Is it permitted to live in a shed/cabin in your garden?

[Harridan1981]

As above really, is it legal to live in a shed/cabin in your parents' garden?

Yes but it will never be seen as a ‘living accommodation’ Wo running water and a loo.
And it doesn’t seem like that shed has?

After that, if the shed has been build according to all regulation etc… (eg it could have been built initially as a garden office), I imagine it’s up to the owners to decide how much they want to use it.

My neighbours son lives in a caravan in their garden...I checked it out and its legal. I fucking hate seeing it out of the window but I thank my lucky stars that he works and appears to be a loner so no parties etc

Oh I see
if he'd been quiet, it would probably have been fine

Hi everyone, so the last year I have been living in a summer house that has no running water or heating at all and no toilet facilities except in the owners own house which I get to use and the kitchen also, is this legal as he gets £500 a month and i dont think its registered as a living space? I've come out of prison last year and was going to be homeless so this was my bosses idea? Any info would be great. Thank you

people might not see your post on this thread as it's an old thread - better to start your own. Also might be an idea to post in the "Legal" section.
Best of luck.

We did this - garage is stand alone.
Planning permission to convert to habitable space
Building regs to conform to habitable space
Result: bloody kid comes back to live with us and we've lost our garden room

It's like the old fashioned granny annex, isn't it. People do it all the time, just not necessarily 100% legally - depending on the local laws where you live, if its classed as a temporary building and if it isn't lived in 12 months of the year. Our neighbours have quite an elaborate cabin in their land that a relative lived in quietly for a few years.

Agree. The planning rules are there to prevent shanty towns springing up with people living in shacks. I'm sure the OP's 'shed' is very nice but if it were allowed generally I'm sure you wouldn't want to live next door to such a development.

Love all the posts on here that suggest that it's fine to break the law as long as you hide it? That laws to stop people living in unsavoury conditions illegally are "this shit".

Do posters have the same approach to driving laws? Declaring earnings? Theft?

The ease of which people break laws nowadays is indicative of why we have a Govt filled with people with the same approach.

Most sheds / cabins / garden rooms won't have cooking facilities and sewerage so they're just classed as an annex to the original house. Family members can sleep where they like.
But some people do obviously have something more separate / substantial (I've stayed in a few via Airbnb). This kind of shed would require planning permission anyway (a simple garden room probably wouldn't). Have a look on your local planning register online to see whether the shed had planning, and if any conditions about occupation were made when permission was given.

It would probably be classed as ancillary accommodation.

ihusannexe.com/what-is-ancillary-accommodation/#:~:text=Ancillary%20accommodation%20is%20used%20as,independent%20of%20the%20main%20property.

If it's being used by a family member and not rented out etc then as pp said, it's basically a 'granny flat' and can be used as part of the enjoyment of the home. They're getting more common for young people who can't afford to move out, along with the typical elderly relatives who need to move closer to relatives.

As a PP said, it would be best to start your own thread. But, having said that, as long as the landlord has got planning permission from the council first then it is legal.

If they don't have planning permission and the council find out then they will have to apply for what is called retrospective planning permission. This may or may not be granted depending on the particular council.

If you have concerns about the standard, or legality, of the accommodation then you may wish to contact the Housing department of your local council. They will have a section that is responsible for ensuring that all rented accommodation is up to the required standard and is legal.

Surely if it doesn’t have running water, bathroom, kitchen etc it didn’t count as a separate dwelling? Any more than a tent would?

You can if they comply with the caravan act as these ones do which means you don't need planning permission. My neighbour has one for her mother and it's lovely.

www.boothsgardenstudios.co.uk/galleries/garden-annexegranny-annexe-gallery

I think it might be the other way round actually - the Govt break their own rules so why should anyone else take much notice of them?

the Govt break their own rules so why should anyone else take much notice of them?

This is exactly what people said in the 90s in the ‘third world’ country in Latin America that I come from.

well done UK!