HELP building permit, where to find?

Hi, i was after some advice as what to do.
i recently bought a property at auction, didn't think of much of it at the time!
But the back of the property seem to have been extended with a additional bedroom. but the hall way leading up to it looks unfinished. the walls and roof seems to be just made of metal sheeting.floor is concrete, thought it would be a good reno.
But how do i find out if what they have done is approved by council?
Do I just call up the council & ask?
how do i find out what's original to the property and what's been extended?
if the works are not approved, can i get them pay the fees to submit a approval or anything?
As the auction contract is uncoditional would I have any legal ground to get them to do anything if the works are not approved?

thank!:)
Any advice would be much appreciated, my 1st Ip & reno. hence not much experience.
 
Oh boy. If you purchased at auction, you pretty much got it as is.

Unconditional sale tends to mean just that - unconditional. You can ask the council if you want, but that might also bring it to their attention in which case there is a chance that they can ask you to fix the problem or even pull it down alltogether (as having inherited it with the house).

Firstly get a good builder (with structural engineering background) to have a look or a building surveyor who can actually tell you if it was done properly or not and what you would have to do to fix it (what's wrong with it and what you would need to do to get it done properly).

Getting an engineers/building surveyor's report may cost you a few hundred dollars but it would be worth it if it means that you may be able to prevent a potentially bigger problem (eg. roof clapse).

Also, make sure that you have insurance so that if something does go wrong you may have some protection.

Where is it located? I might be able to get my builder to drop by and have a quick look for you before you pay someone.

Wishing you every success, Ana
 
Hi Ana,
I believe the kitchen and extra bedroom is the extension and it looks structurally sound but I'm afraid even after it's all fixed up. If the council finds out, they will still want me to remove it because it's not approved.

I'm not sure how to go about it if the structure is not approved. Can I apply for approval after the fact?

The property is located in Collingwood.

Thanks for your reply!
 
Hi, i was after some advice as what to do.
i recently bought a property at auction, didn't think of much of it at the time!
But the back of the property seem to have been extended with a additional bedroom. but the hall way leading up to it looks unfinished. the walls and roof seems to be just made of metal sheeting.floor is concrete, thought it would be a good reno.
But how do i find out if what they have done is approved by council?
Do I just call up the council & ask?
how do i find out what's original to the property and what's been extended?
if the works are not approved, can i get them pay the fees to submit a approval or anything?
As the auction contract is uncoditional would I have any legal ground to get them to do anything if the works are not approved?

thank!:)
Any advice would be much appreciated, my 1st Ip & reno. hence not much experience.
Start with the local council,and buy a plan of the property,with the plumbing layout,then match it up with the house if the plan is the same
as the property you have bought then the property may never had the final sign-off,if the house is outside the footprint of the house-plans then you may have problems,in Brisbane it takes about 4-6 years from the time you start slab-frame -and final a lot of reno people don't have the final signoff done,but the BCC will ask then force you to have the final inspection done within their timeframe,worth every cent to have a good
Solicitor look over every angle prior to going in ..good luck willair..
 
Back
Top