Buying a house - falls over at the last minute (Building Reg Approval)

[northernladuk]

£1k is a good price to pay for what could have transpired here. This is just one of the pitfalls of buying a house. I know a few people that have paid for a full survey and when it came back bad complained about wasting the money... I would have said quite the opposite. That amount of money to save losing everything down the line.

Never had a building regs problem like this but have walked away from a house with a long running border dispute and one that had a fairly major damp course fail that had been covered with skimmed walls.

This is your home for life. Get a good un and enjoy.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I would have thought surveyor/your solicitor more at fault rather than Estate Agent. Paperwork for any additional building work should have been checked by solicitor before contracts.
depends if you like the house and what you would get if marketed as a X-1 bed house. Also how much would it cost for B. Reg Approval? Does it even have planning consent?
£1K is a pittance to lose - if you are in any serious doubt walk away.

Difference in cost is huge between X and X-1. Doesn't need planning permission as it is so long ago but would require retrospective building regs to rent out.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

£1k is a good price to pay for what could have transpired here. This is just one of the pitfalls of buying a house. I know a few people that have paid for a full survey and when it came back bad complained about wasting the money... I would have said quite the opposite. That amount of money to save losing everything down the line.

Never had a building regs problem like this but have walked away from a house with a long running border dispute and one that had a fairly major damp course fail that had been covered with skimmed walls.

This is your home for life. Get a good un and enjoy.

true say

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Did the estate agent know?

They are hardly going to admit to it now that this issue has come up....

[northernladuk]

true say

You got a good story of mystery, intrigue and a close escape for your £1K I guess.... Life experience is worth more than money. Try looking at it like that

Never forget that buying houses is one of the most stressful things you can do in life. It is rarely easy I am afraid. If there isn't much reason to stress I wouldn't be falling over to find anything... if that makes sense.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

You got a good story of mystery, intrigue and a close escape for your £1K I guess.... Life experience is worth more than money. Try looking at it like that

Totally - I now know to ask for these things first in future. I guess it is all part of the lesson of life.

[Paddy]

Ok how do I do that..... I'd like to get something back here.

Write a letter first and give theem seven days to pay up
Then sue them
Small claim online
Claimant = you
Defendant = House owner
2nd Defendant (co-defendant) = Estate Agent

“This is a claim for wasted costs as a result of misrepresentation by the co-defendants. As result of their misrepresentation the Claimant as incurred £1000 costs.

On DATE I saw the advertisement blab la bla.
I visited the property on DATE
Later it came to light that the 5th bedroom was in fact a storage area in the attic and had nor building regs etc....


£1000 wasted costs
£70 Application
£50 For Paddy's advice

[Bacchus]

Write a letter first and give theem seven days to pay up
Then sue them
Small claim online
Claimant = you
Defendant = House owner
2nd Defendant (co-defendant) = Estate Agent

“This is a claim for wasted costs as a result of misrepresentation by the co-defendants. As result of their misrepresentation the Claimant as incurred £1000 costs.

On DATE I saw the advertisement blab la bla.
I visited the property on DATE
Later it came to light that the 5th bedroom was in fact a storage area in the attic and had nor building regs etc....


£1000 wasted costs
£70 Application
£50 For Paddy's advice

And, say, 5 shillings for a slap up lunch at Mrs Miggins' Pie shop

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

Write a letter first and give theem seven days to pay up
Then sue them
Small claim online
Claimant = you
Defendant = House owner
2nd Defendant (co-defendant) = Estate Agent

“This is a claim for wasted costs as a result of misrepresentation by the co-defendants. As result of their misrepresentation the Claimant as incurred £1000 costs.

On DATE I saw the advertisement blab la bla.
I visited the property on DATE
Later it came to light that the 5th bedroom was in fact a storage area in the attic and had nor building regs etc....


£1000 wasted costs
£70 Application
£50 For Paddy's advice

How likely is it I would get the money back?

[Old Hack]

A lot of people have put a room in their lofts, but without building regs being applied for, and given, these rooms cannot be advertised as extra rooms over and above saying Dorma etc windows fitted in loft, and walls plastered/boarded, electrically fitted out. So, ostensibly, tjhey simply cannot be advertised as being rooms.

If the estate agent has sold the house as having X rooms, and it is x-1, then the agent is liable here, in law, and I would chase them.

They've actually broken the law.

Send them a letter, outlining your costs. Get is delivered by signature, and inside offer them 14 days to respond, or you will take them to court, outlining what would take the settle the claim. I cannot remember which law they ahve broken, so some research might be a good thing to do, but they are completely in the wrong.

I only remember this, as I was loking at buying a house, and it had one of these rooms. I asked why it wasn't considered a room, as it was, to all sense and purposes, and I was told by the agent, it couldn't be, because of the law, and they would be liable if they did describe it as such.

EDIT:

"If you’re given false information, you can claim against the estate agent under the Property Misdescriptions Act. "

Property Misdescription Act 1991