Building regs worry on house we are buying

[stevieknicks]

We finally found a house to buy where we wanted and can afford it because it needs work. We have a really limited budget to work with so I am petrified of getting in too deep...
It is a victorian 3 bed terrace, and its main selling point is that it has a side return on the kitchen so is a nice size. The extension looks really old and although surveyor says is structurally sound, will need proper insulation and a new roof (is leaking and freezing). We accepted this would need to be done and are getting quotes.
Solicitor still waiting for paperwork so we don't yet know when it was built but I am pretty sure that building regs would not have signed it off as it is finished really badly.
Given that the structure is sound, and that we accept some remedial work needs to be done - would you buy without consents?
Anyone with any advice/experience of this?

Depends when it was done. What consent was needed then? If structurally sound or easily remedied I wouldn't be put off.

Is it buildings regs or planning you are concerned about ? It may well have been built to the regs at that time which will have been updated (esp for insulation) since but aren't retrospectively enforceable.

Its probably a really old extension and building regs didn't exist then.We have just done something similar with our old extension which was cold and leaking.Builder stripped slates off replaced damaged wood,treated ok wood with woodworm treatment then put in kingspan and felted and reused the undamaged slates.We also had a couple of velux windows added.The bill was arround 1500 pounds.I don't know when the extension was added but our house was built in 1904 so presumably at a later date.The roof construction was basically tiles on the lathe and plaster!.I wouldn't allow this to discount you buying the house if you like it [basically all old houses will need work doing to one extent or another].

Thanks all, waiting to hear when it was done - would imagine years ago rather than decades iykwim

And more worried about building regs as I don't think planning is an issue after a shorter number of years, plus it is a small extension

Building Control would have details on their files if anything was signed off, depending on the authority it might even be publicly accessible. Otherwise you might have to ask the seller to ask BC to do an archive search on the address (nominal fee). Good luck as I tried to do this with our sellers and they never would co-operate, guess why? Nothing on record for their top-to-bottom rebuild ten years ago .

If it's the right house you might as well buy it, it's not like planning permission where you have to pull it down.

If you investigate officially and there are none you won't be able to get an indemnity policy toc over any enforcement by the council. If it was done a while back and a suveyor thinks it is structurally ok personally I'd leave it and just get on with making it good.

I would ask the vendor to provide an indemnity insurance policy to cover the extension in the absence of building regs approval.

It's definitely not our forever house, we are looking at staying round here until DS getting ready for secondary school (a bit too urban London here!) so I am thinking about how it would affect resale too with no building regs for the extension.

Get an indemnity for the time being. Resale probably wouldn't be a problem - quite a few properties are missing a building certificate or two, that's why indemnities exist! Lack of planning permission is a big no-no though.

When you get the work done you could of course make sure it complies with building regs and get your own building certificte.

quite alot of edwardian houses have these 'extensions' which were build with the house. i have no idea why they built perfectly sound houses adn then decided 'i know lets cobble together a really shite bit sticking out the back for the scullery' but they did.

You can sell on an indemnity policy with the house but it is unlikely you will ever need to claim on it. For the sake of £100 or so it is worth it then as others have said , if the structure is ok you can upgrade it to current regs and start again.

Ah that's what I wanted to hear LIZS, we are planning to get structure up to current regs by putting on new roof and insulating the external wall, but had this fear of building regs peep coming in, sucking air through his/her teeth and saying - nope, take it all down!

Get a full building spec drawn up, send to Building Control in advance for their approval. (You will pay for this.) Then just make sure the builder sticks ti the agreed spec and you won't have any problems!