Selling Property with Planning Permission Breach: A Complete Guide for UK Homeowners

The TA6 form asks questions about your property that you must answer honestly.

You must say if overhead power lines affect your property or garden. Tell buyers about any noise, ugly views, or worries you’ve had. Ticking ‘no’ when you know about power lines nearby is lying on a legal document.

Consumer Protection Regulations say you must share important information with buyers.

Important information is anything that would affect a buyer’s decision or the price they’d pay. Power lines definitely count as important information. Check the Consumer Protection regulations guidance to understand your duties.

Buyers can take you to court if you hide information about power lines.

They can claim money back for the difference in value. Courts often award damages of 5% to 15% of the purchase price. You’ll also pay legal costs, which can reach thousands of pounds.

Buyers have up to six years after buying to bring claims against you.

They can sue if you lied or hid important information. Courts side with buyers in most cases where sellers clearly hid problems. This legal risk hangs over you for years after selling.

Your estate agent must tell buyers about power lines in the property details or during viewings.

They can get prosecuted and lose their license for hiding important information. Learn what you need to sell your house, including all the things you must tell buyers. Don’t ask your agent to hide information, as they’ll refuse.

The buyer’s solicitor will ask direct questions about power lines and pylons.

They’ll want to know distances, visual impact, and any problems you’ve had. Your solicitor must answer these questions honestly based on what you tell them. These written answers become legal evidence.

Making false statements on property forms can lead to criminal prosecution.

Trading Standards can investigate and bring criminal charges. Convictions result in fines up to £5,000 and a criminal record. The risk simply isn’t worth taking.

Buyers can bring claims months or years after buying if they find out you lied.

They have six years to make claims. Courts award money back based on how much value the property lost. Full honesty protects you from these future claims.

You still must tell buyers about power line issues even if previous owners created the situation.

It doesn’t matter that you didn’t choose to buy near power lines originally. The law requires you to share all important information regardless of when the issue started. Your duty to tell buyers applies to everything affecting the property now.

You can apply for planning permission after work is already finished.

Your local council planning department handles these applications. They assess whether the work meets planning rules even though it’s already built. Applications cost £206 for most household projects like extensions.

The council might approve it, refuse it, or ask you to make changes first.

Certificates of Lawfulness prove that work is now legal because it’s been there so long.

If work was done over four years ago without permission, it might now be lawful. For changes of use, the time limit is usually ten years. Applications cost £206 and need evidence showing when the work was completed.

This is often the easiest solution for old breaches.

If the council has issued an enforcement notice, you must respond quickly.

You can appeal the notice within specific time limits. Or you can apply for retrospective permission whilst the enforcement is paused. If you’re selling a property with an enforcement notice, fixing it is essential for the sale.

Ignoring enforcement notices leads to prosecution and fines.

Sometimes removing or altering work that breaks planning rules is your best option.

Taking down an unapproved extension costs £3,000 to £15,000, depending on size. Making changes to meet planning rules might cost £2,000 to £10,000. This guarantees no planning issues, but you lose your original investment.

Buyers prefer buying a smaller legal home over a larger one with problems.

Professional help improves your chances of getting retrospective permission approved.

Planning consultants charge £500 to £2,000 to handle applications. Architects cost £1,000 to £3,000 for plans and supporting documents. Their expertise helps present your case properly to the council.

Good professional advice is worth paying for on complex cases.

Retrospective planning applications typically take 8 to 16 weeks for a decision.

Certificate of Lawfulness applications are similar at 8 to 12 weeks. Appeals against enforcement can take 6 to 12 months. Removing work depends on its size, but usually takes 4 to 8 weeks.

Factor these timelines into your house sale plans. Check the Planning Portal guidance for current processing times.

About 60% to 70% of retrospective planning applications get approved.

Success depends on whether work meets current planning policies. Extensions that fit local design guides do better. Work in conservation areas or affecting neighbours often gets refused.

Your planning consultant can assess your chances before applying.

Sometimes you can negotiate changes with the council to get approval.

Planning officers might suggest alterations that would make your application acceptable. Reducing the size, changing materials, or adding screening can help. If you’re selling a house with planning enforcement, negotiation might avoid removal.

Being flexible improves your chances of finding a solution.

Spending £1,000 to £3,000 on regularisation typically adds £10,000 to £30,000 to your sale price.

Planning breaches can knock 10% to 20% off your property value. A house worth £300,000 could lose £30,000 to £60,000 because of planning issues. Investing in fixes usually makes financial sense.

Properties with planning breaches also take 50% longer to sell.

Most house sales take months, but we can buy your property in as little as 7 days.

This quick process is perfect if you need to move soon or want to avoid being stuck in a long chain of buyers and sellers. We have the cash on hand so don’t need to wait for mortgages or a chain to collapse. 

Did you know 1 in 3 sales fall through on the open market?

We know how frustrating it is to get 6 months into a process and have a buyer pull out.

When we give you the final price for your house, that’s the amount you’ll get. Guaranteed!

You won’t face any costs with us.

We handle all the expenses involved in buying your property, including legal fees and surveys. You get cash in your bank when the sale is complete, and there are no surprise estate agent commissions to worry about.

Our team supports you through the whole selling process.

We keep you updated about what’s happening and answer any questions quickly. You’ll always understand what’s going on with your sale and what happens next.

Our property experts will value your house at no cost to you.

They look carefully at your property and check local market prices to give you an accurate figure. This professional service comes with no obligations.

Forget about cleaning and tidying for viewings.

We don’t need multiple visits or open houses to make our offer. This means no strangers walking through your home, and no disruption to your daily life.

Whether your house needs work or is in perfect condition, we’ll buy it.

We have experience with all types of properties and conditions. This means you can sell your house to us no matter what state it’s in.

Our expert team manages all the legal requirements for you.

We work with experienced property lawyers who make sure everything runs smoothly, and put your property at the top of their list. This gives you peace of mind that your sale is being handled properly from start to finish.