Before I buy house with conservatory.....

[Superhoop77]

I have been told that the house we want to buy wouldn't meet building regs because the conservatory is open plan into the dining room with no separating doors.
I have checked the council website and planning permission was granted for it but I know this doesn't include building regs.
I phoned the council to ask what it means if it doesn't meet the regulations and they said if it is over a year old (which it is) then they wouldn't do anything about it.

So 2 questions...

What exactly is the point of building regs if the council don't take any action after 1 year.

If we go ahead and buy are we risking anything such as insurance not being valid?

many thanks

Matt

 

[dormermike]

Dunno about planning etc but be prepared for huge bills to heat that area...

 

[Richard C]

I have been told that the house we want to buy wouldn't meet building regs because the conservatory is open plan into the dining room with no separating doors.

That is correct.

I have checked the council website and planning permission was granted for it but I know this doesn't include building regs.

A conservatory is exempt from BR’s as long as it meets certain criteria; one of those is to maintain an external grade door between it & the main propertyl. It would also be virtually impossible for a conventional conservatory to comply with BR's due to the materials & general method of construction. For more conditions see here; http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/conservatories/
But they did change in October 2010 so if the cons is older than that, they may not apply anyway.

I phoned the council to ask what it means if it doesn't meet the regulations and they said if it is over a year old (which it is) then they wouldn't do anything about it.

As far as I’m aware it’s 4 years (& in some cases 10) not one; maybe that’s just their informal internal policy.

What exactly is the point of building regs

To ensure building work conforms to minimum standards

if the council don't take any action after 1 year.

As far as I’m aware it’s 4 years (& in some cases 10) not one; maybe that’s just their informal internal policy.

If we go ahead and buy are we risking anything such as insurance not being valid?

Doubtful but who knows, it depends on the circumstances & nature of the insurance claim. If it’s a burglary & the external conservatory doors/windows are not up to scratch then possibly your claim would be rejected.

If you do go ahead, as already stated, be prepared for hefty energy bills to heat the space. As the council don’t seem bothered, in reality nothing is likely to happen until you come to re-sell where it will be picked up again & some buyers may be put off. Also, many lenders are getting increasingly reluctant to lend on properties with unauthorised building works but no doors on a conservatory is hardly serious.

 

[big-all]

yep horrendous heat loss and void insurance are the main pitfalls

ask them if the conservatory is difficult to heat and do they get condensation in the conservatory
ask them what there bills are for the year

they need to answer honestly or be liable

 

[jassdhali]

Why not put a set of external doors in and seperate the conservatory from the dining room??
Best quick fix surely?

 

[Richard C]

Why not put a set of external doors in and seperate the conservatory from the dining room??
Best quick fix surely?

Agreed; as long as it’s possible & the OP is prepared to stand the loss of open space currently presented by the property but why do it at your own expense? If I liked the place, personally (& all other things acountable), I’d use it as an excuse for a good discount on the asking price.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Why not put a set of external doors in and seperate the conservatory from the dining room??
Best quick fix surely?

Agreed; as long as it’s possible & the OP is prepared to stand the loss of open space currently presented by the property but why do it at your own expense? If I liked the place, personally (& all other things acountable), I’d use it as an excuse for a good discount on the asking price.

Why? Take it or leave it that's what I'd say, what they've done is not uncommon at all.

 

[Richard C]

Why? Take it or leave it that's what I'd say, what they've done is not uncommon at all.

Agreed but there is nothing to stop you trying, particularly in a buyer’s market. My sister lost a sale on her bungalow 6 months ago for this very reason & I assume the perspective purchaser was just trading one off against another to get the best deal; she's had no other offers since

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Aye depends how desperate they all are I guess. Is the OP gonna report back though, that is the question!

 

[big-all]

Aye depends how desperate they all are I guess. Is the OP gonna report back though, that is the question!

i would suggest that you take an easy stance as i think we are about to turn into the biggest recession in living memory so a 2/3/5% hit to sell will be a bargain even after the initial haggling
i definitely think cut and run if your property is competitively priced then be prepared to loose 10 to 15% now or 30% next year

 

[Superhoop77]

Thanks for all your posts.
 
The open plan style is what appealed to us and we would not really want to lose this.
 
My main concern is the insurance and whether it would be void because of the lack of building regs. There is planning permission for the conservatory so it isn’t unapproved works. I’m guessing that in this case the lack of building regs is really only relating to the environmental impact so maybe the insurance would be ok? Will have to get our current policy out and see if there is any mention of that...
 
Also I will get copies of the heating bills. The lounge area is separated by a wall and door from the dining room/conservatory/kitchen area so we can keep it warm and turn down the radiators in the open part which will hopefully help. I spoke to the company that did the conservatory and they told me it would be approx £600 to fit doors in order to meet regs so that’s not too bad. Might try and get a reduction on the purchase price for this.
 
Incidentally, when I spoke to the vendors agents yesterday they told me that Planning Permission covered building regs! I thought this wasn’t the case so checked with the council and they said no they are two separate matters. Later on yesterday when I spoke to the vendors agents again they ‘told me off’ for contacting the council myself and said I should leave it to solicitors.   

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

The estate agents are just getting funny as they're scared of the purchase falling through. Ask them why they didn't disclaim the works were illegal it when it was advertised, watch them squirm! Building Regs and Planning are entirely separate. From what point of view do you feel your insurance would be invalid? Contents or buildings? This really isn't the big deal some posters in the thread have made out. Provided the insurance suppliers are aware of the layout why would it be invalid? If the open plan of it appeals then that is what appeals. If the sellers had built a fully fledged extensions it would have cost another say £10-15K and the purchase price would have probably reflected this. this is the pay-off. Lower purchase price but higher heating bills.

If you like the open plan and intend to keep it that way, why try getting money off for a new door? I just find that approach dishonest.

 

[Superhoop77]

There's nothing dishonest about trying to get the vendors to pay for works that would make the property legal. When we go to sell the property on in the future I would want to make sure it conforms to building regs so would put the doors in then. This is what the price reduction would be for. Not dishonest, just future planning.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If I were the seller I'd fit a new door rather than give money off. You can justify it anyway you like .........

 

[big-all]

the insurance is not really concerned about building regs as far as this point is concerned its the security issue
you need to ask there stance before buying the house

having an open plan will cost you a fortune in winter heating it with up to 6kw off heat loss will be expensive
its worse than heating a room in the winter with a window wide open pure madness