On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 13:16:52 +0000, Owain
wrote:

Hank wrote:
Thanks for the input. If you are right, and if I understand the
situation correctly, then one option would be to be to apply for
retrospective building regs approval. It will certainly fail in one or
more respects, but the visiting BCO agent will give me a list of what
I must do in the way of improvements, in order to get the certificate.
Is that how it works?

*How was the property originally converted into flats?* Was there
planning permission for change of use from house to flats, building
regulation approval at the time, and separation of the properties at the
Land Registry?

No, none of that. Since the council tax system, they have been sending
one bill to each flat.

If this was not done then the property remains, in law, one dwelling,
and you will be starting from scratch and the BCO may insist on all work
being to current standards.

That's interesting. I have spoken to about four different solicitors
about the prospects of selling teh flats separately and none of them
mentioned that.

Or should I forget the retrospective building regs approval idea and
just bring the place up to more-or-less 1992 fireproofing and
soundproofing regs and hope the buyer's lender's surveyor will
consider it acceptable.

But the first question the buyer's solicitor will ask is "what works
have been done on the property", and if you do anything that is
notifiable then they will need to see a Building Regs certificate from
the council.

A couple of solicitors have suggested that a building regs indemnity
policy would be a way to overcome this.

The buyer's surveyor is not going to inspect the property in detail for
a mortgage valuation.

Ok, thanks for the input.

Owain