Selling a House with Building Regulation Issues: A Complete Guide for UK Homeowners

Banks won’t approve mortgages without building regulation certificates for significant work.

Your buyer’s application gets declined even if everything else checks out perfectly. Lenders see missing certificates as red flags about structural safety and compliance. Only cash buyers or specialist lenders will consider properties with these issues.

This instantly shrinks your buyer pool by about 85% to 90%. Your property becomes un-mortgageable to most people, drastically limiting who can buy it.

The buyer’s conveyancer will raise formal enquiries about missing certificates immediately.

They’ll demand explanations, documentation, and solutions before proceeding. Your solicitor must respond to each query, which adds weeks to the process. Searches might reveal building work done without permission, creating more problems.

These legal back-and-forths frustrate everyone, and many buyers lose patience and pull out.

Missing certificates typically reduce your home’s value by 5% to 15%.

A house worth £300,000 could drop to £255,000 to £285,000 because of compliance issues. Buyers factor in their costs to fix the problem when making offers. The more significant the uncertified work, the bigger the price reduction.

Want to know how much your house is worth with certificate problems? Expect substantial discounts from market value.

Many buyers walk away once they discover missing certificates.

Those who stay use it as leverage to demand big price cuts. You’re in a weak position because you can’t easily find replacement buyers. Some will insist you fix the issue before completion, which costs you thousands.

Others want money knocked off to sort it themselves after buying.

Buyers struggle to get building insurance without proper certificates.

Some insurers refuse cover completely for properties with uncertified structural work. Others charge much higher premiums or exclude certain claims. This concern makes buyers nervous about proceeding.

Smart buyers walk away rather than risk insurance complications.

Missing certificates add two to six months to your transaction timeline.

You’ll need time to apply for regularisation or arrange indemnity insurance. Structural surveys and council inspections take weeks to organise. Meanwhile, your buyer might find another property and disappear.

Long delays increase the chances of your sale falling through completely.

Your estate agent must legally disclose missing certificates to potential buyers.

This information goes in the property details or comes up during early conversations. Honest disclosure means fewer viewings from buyers who won’t consider properties with compliance issues. Hiding the problem can lead to legal action against you later.

Transparency is required, but it definitely makes selling harder.

Local authorities can force you to fix non-compliant work or remove it entirely.

They issue enforcement notices requiring action within set timeframes. Ignoring these notices leads to prosecution and fines. Buyers fear inheriting these problems, so they avoid properties under council investigation.

Even the threat of enforcement action kills most sales dead.

Any loft conversion that creates a proper room needs building rules approval.

Extensions need planning permission and building control certificates. Even small extensions need building approval. Selling a house with an illegal extension causes huge problems with buyers.

Check for completion certificates before you list your property.

Full kitchen and bathroom installations need different certificates.

Gas work needs a Gas Safe engineer’s certificate. New electrical circuits need Part P certification. Moving kitchens or bathrooms to new rooms almost always needs building approval.

Buyers will ask to see proof that the work was done right.

Complete rewiring needs a certificate from a registered electrician.

New fuse boxes must be fitted by qualified electricians who give you certificates. Adding new circuits for showers or cookers needs Part P certificates. If you’re selling a house with faulty wiring, missing certificates make things worse.

New boiler installations need a Gas Safe certificate.

Moving boilers to different spots needs building approval. Service records help, but don’t replace installation certificates. Buyers won’t go ahead without proof that your heating is safe and legal.

Knocking down walls always needs building control approval.

You’ll need checks from an engineer and inspections while work happens. Creating open-plan spaces by removing walls requires certificates. Installing steel beams needs proper papers, too.

These changes affect your home’s safety, so buyers are extra careful.

Replacement windows and doors fitted after 2002 need FENSA certificates.

Other schemes like Certass work too. Check government guidance on building work to understand the rules. Missing window certificates cause problems with about 40% of house sales.

Conservatories over 30 square metres need building approval.

Smaller ones often don’t, but still need proper foundations. Garden rooms and summer houses have size limits before they need approval. Anything with plumbing or electricity definitely needs certificates.

Buyers think these buildings are legal unless you prove it.

Damp-proof work needs guarantees that pass to new owners.

Big foundation work needs building control approval and an engineer’s certificates. These guarantees usually last 10 to 30 years, and buyers want proof they’re still valid. Without proper papers, buyers worry about hidden problems.

Look through papers from when you bought the property for any certificates.

Ask previous owners about the work they did if you can contact them. Check planning records online for your address. Your local council can tell you if the work was registered with them.

Look for clues like different flooring, newer things, or obvious additions that don’t match the original house.

You can apply for building regulations approval after the work is finished.

Your local council building control department handles these applications. They’ll inspect the work to check it meets current standards. This process costs £500 to £2,000, depending on how complex the work is.

The council might ask you to open up walls or floors so they can inspect properly. If everything looks good, they’ll issue the certificate you need for your sale.

Regularisation certificates are specifically for work done without proper approval.

Applications cost £1,000 to £3,000 plus any remedial work needed. The council inspects everything and tells you what needs fixing to meet regulations. You must complete all required changes before they issue the certificate.

This process takes three to six months, typically. Success depends on whether the work can actually meet current building standards.

Independent structural engineers assess whether work is safe and compliant.

Reports cost £400 to £1,200, depending on complexity. Engineers check foundations, load-bearing walls, roof structures, and other critical elements. Their report carries weight with councils and mortgage lenders.

If you’re selling a house with structural issues, a good engineer’s report can reassure buyers. But it doesn’t replace official building control approval.

Indemnity insurance covers you if the council takes enforcement action later.

Policies cost £100 to £500 for single issues and protect against future claims. But insurance has big limitations – it doesn’t confirm work is safe or compliant. Many mortgage lenders won’t accept it for major structural work.

Learn more about indemnity insurance options and when it works. This solution only makes sense for minor issues or old work unlikely to cause problems.

Sometimes, ripping out non-compliant work is your cheapest option.

Removing a dodgy extension costs £3,000 to £10,000, depending on size. Taking out non-compliant electrics or plumbing runs £1,000 to £5,000. This guarantees no compliance issues, but wastes the original investment.

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

Regularisation applications take three to six months from start to finish.

Retrospective approval is slightly faster, at two to four months. Getting indemnity insurance takes just one to two weeks. Removing work depends on its scale but typically needs four to eight weeks.

Factor these timelines into your house sale plans.

Regularisation with remedial work costs £3,000 to £15,000 for most projects.

Simple retrospective approval runs £500 to £2,000. Structural reports add £400 to £1,200. Indemnity insurance is cheapest at £100 to £500 but solves less. Full removal costs vary wildly from £1,000 to £20,000.

The seller usually pays, but you might negotiate with buyers to split costs.

Regularisation succeeds about 60% to 70% of the time for extensions and conversions.

Retrospective approval works in 75% to 85% of cases where the work is basically sound. Indemnity insurance is accepted by some lenders but rejected by others for major work. Removal guarantees compliance but loses your investment.

Older work has better chances because standards were different then.

Some work simply can’t meet current building regulations, no matter what.

Extensions without proper foundations can’t be approved retrospectively. Loft conversions with inadequate headroom or fire safety won’t pass. Structural changes that weaken the building are impossible to regularise.

In these cases, removal or selling to a cash buyer might be your only options.

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.