notice served

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Require some clarification please.
i was asked this scenario.
a homeowner had some unauthorised works carried out on his property ie room in a roof and external metal staircase to the rear of the property to the first floor.

The homeowner ignored threats from building control and eventually a section so n so was served to remove the unauthorised work within 28 days.

Now the staircase is well under 900mm wide so they have agreed to remove it.
now the room in the roof has a radiator and sockets. It has been plasterboarded and floorboarded without any insulation or soundproofing also has a skylight window.
no staircase to the room yet just a temporary ladder.
the homeowner has agreed to remove radiator, electrics and install a pull down ladder for access.
buliding inspector is adament to remove everyting ie floorboards, plasterboards, electrics and then close the hatch.
the homeowner as repeatidly stressed that he will use it as a storage only.

Any views on this can the building inspector do this.??
 
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Yes. It needs to be deconverted to an extent so as to prevent it's use as a room.
 
Thanx Woody

Ok but for arguments sakes the homeowner removes everythin and the section is satisfied.

If he converts it back to storage then what??
Can building control enforce again to say its a room again??
 
What, close and seal the hatch? Not sure about that one but they can certainly require your friend to undo any notifiable works that have been undertaken. Floorboards on the joists would count as notifiable (affecting the structure of the building). If your friend has put in beefier joists to take the added load then they would be notifiable. If the original roof was trussed then your friend may have buggered it completely. Electrics- depends if it was a new circuit (notifiable) or additions to existing circuits (not notifiable but still has to cemply with wiring regs).

Your friend appears to have shot himself in the foot by ignoring planning and building regs. Their room in the roof may have been permitted development but most certainly involved notifiable work. I'm not sure if failure to notify is a criminal or civil offence- whatever, your local authority can prosecute and levy fines up to £5000. And they've got the hump with your friend now so they will do everything in their power to make your friends' life a misery.

Your friend appears to be getting off lightly- what the building inspector wants them to do is to restore the roof to the state it was in before the unauthorised works were carried out.

The building inspector obviously believes that your friend will use the space as a habitable space unless it is made physically impossible for them to do so.
Your friend may also find themselves the target of occasional inspections by Building Control or planning or Environmental Health to ensure that the works have not been reinstated. The council is permitted to enter your premises where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence has been committed (your friend has shown that he is willing to flout building regs so no magistrate is going to refuse a warrant)

Your friend may be feeling hard done by. Tough. Laws are for everyone.
 
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It's all OK until someone grasses you up!

The amount of stuff I see with no planning and no building regs could keep the LA busy for years.
 
He can use it as storage, with a few boards and a single light.

The inspector should really insist on the ceiling being insulated to current standards (300mm quilt) as part of the deconversion, as the owner will be working on a thermal element, therefore would require compliance with Part L1.
 
Yes. It needs to be deconverted to an extent so as to prevent it's use as a room.
So a homeowner is not allowed to board a loft for storage?

Nor put plasterboard on the rafters to stop dust getting on the things that are stored??

And must close up the hatch giving access to the loft???
 
Yes. It needs to be deconverted to an extent so as to prevent it's use as a room.
So a homeowner is not allowed to board a loft for storage?

Nor put plasterboard on the rafters to stop dust getting on the things that are stored??

And must close up the hatch giving access to the loft???

The building regulations clearly state that a homeowner is not permitted to use tenuous reasons and cunning schemes to try and get around the regulations.
 

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