Selling home / building works questionnaire

[xplosiv]

Hi all,

I live in a Victorian terrace and through the kitchen there's a downstairs bathroom. Between the kitchen and bathroom there's the back door out to the garden. There was a doorway in an interior non-loading wall from the kitchen (opposite the bathroom door), which formed a mini-lobby by the back door.

When we had a new kitchen put in several years ago we had the interior wall around the doorway removed (which was only a few ft wide) - since the wall being there was pretty pointless, and getting rid created a bit more space and looked better etc.

We're now in the process of moving house and have to answer a million and one questions about our house, including a section on any building works. If it's something that doesn't require permissions you still have to give details and explain why these were not required, eg 'permitted development rights or the work was exempt from building regulations'.

We used a reputable builder to carry out all of the work and I know he's very by-the-book from past experience. I'm confident he would have told us before undertaking the work had any permissions been needed. However, for some peace of mind, can anyone out there confirm that I'm on safe ground to say that for the removal of the small non-load bearing internal wall described 'the work was exempt from building regs'?

Thanks in advance!

 

[^woody^]

However, for some peace of mind, can anyone out there confirm that I'm on safe ground to say that for the removal of the small non-load bearing internal wall described 'the work was exempt from building regs'?

No-one here can, but you can state that on the form

 

[tony1851]

As above it may or may not be exempt as it depends on the individual circumstances (just because it was non-loadbearing it doesn't follow that the removal would not require b/r approval - there are other aspects to the regs).
That aside, once you write 'exempt from building regs' on the form, you automatically provide more letter-writing (=£££s)
between your- and their solicitors.
Personally I'd be inclined to keep schtum.

 

[endecotp]

We used a reputable builder to carry out all of the work and I know he's very by-the-book from past experience. I'm confident he would have told us before undertaking the work had any permissions been needed.

Just write that then. "Believed to be outside the scope of building regulations". If the solicitor asks for more info, say that a reputable and experienced builder advised you.

The danger of asking for "peace of mind" here is that someone will tell you that it should have had permission, resulting in exactly the wrong result. Trust your reputable by-the-book builder, not random people from the Internet.

 

[phatboy]

You didn't remove it and don't know anything about it, so nothing to declare.

It must have been that way when you bought it....