Loft conversion without planning permission

[Estherpologist]

I'm going to be looking at a house that has a loft conversion that has been done without planning permission.
I have no reason to thing that it hasn't been done well, I understand that it is entirely legal to do so (T&C apply) and, in real terms, there's nothing to stop you using it as a bedroom. The current owners obviously do.
The consequence is it has to be sold as a 2 bedroom house not 3.

I'm not worried by it, but I'm wondering if anyone knows what the implications are for this, be they future planning, council tax, insurance, bringing it up to the standard required to sell it as a 3 bed house?

I bought one! It was listed as a 3 bed and the converted loft room was described as a 'storage space' even though it was used as a bedroom technically making it 4 beds.

I didn’t think you needed planning permission for a loft conversion, just a building warrant

I avoided anything like this. If they hadn't done it properly according to building regs to have it as an extra bedroom, who knows what they skimped on and how much it would be to put right. I saw it as buying into someone else's problem so it was an immediate no for me.

I thought that was the norm? 2 bedroom house with attic room? Certainly in my town.

It's possible that the loft conversion was done under permitted development and therefore didn't need planning permission.

The issue that is likely stopping it from becoming a 3rd bedroom is building control sign off. It's invasive to get retrospective building control sign off.

If they didn't bother to get the appropriate sign off when it was built then they may well have cut corners in terms of insulation and fire safety amongst others. It's up to you whether you want to accept those risks or not and go ahead with the purchase.

It's also likely you'll face the same issue with any prospective buyers when you come to sell.

It's building regulations you need to worry about.

How safe is the attic as a bedroom in a fire?

I would never use an attic converted without building regs approval as a bedroom. Not after someone (an adult) was killed in a fire, trapped in an attic conversion, not a quarter of a mile from me - everyone else in the house got out safely.

I bought my house knowing the loft, which had been converted and set up as a bedroom, wasn’t an actual bedroom. We have an indemnity policy bought at the time of purchase. We use the space as a home office / music room. We wouldn’t sleep in it and it wouldn’t be financially worth converting it properly. The vendors tried to sell it as a 3 bed, even stating 3 bed on the selling details. We knew it was only 2 bed, and when we viewed it pointed this out to the estate agent, who acknowledged this. Other houses in the road that have got a proper loft conversion so are 3 beds don’t gain much in value as the remaining 2 beds are tiny in order to fit in the staircase.

We had a loft conversion many years ago. We had planning permission and the main things that were insisted on were, installation of a fire door, have a window that can be used as as escape (in case of fire etc.) and have a proper staircase, as opposed to a ladder. Our neighbours converted their loft without planning permission (long story) which even all this time later, means if they were to put their house on the market, they can’t advertise it as a fourth bedroom, only as a loft space, as the necessary safety features aren’t in place.

I would avoid due to potential fire risk.

As tenants, we experienced a fire in a loft conversion due to an electrical fault. Because it had been done properly, the fire was contained and we all got out safely. If any corners were cut, that might not be the case.

Permitted development rules have changed recently.

Just make sure it'd been signed off for building regs. 😊

As previous posters have said, it would be the fire risk that concerns me. To comply with building regs we had to have the ceilings in the rooms below replaced, fire doors on every door of the escape route, hard wired smoke detectors etc.

Our old next door neighbours did a non compliant conversion which was fine as it was just for a home office, but new neighbours who bought it last year are now using it as a bedroom for one of their children, despite knowing it’s not signed off 😩

Building regs and planning permission are two entirely different things.

I had my loft converted without any planning permission.
When I sold my house last year the surveyor didn't find anything wrong with it and I took out indemnity insurance for my new buyers.
It was used as a bedroom but not classed as a bedroom for the sale

Planning permission I wouldn't be particularly bothered about, as long as it's been there a few years.

Building regulations compliance is the more important part. Has it been constructed safely to ensure the occupants have a means of escape and the structure of the building has bene sufficiently upgraded?

I know? I won't have building regs sign off if they're not selling it as a bedroom.

It won't not I won't

Our loft space was done to building regulations but not signed off because it couldn't meet the minimum height requirement. We made sure it met all the fire safety standards etc and it was going to be our forever home so resale wasn't an issue.

You're referring to Building Regulations - the rules that make a structure safe.

Planning Permission is more about the use and the way something looks. It is often not required for loft conversions as permitted development rules apply.

I would be very cautious buying a property with a conversion that wasn't Building Regs compliant - is it safe to use re stairs, fire doors, means of escape etc