Is this a deal breaker - buying a victorian terrace with no building reg documentation for removal of internal walls?!

[BraveMerida]

In the process of buying a typical 2 up 2 down Victorian terrace.

However the internal walls on the ground floor, which used to be the dividing wall between the corridor and the two reception rooms, had been removed with no documentation to certify that they comply with building regs. The seller bought the house with these walls already removed when they purchased it 4 years ago.

That said, the removal of these walls are very common in Victorian terraces in order to enlarge the reception rooms.

Our solicitor is now talking about building regulation indemnity insurance policy, which I've yet to really understand what it is about.

Would you consider this as a deal breaker? How do people normally deal with these issues?

TIA wise MNs!

What does your surveyor say?
Is there any sign of stress or movement as a result of the removal of the wall?
It's been gone for at least 4 years. That ought to give a clue if it's a problem or not, a surveyor should be able to advise.

If it has been done properly, i.e. rsj where supporting walls have been removed there is no point in getting indemnity insurance given the length of time that has passed since the work's have been carried out. Have you had a survey and did this get mentioned at all?

If it hasn't been done properly than indemnity insurance isn't going to help, it only insures against the council taking enforcement action, it doesn't insure you against the cost of putting anything right if for example, your ceiling falls down.

We had a building survey done the first week after we made the offer and the surveyor report was all very doom and gloom and cover your arsey....

In fact it was the building survey that noted that the load bearing walls had been removed and that there should be documentation for the work (I wouldn't have think twice about it otherwise as it is so common).

If there is no documentation, the surveyor recommends that buyer should get a structural engineer to do a full investigation blah de blah etc.....but who does that in reality?!

Sorry...having a MN identity crisis...SB = BM

Wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

I really think these insurance policies are a scam for the solicitors to get more money.

When I sold my Victorian terrace ten years ago the purchasers solicitor insisted I bought an insurance policy for the house to guarantee access down the shared passageway to the front door as that bit was kind of a flying freehold.

Hadn't been an issue when I'd bought the house 8 years previously, nor had it been an issue in the previous 100 years. As if any court would agree that the next door neighbour could prevent access down a shared passage to your front door. Never would have happened but I had to she'll out £100 for nothing.

Get a structural engineer to do a survey and to estimate the cost of putting it right if they do need an RSJ.

However, are you sure the walls are supporting ones? I live in a narrow Edwardian terraced house and none of my internal walls are supporting (apart from the back wall which is partly external as it has that typical Edwardian rear 'extension' containing the kitchen and bathroom). It still causes a problem if they haven't been done probably but one that's a lot easier to manage.

Personally I think removing the corridors in a narrow Victorian property is a crime against good design. Those houses were not meant to be open plan. Our house is the only one in the terrace with the corridor still fully intact.

A building regulation policy I don't think is to insure the house incase the house falls down due to walls been removed,,your normal insurance will do that.

It's insurance so if the building regs people ever moan that the alterations don't comply with building regs you'd be covered for any work you need to do to make them comply.

I can't imagine building regs give a shit to be honest even if they ever did come and inspect your house. Like you say it's a common alteration, one that had been done to my house. I never had building regs, nor was I told to buy a policy for it when I sold.

I'm pretty sure that our solicitor was of the opinion that our mortgage company wouldn't give us the mortgage unless he could provide them with building regs paperwork for the extension on the house we bought. Luckily it was all there but I'm sure there was some concern about it. Best to check.

You may need the indemnity for the mortgage to be approved. However when I bought my last house I negotiated £1k off the price (on the basis a new steel would have cost £2k) to share the cost should it need an rsj put in