Advice needed quickly - garage conversion

[IAmRubyLennox]

Can anyone advise on this - the need for speed is because I'm trying to fill in my house-selling forms for the solicitor!

Our garage is integral to the house. As such, it has a proper fire ceiling and the like because our bedroom is above it. This was all approved by building regulations 7 years ago when we built the extension.

The garage is accessed by a door from the family room (or from the front via the up & over door).

Two years ago we put a stud partition wall up about 6 feet into the garage, insulated the floor and put down laminate in order to create a little utility room. It doesn't have any plumbing, we just have the tumble dryer out there (vented through the external wall) and keep the ironing board and vacuum cleaner.

One of the questions on my form asks whether we've done any conversions, and if so, do we have planning permission / building regs. We don't have either. Should we?

I can't see how it needed planning permission as it wasn't building anything new or altering the occupancy of the house, it was just boxing in one end internally. But what about building regs?

Can anyone advise on this?

Anyone?

Do you now access this new utility from the living room, so the only access to the garage is now the up and over door?

My understanding is that the wall you built has to be fireproof as it's the wall between the garage and the 'house'. You may also need a fire escape window in the new utility if the room 'opens into another room' rather than into a hallway.

I am no expert but I am looking to do a 1/3 and 2/3 garage conversion myself and am looking at 'the rules'.

I need PP for it as I am 'altering the use' of the room.

anything useful here?

You should have had building regs approval for the conversion (not sure about planning).

You can apply to 'regularise' the works in order to get the certificate you'll need, or you may be able to take out indemnity insurance.

You need to say "yes" to the conversion as you have part converted the garage, and "no" to the planning and building regs.

The last house we bought had done this, but they also had a fire door going from the garage into the utility created at the back of the garage and the utility was off the back of the kitchen.

They had to get retrospective building regs before our solicitor would let us buy it. Sorry.

Bugger.

Thanks very much for your helpful advice, it's really useful (even though I was hoping everyone was going to tell me there was nothing wrong with it ).

We're buying a newbuild and selling through PX to the developer.

This is what comes of doing stuff when you don't think you will ever be able to move, and then finding 2 years down the line that you can.

You can't buy indemnity insurance, the buyers have to do that. Most lenders now won't accept it anyway, as it's meaningless. It's only indemnifying them against the council insisting the work is redone, and the council have to do that within 1 or 2 years. You need building regs for everything, just went through this myself and had to retrofit various things to a utility room (drain vent, extractor and safety glass in window next to door).

We've just bought a house with a similar garage conversion. Our surveyor said it wouldn't meet current building regs, explained why and confirmed it was basically sound, and told us flag it up with solicitor. Our vendors bought an indemnity insurance policy and the sale proceeded. Solicitors handled it all. No issues with mortgage.

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2012