Building Regulation Consent, Listed Building Consent and Planning Permission are not the same thing. Having one, does not provide you with any of the others.
You will most likely require Building Regulation Consent for a structural alteration which might be common tasks such as..:
- conversion of a garage to a habitable space
- roof conversion
- insertion of a supporting beam
- extension to a building
- new drains and foundations
- taking structural walls out
- fire separation
- removal of a chimney
There are many other common alterations which are likely to require Building Regulation Consent.
Where there is a lack of proof of Building Regulation Consent, this should be requested and there is a procedure to Regularise a situation where the documents don’t exist. However, this can be an onerous task as it may involve exposing a beam that has plastered over, for example.
The generally accepted ‘best practice’ is for a homebuyer to request that the seller provides proof of compliance with Building Regulations, by whatever means is necessary to do. Some mortgage lenders will insist on this before allowing the loan to transfer.
The new Building Safety Bill, introduced in July 2022 has extended the previous 12 month period of enforcement to 10 years. This is a significant change and means that the loop-hole that had been previously exploited by many smaller building contractors and home-owner with alterations that don’t comply with Building Regulations is now closed. There will probably be delays and some confusion during the transition period until this becomes widely known and adopted into the legal and conveyancing professions.
Disclaimer: Anything posted in this Blog is for general information only and it is not in any way intended to provide any advice, legal or otherwise, on any general or specific matter that you can rely on. You should always seek your own legal advice.