Was a cash buyer for a house 8 years ao. possibly missing building reg for removed chimney breast. Will it make it impossible to sell?

[Harry Bloomfield]

thank you. We did have a hefty discount on the property, it was very cheap even for the time we bought it. What is a PW agreement?

Is/was the chimney built on a shared wall with next door, or is/was the chimney completely separate from the adjoining property?

 

[SpecialK]

Can you uncover the supports for the remaining chimney breast? Assuming there are some? You could then ask building control to inspect...

 

[mrbrightside2222]

Is/was the chimney built on a shared wall with next door, or is/was the chimney completely separate from the adjoining property?

ahh of course pW is party wall. No, the chimney is in the middle of our house. It's a mall chimney and is not adjacent to the neighbouring property.

 

[mikeey84]

ahh of course pW is party wall. No, the chimney is in the middle of our house. It's a mall chimney and is not adjacent to the neighbouring property.

No worries about the PW act then!

Taking up a floorboard or 2 and having a look at what they did is probably a good idea, will give you a chance to see if they put any support in at all, and whether it is suitable

 

[mrbrightside2222]

No worries about the PW act then!

Taking up a floorboard or 2 and having a look at what they did is probably a good idea, will give you a chance to see if they put any support in at all, and whether it is suitable

thank you. do you advise this as we are selling? would the indemnity insurance option not cover us? i don't necessarily want to discover a need for loads of work when we are about to sell if the simple insurance policy would work!

 

[denso13]

would the indemnity insurance option not cover us?

If the buyer accepts it, they don't have to, but they are used often.

 

[mikeey84]

I had a similar situation, left it, and whilst it was mentioned by the buyers surveyor, they didn't ask any additional questions, or ask for any insurance

 

[mrbrightside2222]

If the buyer accepts it, they don't have to, but they are used often.

thank you, that's great

 

[mrbrightside2222]

I had a similar situation, left it, and whilst it was mentioned by the buyers surveyor, they didn't ask any additional questions, or ask for any insurance

thank you, that is reassuring to know. I know there are no guarantees but it's good to know that it doesn't automatically make buyers pull out!

 

[jeds]

In your shoes I would wait to see what - if any - queries, are raised? There's a good chance it won't even come up and if it does just instruct the solicitor to buy an indemnity. They are buying them all the time. You would have to be very unlucky for it to be a problem.

 

[mrbrightside2222]

In your shoes I would wait to see what - if any - queries, are raised? There's a good chance it won't even come up and if it does just instruct the solicitor to buy an indemnity. They are buying them all the time. You would have to be very unlucky for it to be a problem.

thank you so much!

 

[mrrusty]

What is the point of an indemnity? it's hogwash. It indemnifies only against action by the LA for unauthorised works that should have been notified. After 8 years, not going to happen. It's not an insurance against bad workmanship and has no mechanism to pay out for further building work to repair. The buyer should survey the house and value it accordingly. Personally, I would say nowt, do nowt - if anyone asks when the work was done, say you have no idea. After all, you say you bought it like that, so could have been done years ago (pre 84) before BC notification was required.

We sold our last house 3 years ago. It had had major surgery some time in the past (prob early 90's) - no certs. Buyer asked, we said no idea, Checked with LA but no records, buyer still bought.

You've lived in it 8 years. If it was going to move there would be some signs by now - cracks etc. If it's all solid after minimum 8 years, it's most likely absolutely find and was done properly cert or no cert.

The reality is that most LA's won't have a clue whether the work was certified or not if the records pre-date their digital system, irrespective of whether technically they should be able to tell you. If it could be in paper archives, it might as well not exist.

 

[denso13]

What is the point of an indemnity?

Sometimes it gets the sale over the line. If the buyer is happy with it then why not.

 

[mrrusty]

Sometimes it gets the sale over the line. If the buyer is happy with it then why not.

That is definitely true, but it's turned in to a bit of a racket which benefits absolutely nobody except the insurance company taking the premiums.

 

[jeds]

Sometimes it gets the sale over the line. If the buyer is happy with it then why not.

Exactly. Indemnity policies are very cheap for the simple reason that nobody in the history of the universe has ever claimed on one. But, if your solicitor won't proceed without one, it gets the sale completed - 9 times out of 10 with a lot less hassle than regularisation. I agree that buyers should be wary of any works carried out to a house but this OP is selling, not buying.