Has any one ever bought a property knowing that a few minor things like windows do not have planning permission?

[Mycupoverrunswithlove]

If so, did your calculated risk that you wouldn't be asked to take them down pay off?
We are in the process of buying a house, and a few things have been done without permission as far as we can gather. I am inclined to take the risk as we really like the house and don't want to risk contacting the planning dept, and alerting them to something which they are very unlikely to discover iyswim

Have just sent a long letter to my solicitor. I really hope it all works out, we feel a bit anxious because we have had bad luck with properties before, and tbh, we are only just managing to do this, so any extra problem is a worry. But thats the way house buying is, isn't it?

Funkimummy - I thought the FENSAed company were meant to send something to building control at the time of fitting? Are there ways around this if they haven't?
We employed a project manager to move some internal walls (no building control req) and replace some double glazed windows/french doors 3 years ago, and now can't find any evidence of FENSA - we didn't deal with the fitters direct..Dh was meant to ring the project manager today and ask what he knew/could remember, but we're trying to work out what we will have to do if there is no info on the fitters - rip them out and do it again???

Millarkie,

FENSA is like having automatic building regs for windows. The company (fitters) register and then just add each fitting they've done to the FENSA register, and a certificate is sent out. It just means they are complying with a standard set of regulations. They are rarely checked, but occassionally are checked by FENSA people.

In your case, I'd ring FENSA to find out. It is feasible that the window fitting co (if they are registered with FENSA) may have forgotten, and thus you can chase them via FENSA to get the registration. If this fails, then you can go to your local council and get retrospective building regs for the windows. It will cost about £100 if you do it that way.

Good luck.

x

And I doubt very much they'll make you rip windows out. As long as they are the current glass standards (which I'm sure they are if they're recently fitted.) there'll be no probs.

It's not like if you've pinched some land to build a wall and have to knock it down.

Thanks Funkimummy.

Dh is full of gloom and doom and is saying that we can't prove that they are of a certain quality so they'll probably have to be replaced - I will try to cheer him up with your news, and will contact FENSA and see if they were registered.

We had a window replace in 2002 on the house we sold. window company forgot to get the FENSA certificate. We got it in about 2 weeks once we went back to co and asked for it.

Don't know if it helps anyone- but if you go to the FENSA website you can check if the work has been registered really easily, and if it has you can buy a copy online.
(Ours wasn't)