No building regulations for toilet

[Liana89]

Hi,

coming for advice.

We are days from exchanging on a flat and the current owners have told us they do not have building regs for a utility room that was transformed into a WC. They've done plumbing work and electrical work to this effect, nothing structural, and the work was undertook by the owners 10 years ago.

What makes me really uneasy is that this information arrives literally days before exchange and completion. Our solicitor told us an indemnity policy is OK in this situation, but my question is: would the lack of building regs disclosed days before expected completion bother you?

I read about it during the night and worry that if there is a problem down the line (eg leak from toilet into downstairs apartment), or if we want to undergo work in the flat that necessitates building reg (as we will likely do with windows), the buildings insurance wouldn't cover repairs and the issued building reg by council would invalidate the indemnity insurance.

Also, I would probably want to renegotiate the price but this is so close to the finish line I do not have the time to do this if we want to respect completion date.

We're in a short chain with cash buyer on our side and owners have already moved out the flat and live in their new accommodation.

Am I worrying for nothing? It's making me having second thoughts about the purchase.

You’re worrying for nothing.

I just wanted to say that I am also anxiously waiting to hear whether an extension/loft room have the proper paperwork in place. I alerted my solicitor straight after the survey after the surveyor advise that paperworks needs to be in place.

I think some sellers/estate agents try to keep that under wrap until the last minute so that you won't pull out and accept an indemnity insurance instead.

It sounds like this is a relatively small amount of work that was done though, so you might be OK even if they don't have the paperwork as you could get it inspected and the work corrected.

I would not pull out in this instance, I would instead negotiate a reduction for the amount it will take to have the work inspected and put back to regs if needed.

I on the other hand will pull out of my purchase if they don't have the paperwork because the work is much more extensive and involved a main wall being altered.

In this particular case and given the nature of the change, no I would not.

I would ask them to buy me an indemnity policy (not that they are really worth the paper that they are written on).

If I found an entire extension with no regs, that would be a different matter. But this matter is quite small.

Thank you for your answers, it is putting my mind at ease. I am an inexperienced buyer and that comes at the end of an extremely stressful process where no contract has been exchanged, yet we are mid-packing, with a toddler at home. So that was the cherry on the cake.

Personally I would just go with the indemnity for this. Have it checked out when you are in just to be sure it all drains to the correct areas.

It's even less of a concern because there was already a water source there, and they have been living with it for 10 years, so if anything was to go wrong, they will have had to remedy it by now.

Sorry to throw a spanner OP but having now gone through a major house renovation I wouldn’t touch anything that doesn’t have building regs.

If the work has been done to the correct standard building regs isn’t hard to obtain at all. Failure to do so suggests to me that the work may not be up to code.

I might be convinced to proceed if we could afford to rip it all out and replace, should the need arise, but otherwise not a chance.