Building regs for work pre 1985 please help

[HepLaurenceLB]

Please help, we are very interested in a property that has a two storey extension. The extension was built in the 60s or 70s. The current owners have been there since 1987 and said that the extension had been there for years before they bought the property.

There is no building regs certificate as these were not formalised until 1985. Should I worry about this? Will my mortgage company worry about this? We would like to make an offer very soon so any help much appreciated.

Nothing to worry about if it dint exist....just a case of surveyor doing whatever they can to check like the rest of the house. However if it has been stood for 40 odd years it should be fine.

I had a house with one built in the 1960s. No building regs as didn't exist..had planning permission but found it was built in someone else's land!! Still wasn't a problem as it had been there so long

No it’s nothing to worry about. No building regs back then. Even in the era of building regs people as long as extensions are longstanding it’s not normally an issue. However, Modern extensions without regs can be huge red flags. Just get your surveyor to check drains access.

I would ask for an indemnity and have a surveyor take a good look at it.

@mobear

I would ask for an indemnity and have a surveyor take a good look at it.

Don’t need indemnity. Building regs didn’t exist when this was built. Indemnity just covers legal costs with new works if the council commands you take it down. Not applicable here. Indemnity doesn’t cover faulty builds either.

I had the same. We saw that there was planning permission but no details like plans or maps, and definitely no building signoff. Our solicitor was well renowned for being a stickler and he said it was fine! (On selling our property, the pack he sent to the buyer's solicitor was so good, they had no further inquiries whatsoever!)

Just get an insurance to cover it.

Yup, non-issue really; just survey it like you would any old(er) house.
It's still standing & presumably no obvious visual defects which points towards it being fine.