Buying a house that does not meet building regulations?

[Bronte]

This may be obvious, but do not give/mention the report to your solicitor or they will be obliged to inform the bank and that may well be game-over for your mortgage application. Get advice you’re comfortable with from specialists in these issues then make a call yourselves.

FWIW neither of those issues would stop me purchasing, perfect houses do not exist here in my experience.

One place that we bought had such a bad survey the auctioneer was convinced we wouldn't buy it. The bank's valuer cleary gave the game away as he mentioned something negative in his report to the bank, so the banker phoned me and asked me if I'd done a survey, there wasn't a chance in hell I was giving them the report. Or that would be the end of the mortgage. I said we didn't do a survey as my brother and my sisters boyfriend had looked at it and we were going to be doing a lot of work and it was grand.

That same brother bought a house last year and the solicitor got sight of the survey report, so maybe that's a new thing nowadays.

I'd be of the same opinion as you as regards the OP's purchase. I'm amazed he got 15K off considering it's a seller's market.

 

[Setforlife]

The valuer is not going to do that. Loads of places are like this. Based on what the OP says it's only a minor matter. I sold a property a year ago and we had to pretend the garage conversion to flat didn't exist. It had no planning and everybody just plays along.

Of course loads of places are like that, this is why you don’t go saying it has two bedrooms less to get around the problem as the bank will then flag it’s not a 3 bed anymore etc. it seems to be a different situation from the norm of a ‘3 bed plus converted attic’ being advertised as in as the ceiling height doesn’t meet habitable standards like 99% of attic conversions.

 

[lff12]

They won’t cause insurance issues, they will cause mortgage issues, or at least the attic stairs one will. It’s a common issue with attic conversions that they can’t get a reg cert for various reasons and the bank won’t mortage the loan because of it. It’s generally only an issue when selling or buying the house

Depends on how it is presented for mortgage - for example, selling it as a 2 bed bungalow with non habitable attic conversion is probably ok, but selling it as a 4 bed is not. For this reason most people with conversions don't market the attic conversion as habitable unless they've gone through the modern regs, eg weight bearing joists, minimum ceiling height of 2.4m for 50%+ of the upstairs habitable area, etc.

 

[Des Pondent]

That's the way it is where I live anyway, houses are 3 bed semis with a high pitch A roof to the side so are very suitable for attic conversions. Many now have these conversions. When selling they are always described as a 3 bed semi with attic conversion.

Even though the attic is usually the biggest room in the house, wired, plumbed, insulated, heated and has its own en-suite, in most cases it can never be called anything other than a non habitable attic conversion, but prospective buyers will always see it for what it is.

Those with a good quality conversion always get a premium price and I have never heard of any planning issues or problems with banks or insurers from the many that have sold around here over the years.

I have an Architects cert saying my conversion complies with all regulations etc for a non habitable attic conversion. When doing the inspection the architect examined the eaves to ensure the roof timbers that had to be removed to facilitate the conversion were properly replaced so the roof was not compromised in any way.