GUIDE TO RENOVATING

Taking on a renovation doesn't necessarily mean you'll be free of the red tape often associated with a new build or extension. Here's what you need to know about the Building Regs...

- 

When properties are surveyed, any alterations for which Building Regulations consent should have been obtained will normally get flagged up in the surveyor's report. Should it later transpire that the works were carried out illegally, the property owner can be held liable and may even be prosecuted. So when purchasers and their legal advisers hear about unauthorised works they may respond by demanding a price reduction to compensate for the perceived risk.

Even in cases where you're simply remortgaging, the bank may only be willing to release funding on the condition that you apply for a 'regularisation certificate'. This involves making an application to building control for them to retrospectively inspect the property once the work in question has been 'opened up' by your builders, so that it's clearly visible. There are three possible outcomes: approval, where the work complies; rectification, where it doesn't comply; or reinstatement to remove the offending alterations where it isn't possible to rectify things. It goes without saying that this is a scenario that's best avoided. So it pays to take a look at the work that typically requires approval.

WHAT CONSENTS DO I NEED?

Compliance with Building Regs is a subject that's sometimes shrouded in mystery. It's often wrongly assumed that making a local authority planning application will magically cover all bases. There's also sometimes a mistaken perception that 'the Regs' only come into play with new construction and don't apply when you're 'doing up' a building.