Extensions/add on's un-approved by council
- Thread starter Ellmay
- Start date
To the next property - because unless this place is going to be worth months of building inspections, approvals, holding costs, and then a credible yield including the compensation of growth from the other headaches listed, or development approval.....then its just not worth it.
pinkboy
And if you look to sell a few years down the track, a lot of buyers won't touch it.
Of course, this problem would be factored into the purchase price now.
It would be good to get the place at a discount because of the unapproved additions, and then get them approved - if possible.
If you have your heart set on it, would it be an option to pay a local private certifier to give you an opinion on whether the additions will get through council?
Of course, this problem would be factored into the purchase price now.
It would be good to get the place at a discount because of the unapproved additions, and then get them approved - if possible.
If you have your heart set on it, would it be an option to pay a local private certifier to give you an opinion on whether the additions will get through council?
A couple of thoughts based on my experiences.
Ill start off with a real conversation i had in a meeting with my solicitor over a semi-recent property purchase during conveyancing.
Solicitor - as a solicitor, I have to tell you - these are unapproved structures on the property (lists about 3 things)
Me - damn, ok.....
Solicitor - ....
Me - ummm does any of that matter?
Solicitor - No
Me - but like...what if the council finds out or inspects it or something?
Solicitor - *Laughs*
Will the council care? Every council is different. In 99% of cases, they will never find out about it. In some areas where my IP's are, it would be literally amazing to find a place that *doesnt* have something unapproved on it. Vendors dont care, RE agents dont care, Solicitors dont care, Buyers dont care. Does the council care? Well, Maybe. Do they come knocking asking to inspect your house to make sure it meets building code in every respect? I think we all know the answer to that.
As Simon said above. His place has got unapproved stuff and hes been there for 4 years. The sun still comes up each day.
The only reason for any concern whatsoever is that if the place is a rental and has got extra bedrooms that are unapproved, and the place burns down/someone dies. Couple of quick thoughts on this - (aside from the fact that if that happens, you've probably got bigger problems on your hands than the insurance claim) You can negate the risk of fire by replacing any halogen lights with LED's, getting an electrician to inspect the wiring, even providing the tenants with a couple of small fire extinguishers if you're really keen. I'll let you do the maths on the chance of your house burning down after that.
There are hundreds of sales that go on every day around the country that include unapproved structures, and in the vast, vast, majority of cases, no one bats an eyelid. In a few years if you choose to sell, you'll maybe lose (max) 5% of potential buyers who are absolute sticklers. Its not worth worrying about.
Notes
- I'm not condoning anything illegal, nor do I think unapproved structures are a good thing, I'm just saying how it is in the real world.
- There are exceptions to every rule.
Attn: Nem - No, depends on the council - many things don't need council approval. Unfortunately, some councils policies seem to be so ridiculously hard to comprehend that you need a translator (i.e private certifier).
tl;dr - IMO, Dont worry about it.
Ill start off with a real conversation i had in a meeting with my solicitor over a semi-recent property purchase during conveyancing.
Solicitor - as a solicitor, I have to tell you - these are unapproved structures on the property (lists about 3 things)
Me - damn, ok.....
Solicitor - ....
Me - ummm does any of that matter?
Solicitor - No
Me - but like...what if the council finds out or inspects it or something?
Solicitor - *Laughs*
Will the council care? Every council is different. In 99% of cases, they will never find out about it. In some areas where my IP's are, it would be literally amazing to find a place that *doesnt* have something unapproved on it. Vendors dont care, RE agents dont care, Solicitors dont care, Buyers dont care. Does the council care? Well, Maybe. Do they come knocking asking to inspect your house to make sure it meets building code in every respect? I think we all know the answer to that.
As Simon said above. His place has got unapproved stuff and hes been there for 4 years. The sun still comes up each day.
The only reason for any concern whatsoever is that if the place is a rental and has got extra bedrooms that are unapproved, and the place burns down/someone dies. Couple of quick thoughts on this - (aside from the fact that if that happens, you've probably got bigger problems on your hands than the insurance claim) You can negate the risk of fire by replacing any halogen lights with LED's, getting an electrician to inspect the wiring, even providing the tenants with a couple of small fire extinguishers if you're really keen. I'll let you do the maths on the chance of your house burning down after that.
There are hundreds of sales that go on every day around the country that include unapproved structures, and in the vast, vast, majority of cases, no one bats an eyelid. In a few years if you choose to sell, you'll maybe lose (max) 5% of potential buyers who are absolute sticklers. Its not worth worrying about.
Notes
- I'm not condoning anything illegal, nor do I think unapproved structures are a good thing, I'm just saying how it is in the real world.
- There are exceptions to every rule.
Attn: Nem - No, depends on the council - many things don't need council approval. Unfortunately, some councils policies seem to be so ridiculously hard to comprehend that you need a translator (i.e private certifier).
tl;dr - IMO, Dont worry about it.
Negotiate a discount based on the cost to have the structures approved, that's what I did. Now I've just got to get around to getting the sunroom approved with glass windows instead of mesh.
The other thing to consider is if the addition is impacting the neighbors or easily seen by people walking pass. To be, illegal carport is more riskier than a laundry. It could be that the neighbors have been battling with it with the previous owner and all of a sudden, it will become your problem.
