Please help, we had a conservatory built a few months ago and were told that we would not need building regs, we are now moving house and have been told by a friend that because we have taken down the wall which was acting as a barrier between the house and the conservatory we should of applied for building regs. I have checked this info and believe it to be 100% correct information. The company has now gone into liquidation (no surprise).

 We are now in a quandry on what to do next, we cannot put a set of doors up as the opening is 15foot wide and would totally ruin the look and certainly my buyers did not want two small rooms but one large one.

We have not mentioned this problem yet to our buyers but the surveyor is due out next week and will certainly pick it up, my question is: Will I have to put up a stud wall and doors or is their any other option that will not send the buyers running a mile!

Please help as we are desperate to sell our house quickly as emigrating.

Thanks

I am sure your friend is correct that building regulation approval would have been needed, to remove what sounds like a large part of the main exterior wall, to ensure it was supported correctly and complies.

There are two things that spring to mind. One is to let your Solicitor take out an indemnity policy that would cover your buyers, if action were to be enforced by the local building control, or if they were to any take enforcement action in the future. I believe they cost roughly a couple of hundred pounds.

Or apply for a regularisation notice from your local authority building control, this is a retrospective consent that the works comply with building regs, but could be subject to an inspection which may involve stripping back plaster, to ensure the works are compliant. This involves a fee and can take time if you are wanting a quick sale, it may not be appropriate.

A word of caution though, once you have notified building control about your concerns, you are not allowed to take out the above indemnity policy, so be sure not to involve building control, if you do want the above indemnity policy.

It would be good to get your Solicitors views and advice on this, before doing anything.

Hi There,

 I have come across your question and the proposed answers to your problem and I wondered how you got on?  Did you go for the indemnity policy option and did it work out ok - as you can probably guess I am in a similar situation to what you were and I am looking at my options!

 Best Regards

Another option would be to let the surveyor flag it up, then reduce the price accordingly, proble solved and the headache is passed on to the new buyers!

 Indemnity insurance is quiet expensive so maybe this would be a better option!