Detached garage - planning permission?

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Hi all
We are close to exchanging on purchase of a house, we are at the bottom of a short chain.
All enquiries have been answered.
I've just realised that the detached garage built fairly recently by the vendor (a builder) may be bigger than permitted.
Our solicitor has not raised anything, there is nothing in the sellers forms, our homebuyers surveyor (decent old school type) didn't mention it.
I know nothing about all this, but have checked the planning portal guidance here www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/43/outbuildings/2

According to a previous listing for the house the garage is about 18m2
It looks like it is almost against the neighbours fence

Should my solicitor already have looked into this? What should I be doing now?

Sorry for the panic, we have pressure to move out ASAP (are in rented and have received a Sec 21) and I'm concerned this could be a spanner in the works.

Bump!

How recently built is it?

Is there no information in the forms the vendor filled in about alterations/building works to the property to tell you when they built it?

Sheds are meant to be 1m from the boundary but I am yet to come across a shed with that much clearance.

If the neighbour hasn't complained by now then it is probably not an issue for them. I would check your council website under planning to see if the garage is listed under building regs.

Are you close enough to the property to see how close it is to the boundary?

Technically all that would happen is if within 4 years of it being built the council would ask you to reduce the size by x cm to move it from the boundary. To me that is a risk worth taking as it is a garage.

No mention in the property information form, which is their error. Only conservatory mentioned.
Right, I'll have to ask my solicitor to get some info.

Looks like building regs was not applied for, no record on the council website. Does this mean we would struggle to convert the garage? Our plan was to see if we could get planning to let us change use and put windows in... I don't want to have to pay to rip it downs

If it is not a difficult planning area (AONB, Green belt etc) then you can reapply retrospectively.

Look up outbuildings permitted development. If is about size. If a flat roof and not infront of the house it would probably be fine under permitted development.

Building regs kick in over a certain size, I think 25 sq metres internally.

So possibly legal with neither. May not be suitable to convert though, you'd need to check construction methods and materials.

Thanks - I will see if the vendor can supply any drawings or other info. Although knowing he's a builder, I'm not sure that he would have any.