Buying a house - falls over at the last minute (Building Reg Approval)

**ChrisPackit** · 10 July 2012, 15:16

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Discussed previously with NorthernLadUK, SM, BP and others.....

Paid for searches, paid for mortgage valuation, mortgage approved, contract documents arrived. Loft has no building regulations approval as was done a long time ago.

Do some more research into what's required to get it up to speed. You maye find that it may only require a trip from the building inspector plus maybe a Part P electrical check, so maybe < £500 to resolve. My advice, do some homework before you make your mind up...

**Paddy** · 10 July 2012, 15:19

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Discussed previously with NorthernLadUK, SM, BP and others.....

Paid for searches, paid for mortgage valuation, mortgage approved, contract documents arrived. Loft has no building regulations approval as was done a long time ago. I have 2 options; either get them to pay indemnity insurance or get retrospective building regulations approval. (indemnity not enough to qualify it as an extra room though)

The house was advertised as a X bed not X-1 bed and I am pretty sure it would cost a lot to get work done to the loft to make it comply with building regulations approval. Vendors not wishing to get the retrospective building regs done or reduce price.....

Estate agents are surely at fault here as they have duty of full disclosure and have effectively cost me 1k for nothing and wasted a lot of my time!

Anything I can do here to get my money back - though I am more pissed off at the wasted time than the money.....

Anybody else had a similar experience?

You can but it is only £1k, not worth bothering.

**Spacecadet** · 10 July 2012, 15:19

Originally posted by ChrisPackit View Post

Do some more research into what's required to get it up to speed. You maye find that it may only require a trip from the building inspector plus maybe a Part P electrical check, so maybe < £500 to resolve. My advice, do some homework before you make your mind up...

and lean on the vendor to pay for and arrange that

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 10 July 2012, 15:19

Originally posted by ChrisPackit View Post

Do some more research into what's required to get it up to speed. You maye find that it may only require a trip from the building inspector plus maybe a Part P electrical check, so maybe < £500 to resolve. My advice, do some homework before you make your mind up...

We have offered to get structural survey to confirm that it complies with building regulations but not accepted.

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 10 July 2012, 15:20

Originally posted by Spacecadet View Post

and lean on the vendor to pay for and arrange that

Done that - but they are not willing to budge. If we had known from the start there was this issue we would have sorted it before getting to this point.....

**sasguru** · 10 July 2012, 15:20

Originally posted by NorthWestPerm2Contr View Post

Discussed previously with NorthernLadUK, SM, BP and others.....

Paid for searches, paid for mortgage valuation, mortgage approved, contract documents arrived. Loft has no building regulations approval as was done a long time ago. I have 2 options; either get them to pay indemnity insurance or get retrospective building regulations approval. (indemnity not enough to qualify it as an extra room though)

The house was advertised as a X bed not X-1 bed and I am pretty sure it would cost a lot to get work done to the loft to make it comply with building regulations approval. Vendors not wishing to get the retrospective building regs done or reduce price.....

Estate agents are surely at fault here as they have duty of full disclosure and have effectively cost me 1k for nothing and wasted a lot of my time!

Anything I can do here to get my money back - though I am more pissed off at the wasted time than the money.....

Anybody else had a similar experience?

I would have thought surveyor/your solicitor more at fault rather than Estate Agent. Paperwork for any additional building work should have been checked by solicitor before contracts.
depends if you like the house and what you would get if marketed as a X-1 bed house. Also how much would it cost for B. Reg Approval? Does it even have planning consent?
£1K is a pittance to lose - if you are in any serious doubt walk away.

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 10 July 2012, 15:21

Originally posted by Paddy View Post

You can but it is only £1k, not worth bothering.

Ok how do I do that..... I'd like to get something back here.

**NorthWestPerm2Contr** · 10 July 2012, 15:22

Originally posted by sasguru View Post

I would have thought surveyor/your solicitor more at fault rather than Estate Agent. Paperwork for any additional building work should have been checked by solicitor before contracts.
depends if you like the house and what you would get if marketed as a X-1 bed house. Also how much would it cost for B. Reg Approval? Does it even have planning consent?
£1K is a pittance to lose - if you are in any serious doubt walk away.

Solicitor brought up this issue so they done a good job - they pointed it out before we exchanged contracts.

**mudskipper** · 10 July 2012, 15:23

Did the estate agent know?

Buying a house - falls over at the last minute (Building Reg Approval)