We moved into our ex-council house 3 years ago. We bought it from a private owner, not the council. The owner before the pervious one converted the loft into a large room about 10 years ago. It appears to be done correctly, well insulated, proper staircase, fire door etc. We are re-locating and want to sell the house but there is no documentation for the conversion.
Is there some law that exempts planning permission after a certain amount of time? Or if we try and get documentation from the local council will they order us to put it back the way it was? This is Scotland and usually the law differs from England. We basically want to class it as a bedroom as it is huge with about 8' in height.
2006-09-21 04:27:49 · 8 answers · asked by Empty tummy 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
I had a similar situation with a window installed in our loft. We were able (for about £75) to purchase a one time insurance policy which protected the new buyers in case there was ever a problem.
2006-09-21 04:35:00 · answer #1 · answered by Joyous 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Loft Conversion Scotland
2016-11-15 04:33:38 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically the original survey and legal representation should have picked this up and notified you of the discrepancy at the time of purchase which would suggest to me that the relevant approvals do exist within council records and are valid. It's highly unlikely that two sales would have proceeded without picking this up. If the house has changed from original plans without the correct approvals and the surveyor/legal representation did not pick this up then you could have some recourse depending on the type of survey commissioned.
Letters of Comfort normally pertain to modifications that were approved but were not completed within the prescribed time period (3 years plus two 1 year extensions). It is unlikely that any such letter would be granted for structural modifications where no plans exist without a structural survey which would mean exposing the support beams and cost a bit of cash to complete.
My gut instinct, having been through this type of situation several times, is that all is ok. However, for peace of mind instruct a local architect or surveyor firm to check that all paperwork is in place. This shouldn't cost too much as most councils have the records held electronically these days. If it turns out to not to have all the required approvals then these same people will provide all the CORRECT advice you need rather than worry yourself with urban folklore and friend of a friend stories.
2006-09-24 12:08:33 · answer #3 · answered by northernpar 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Planning permission may well be irrelevant as the conversion is longstanding. However, you do need to make sure the the conversion is in line with the technical standards so that it complies with the building regulations.
You can apply for what's called a certificate of comfort, which basically is a statement from the building standards agency to say that they are happy that the works that have been done without building warrant meets the requirements of the regs.
Call up your local council and discuss this with them. Tell them your situation where the conversion is over 10 years old, and how you go about making sure that they are happy that it complies with the regs. They may require you to submit as built drawings of the conversion, detailing the construction, installed insulation and heating provisions, ventilation and daylighting, escape routes, etc.
You can get this done yourself if you know what to look for, or you can just call up a professional such as an architect or a building technician to do the work.
Don't be surprised if all of this ends up with the council requiring you to do a bit more work to the property to get it more in line with the regs. For instance, they may ask that a vent fan to be installed in a storage cupboard that is more than 4m² in size, but from what you've described, if anything these things should be fairly minor.
2006-09-21 22:16:16 · answer #4 · answered by k² 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine did a loft conversion but before he got planning permission he had to build a second means of escape in case of fire which he did via the roof skylight.
This was in central Scotland, hope this doest dampen you in any way but I think you will require some paperwork for the new owner
2006-09-21 06:35:57 · answer #5 · answered by alex winefly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After 5 years its legal
2006-09-21 04:29:11 · answer #6 · answered by OriginalBubble 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After 10 years, planning permission is not relevant but it would still have required Building Regulations for which there is no time frame. You can get these after the event so approach the council now to ask for it.
2006-09-21 05:31:05 · answer #7 · answered by kerrykinsmalosevich 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess. One thing they should be able to protest is that new stupid Arizona law. I heard people are getting arrested for being hispanic. What. The. Fxck. My uncle got arrested over there because of his race, but he was born here. SO, to answer your question, anyone should be able to protest shitty laws.
2016-03-17 23:36:11 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋