks all.
 
providing the conservatory is isolated from the house heating system and has doors to isolate it from the house it dosnt come into the equation
 
What makes you think the conservatory required building regs?

Is it open to the house or is there a door separating?

If a conservatory is thermally separate and mostly glazed (back then 75% roof glazed and 50% walls) then it would be exempt.

How was the steel specified when the open plan was done?

Personally I wouldnt bother with retrospective regs for the wall removal - I cant see it being an issue selling

Is there any visible issue like cracks following the wall removal?
 
Hi all, thanks for your replies. I assumed regs needed for conservatory as our solicitor made us get indemnity insurance when we bought in 2016.

It is sep from house by door and window and just glass with plastic roof, so seems to be exempt anyway.

Re: wall. No cracks or worries in 3 years. I just don't want a buyer to get put off if we can't produce the certificate and pull out of the sale. Prepared to spend the money for peace of mind tbh. Already fuming that we didn't get it done at the time...
 
Your solicitor advised you incorrectly, therefore costing you money; if it's less than 30 sq m in floor area, and thermally-separated fom the house, Buiiding regs is not required. In any case, it's way out of time for enforcement.

You can apply for a retrospective approval (aka 'regularization') for the knock - through, but the council will want you to remove a little of the plaster to expose the beam for inspection, and also some plaster to see the size of the padstones each end - if any. They will not be at all interested or concerned about the conservatory.

Council fees for Regularization vary - for this type of work, our council would charge about £4-500. Depending on the size of the beam put in, they may also ask for structural calculations for the beam, which could be £2-400 - you'd need to shop around local SEs for a price.

Together with removing and then reinstating plasterwork etc, I suspect you'd be looking at about £1k altogether, so budget for around that.
 
Thanks for your replies- so helpful.

In your experience, would buyers usually pull out of sale if we couldn't provide reg certificate. I think I would and we can't risk losing a buyer!
 
Char1980 said:
Thanks for your replies- so helpful.

In your experience, would buyers usually pull out of sale if we couldn't provide reg certificate. I think I would and we can't risk losing a buyer!
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Its a minor issue really and there is no visible evidence of movement to worry a buyer.

Do you have the original quote or invoice for the work -a buyer may be happier knowing it was done by a reputable local builder and not a diy job. You could explain the regs part slipped through the net and never got done.

You sell the house as is, but keep in mind you may need to drop by £1k............or have the inspection done as part of the sale if it worries a buyer.

Did the wall that was removed have a wall above on the 1st floor, or was just supporting floor joists?
 
You bought the house with an indemnity policy, what makes you think a new buyer won't do the same?
 
^woody^ said:
You bought the house with an indemnity policy, what makes you think a new buyer won't do the same?
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Indeed, it seems like a standard part of the process to me. The first one I had (paid for by the sellers) was also for a conservatory that was exempt from PP and BRegs. £200 to make all the problems go away and solicitors on both sides seem keen on them too, presumably because half of them are working fixed price and want to close the sale down too.
 
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