Estate agent giving false information

[Timbucktime]

A house has just come on the market as a probate sale next to a relatives home.
The estate agent is marketing it as having big extension potential.

The issue my relative has is that they are also saying that planning permission had already been granted for a side extension but had now lapsed.
This is completely untrue as there has never been any application for a side extension in the last 45 years that my relative has lived next door.
They are now worried that somebody will buy it and straight away decide to apply for planning permission to build what would then be 60 cm from my relatives windows.

They phoned the estate agent and told them but they didn’t seem very interested in the incorrect information and just went on about how many viewers they have lined up and now it will sell very quickly.

Is there anything they can do?

From what you’ve said about recent permission for other bungalows to be converted, it’s likely this one would be allowed to as well.

It’s a shame, and I’d sounds like it’s had an awful impact on your relatives life, but I’d start preparing them for either accepting an extension seems inevitable, or moving somewhere else.

Where I am, houses are being bought and turned into flats... we’ve now got a big lack of smaller houses, they’re all giant villas or have been converted to HMOs. The two bed apartments/half and half houses are largely gone. Despite that even being mentioned in the local plan, there’s been a spate of recent approvals to make houses and buildings into HMOs, because other houses have been allowed to it.

It’s not progress in my sense of the world, but we need more housing; and overall there will be more use for a “normal” house than a bungalow... and it seems your council has made their mind up to allow this.

You can contact the agent again and ask for proof of lapsed planning permission or it to be removed from the listing, but it won’t at all reduce the chances of someone buying to extend, especially right now. It seems to be an investors market for that type of property right now.

@Timbucktime it's not a localised problem, developments are everywhere!

People do buy and change property. The estate agents weren't interested, you're not their client. They don't care what you think the people buying it should or shouldn't do. They're just selling the property. That's how they earn their money.

No one is going to rely on PP having been granted more than 20 years ago!

Maybe they are thinking of extensions built under permitted developement .
A lot of houses around where I live are having smaller permitted development extensions so that they don’t have to apply for full planning and still make use of bits of extra space.

it is often a case that people extend properties without any care or consideration for others. People's 'need' for a large kitchen with an Island seems to outweigh neighbours need for privacy. It is just a reflection on how selfish society is

Your relative may be lucky and someone might buy it who actually wants a bungalow.

OP your relative sounds like a NIMBY. They need to get over it. Some may want to extend. Planning department will apply their criteria and that’s that. If they want bad neighborly relations, they can become a pain and start objecting to everything.
But it may never come to that, as the people buying may not want to extend. You can’t second guess what prospective buyers may want to do.

@Timbucktime

People should never be pushed to moved from their home. People should never be allowed to destroy people’s quality of life in their own homes.

Very sad world if people think doing that is progress.

That’s your opinion. Not fact. Facts are that planning authorities will look at the merit of the argument and give permission. That’s that. Hyperbolic moralizing of the narrative doesn’t somehow make your opinion a superior one.