Loft conversion status

[davetman]

Hi All

I have a house with a loft conversion built (before we moved) in 1998. The conversion has a certificate of regularisation, but doesn't have features you would expect to see in a loft conversion used as a habitable space. For example, the stairs go straight up into the room and there is no door.

We bought the property recently as a 2 bed house. This loft conversion would make the property a 3 bed house. I would like to use the space as a guest bedroom. My question is, can this space be used as a bedroom or is it simply a non-habitable space with a certificate of regularisation? Should I be insuring my property as a 3 bed house?

Thanks

 

[stuartturbo]

It may be a case of signed off then finished to how it was wanted.
Ie fire door removed and original reinstated or removed completely.

another I know of is loft conversion done as one room the once signed off a partition wall made to become storage. So it was one room then became two after the event to make the regs easier to work to apparently 2 rooms is a different reg setup to a single room

 

[^woody^]

If it is regularised then its regularised and you can use it for whatever it has been designed for

 

[davetman]

Thanks for your help. The room has never had any door (it couldn't have had) and from the room you can see straight down the stairs (i.e. there is just a sort of banister in the room stopping you falling down the stairs). It just strikes me as odd that it would be signed off especially as there are no closing doors between the kitchen and the loft room, which an architect has told me wouldn't be allowed. The certificate of regularisation doesn't state a usage (just "loft conversion"), is it possible that it's only got regs for use as a storage space..is there any way to find out!?

The guy I bought the house off is a surveyor, so I would have thought he wouldn't have missed the oportunity to sell it as a 3 bed rather than 2 if he could have, but I'm concerned that my insurance wouldn't be valid in the event of e.g. a fire.

Thanks again

 

[^woody^]

There is no such thing as b/regs permission for storage. A conversion is a conversion [from a loft space] to a habitable room

It may well be that the conversion met any regs in force at the time the work was done, and does not have to conform to any subsequent regs

The council will have the details if you need them

 

[davetman]

Thanks woody, this is really helpful. I'm probably going to stick a bed in there and insure it as a 3 bed.

 

[maltaron]

I have a similar setup which was designed and signed off as a bedroom in 2004. There was no door,(there is now), just stairs to the hallway and direct to the kitchen. Apparently if mains powered smoke alarms and a fire exit window are fitted there is no requirement for a door. (regs may have changed now)

 

[rp8049]

Out of interest, if a loft conversion is done with building regs, will the council have a record of this?

We're in the process of selling our house. It already had a loft conversion when we bought it, and I think it was done back in 2003 or there abouts. I'm pretty sure that our solicitor would have checked that it was all ok, but I don't have any paperwork to do with the conversion and am slightly worried that it could cause problems.

Is there any way of asking the council if they have paperwork confirming that it was all within regs, and will I be able to get a copy easily if they do.

I've no reason to think it wasn't done within regs - they did a great job of the conversion - it's got the big low velux fire escape window fitted, mains powered smoke detectors on all floors, the stairs from the conversion come down into the main landing (half of the smallest bedroom was lost to ensure that the stairs came into the landing). There were also once upon a time self closing mechanisms on all of the doors as well as you can see the screw holes where the previous owners obviously took them with them when they moved out (they were a particularly annoying couple!).

 

[rp8049]

After a little more research, I found that Bracknell Forest council have a site that you can search for planning apps and building regs. Searched on my address, and found a building control application that states it was approved as amended and that the work was completed, which I'm guessing is all I need to show it's all legit?