House search - loft conversion help

[Elz58]

We’re relocating to an area where the housing stock seems to have lots of loft conversions. I know nothing about loft conversions so please help!

We’ll be viewing two properties and I’d like to be prepared for what to look for. On the first, I’ve just noticed a new note on the Rightmove listing that the loft conversion doesn’t have building regs, but the vendor will give indemnity insurance. Is this a red flag?!

The other house is labelled on the floor plan simply as a ‘loft conversion’ (so not a bedroom) and interestingly there aren’t any photos of it. Obviously I’ll get an idea when I view it, but just wondering if there’s a way to tell if it’s been done well, on the cheap etc?

Ask for proof it was signed off by building control. If so then it's safe, just see if you like the space.

Both sound dodgy. Is your budget on the low end?

We had a loft conversion completed in 2021 and have all the planning and building regs sign off required. I'd be highly suspicious of people who don't unless they were completed a long time ago.

I would 100% want building regs sign off, then I'd be looking at the EPC and condition of things like the roof, the windows and normal signs of damp etc. I'd make sure you get a proper survey completed, especially if you take the risk of buying a property with a conversion and no building regs sign off.

Would you be paying below the market value of other similar local houses with all the required paperwork?

You can look up old planning and building regs applications on the relevant councils planning portal. A lot of conversions are permitted development now. They should still be signed off by building control. I wouldn't buy a place without them.
Something just listed as a 'converted loft' can still be used as a bedroom (who would know), but you will have problems selling as it can't be listed as a bedroom without certification - it's just storage space.
The sellers will know and the estate agent will most likely have asked in order to list it properly. Your solicitor will require the relevant certifications too.
Don't go on how it looks - you need proper building regs! Indemnity insurance is not enough if a conversion is actually not structurally sound, and you can't tell just by looking.

I have an old victorian stone terraced cottage. It's very common to have a loft room without building regs around here, most of them were done in the last century. Out of the 12 houses on our row, every one has a loft room but only one has regs, as they have the biggest house (the foreman's) and they put a two story extension on recently and had the loft redone at the time.

My loft room is my favourite room in the house. We don't sleep up there as it's a fire risk, but we use it as an office and day room.

our loft conversion isn't currently compliant on a technicality. We have the building control sign off etc to show it was built to the required standard.

Basically, we need to have a safe fire exit from the loft to the front door, where you don't have to enter any other rooms. But our stairs are in our dining room, so we aren't compliant. we could have the work done, but due to the layout of the house, it would look awful.

Even before we had the loft done, we had the same issue with the exit from the first floor, but we were considered compliant because of the building regs at the time.

it sounds scary, but it's just a technicality for us.