I’ll probably do that, there’s no chain on the place I want to buy as its a landlord selling it vacant and I’m being evicted from my place the end of May.
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This was just some of the shit we had to deal with… If i keep an untidy garden or build anything on it the land reverts back to the original old navy captain or his offspring. Mental
This ^.
However work involving Building Regs certainly used to (I’m talking 30 years ago) involve a Building Inspector actually showing up on site during the works to confirm to his or her satisfaction that the builder was following the plans. If the inspector has done that in your case then the council should hold a record of it. If the inspector was never told that the work was being done then there’s no way they can know now whether it was done to spec or not. So they can’t issue retrospective approval.
I had all this explained to me by my Building Inspector when I put steel beams into my roof (I just followed the structural engineer’s plans) and when I built the two-storey garage (footings concrete poured immediately before one of the heaviest rain showers I’ve ever seen 
, but the inspector still OK’d it).
He did say that if they had to come round after the job was done to issue retrospective approval then they would likely ask for the important bits of the work to be exposed. In the case of an RSJ that might just involve taking the plasterboard cladding off at one or other (or both ?) end so the inspector can see the beam and also whatever it’s bearing on (the bricks in my house are about as strong as digestive biscuits so the ends of any beams have to sit on steel bearer plates to spread the load).
That’s when councils had the budget for building control officers. I was used to the them turning up when I was working with my dad doing extensions and loft conversions in the mid 90s. Fck knows what they do now.
Last time I asked (10-15 years ago ?) the inspectors had been hived off into a separate contracting company.
Even when they were with the council though there were significant fees associated with getting the inspections done.
I just assumed now that the fees would be big enough to cover the inspection costs and to line the pockets of the company’s owners.
As per anything that gets hived off to private sector. Profit becomes king, rates drop to “the market” for the professionals carrying out the work and pressure increases to deliver more for less money, Standards slip and it all becomes a shitshow. Health, Water, Energy… I could go on.
I forgot the railways
Yeah fuck that. That’d be a dealbreaker for me. If I buy something, it’s mine and no old fucker or his offspring will tell me what to do with it. HOA’s, covenants, easements, leasehold, management fees and the like can all get to fuck.
But then I think some wobbly old ‘character’ building that was in the domesday book is probably more trouble than it’s worth and a bit of a liability. So that’s just me.
Fuck sake, no response from the solicitor despite sending an email yesterday and leaving a VM this afternoon.
Spoke to the estate agent and the seller did the building work themselves as they are builders.
Alarm bells now going crazy, if you’re a builder and do the work yourself why the fuck wouldn’t you get the building regs done @J_B ?
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That’s a very valid point and one it would be interesting to hear them answer.
Possibly not. It’s a very straightforward job. I’m wondering how anyone will know that the alteration has been done.
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Could be that they’ve done the same many times/ know what the engineer will say, and it’s much quicker and cheaper to get on with the work and rely on an indemnity policy when they sell
Lazyness, expense, delay. 
Lesson learnt - when engaging a solicitor ask them if they have any holiday scheduled.
Also don’t hire a solicitor who goes on holiday for 2 weeks and doesn’t set an out of office reply or voicemail message or reassign her cases to anyone
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I guess the solicitor isn’t Mike.
He is very good at that sort of thing.
Worth asking him maybe.
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Nope thought it would be better to go with a local one with local knowledge
It is always worth asking his advice.
He is very very good.
He sorted out a few issues with our purchase with the minimum of hassle.
Iirc there are things such as indemnity’s that might solve such issues.
+1 for Mike 
Just get them to insure it, we did it ourselves, thought the company that fitted the conservatory had applied for building control, turns out they didn’t, retro regs would have cost loads, insurance was £50 (just a lintel over a doorway from house to conservatory
Honestly it’s no big deal
Ask mike
Spoke to another solicitor at the firm and they are requesting the seller pays for an indemnity policy that covers any legal costs + rectification costs up to £60k and is transferrable with ownership of the house.
Apparently it should be around £200 so no big deal.
Back on track 
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