Planning Permissions And Builing Regulations

[Bexicle]

Hi All,

I have made an offer on a house, it has an extension. The owner tells me there are building regs and planning permission but doesn't know where the documents are. I'm told I need to engage a solicitor to find these documents. Is this really my responsibility? or that of the vendor of the house?

[heathfield]

Your local council planning department would be able to tell you if permissions were given and work was passed. Pay them a visit.

[rockyracoon]

Most people use a solicitor/conveyancer when buying and selling and they will deal with these things whilst oing the other work.

Our local council has planning applications online and the go back a few years, might be worth a check.

[gness]

Bex...we had a lot of work done on our last house and when I came to sell I discovered I didn't have one of the signing off documents for an extension. It was down to me to get the paperwork not the people who had made an offer.

[The Builder]

The seller should be contacting the Planning Dept for confirmation of both PP and Building Regs approval.

He doesn't have to. You could still buy, but it would be unwise.

[FredPuli43]

Yours. Suppose the vendor innocently believes that planning permission was granted and the work signed off as satisfactory? They could sell you the house in good faith. It's your money you are losing, one way or another, if that turns out to be wrong, not theirs. If you end up suing, it costs you more than you get back, because you never get all your costs, or it costs money to try to get the position as you thought, retrospectively.

[bednobs]

i wonder if you said "well as you don't have PP/regs, i will have to lower my offer as if that extension isn't there" that would concentrate their mind on finding the documents at all? problem is of course, it's a sellers market atm, and they might just put it back on the market

[Bexicle]

Thank you everyone for your advice and answers, I think I asked too many questions as the vendor (according to the estate agent) no longer wants to sell to me!

[tonyav]

Do you think that the vendor has received a better offer ?.