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.