drat - plastic doors, solicitor, council, house sale.
Discussion
What's the score here please..!?
Our house had absolutely hideously awful plastic doors that were basically knackered and draughty and really hideously terrible aesthetically. Whilst if it were for me I'd have gone for wooden ones, we replaced them with much mush less ugly plastic ones - the rear one now actually looking good because of the glazing etc.
now we were at no point informed that we may need to tell the council (when we asked what we needed to do), there is nothing in our deeds.. The old ones were as I say just awful (I think they were prototypes from when upvc was first developed!) and so we thought we could just replace the plastic doors with new plastic doors (if we'd had 70 year old wooden ones we'd have checked).
But our solicitor is now telling us we should have checked with the council… is there an issue or is he just trying to justify his money (and why it's taking them longer than us to actually do anything given how much work they have on….)
(oh and they were fitted by a huuge company and we have all the fensa stuff etc etc).
Our house had absolutely hideously awful plastic doors that were basically knackered and draughty and really hideously terrible aesthetically. Whilst if it were for me I'd have gone for wooden ones, we replaced them with much mush less ugly plastic ones - the rear one now actually looking good because of the glazing etc.
now we were at no point informed that we may need to tell the council (when we asked what we needed to do), there is nothing in our deeds.. The old ones were as I say just awful (I think they were prototypes from when upvc was first developed!) and so we thought we could just replace the plastic doors with new plastic doors (if we'd had 70 year old wooden ones we'd have checked).
But our solicitor is now telling us we should have checked with the council… is there an issue or is he just trying to justify his money (and why it's taking them longer than us to actually do anything given how much work they have on….)
(oh and they were fitted by a huuge company and we have all the fensa stuff etc etc).
Edited by briSk on Monday 3rd November 15:09
I am not sure what your post is about. Are you selling a house? Is it or was it a council house?
Or is it just a regular house you are selling and you have replaced the doors with UPVC ones and you did not apply for planning permission to do so?
If it is the latter, then dont worry too much. Provided your doors were fitted by a FENSA registered company, you probably did not need permission to change them as FENSA reg'd companies are approved to abide by the local planning codes etc.
If you went to Wickes and got some and fitted them yourself, you may need to apply for retro permission.
A bit more info in your slightly confusing post will help people give you an idea, I think.
BTW are you in England/ Wales or Scotland as I understand it is different north of the border?
Or is it just a regular house you are selling and you have replaced the doors with UPVC ones and you did not apply for planning permission to do so?
If it is the latter, then dont worry too much. Provided your doors were fitted by a FENSA registered company, you probably did not need permission to change them as FENSA reg'd companies are approved to abide by the local planning codes etc.
If you went to Wickes and got some and fitted them yourself, you may need to apply for retro permission.
A bit more info in your slightly confusing post will help people give you an idea, I think.
BTW are you in England/ Wales or Scotland as I understand it is different north of the border?
Munter said:
So you replaced like for like... I dont see that as being a problem normally. Dont trust the supplier though to give good advise. They just want the sale.
no sure we didn't really but we did and do think it was like for like (well considerably better for like - but you get the point!) and we did ask if there was anything we had to do... if this does turn in to anything then i am going to get A0 pictures made of the house before and after and send them to our MP! 
Are you selling a house? yes
Or is it just a regular house you are selling and you have replaced the doors with UPVC ones and you did not apply for planning permission to do so? - yes (like for like replacement of awful yellowing doors entirely unbefitting of the house with ones that look pretty reasonable)
If it is the latter, then dont worry too much. Provided your doors were fitted by a FENSA registered company, you probably did not need permission to change them as FENSA reg'd companies are approved to abide by the local planning codes etc. - it's got all this.
in England/ Wales
Or is it just a regular house you are selling and you have replaced the doors with UPVC ones and you did not apply for planning permission to do so? - yes (like for like replacement of awful yellowing doors entirely unbefitting of the house with ones that look pretty reasonable)
If it is the latter, then dont worry too much. Provided your doors were fitted by a FENSA registered company, you probably did not need permission to change them as FENSA reg'd companies are approved to abide by the local planning codes etc. - it's got all this.
in England/ Wales
Puff Puff said:
Is your house in a conservation area?
If so, your solicitor could be right in advising you to contact the council.
If it isn't, I'm baffled as to why he should suggest this.
nope. well not as far as our deeds say or indeed anything we could find. we have a clausethingy that says we can't replace the hedges with fences without their consent but that's that...If so, your solicitor could be right in advising you to contact the council.
If it isn't, I'm baffled as to why he should suggest this.
...the wife seems to think he was covering his arse and that he was saying 'should' have checked but still..why say it..?
If the house belongs to you (you said you have the deeds), why the hell would you have to ask the council if you can change your doors? It's not like adding an extension and not asking is it?
If we wanted to change our front or back doors, it wouldn't cross my mind to check with the council before we bought the damned thing!
If we wanted to change our front or back doors, it wouldn't cross my mind to check with the council before we bought the damned thing!
adminH said:
If the house belongs to you (you said you have the deeds), why the hell would you have to ask the council if you can change your doors? It's not like adding an extension and not asking is it?
If we wanted to change our front or back doors, it wouldn't cross my mind to check with the council before we bought the damned thing!
Well I might think about it if I changed the colour or materials involved. You never know what the local council has done to your areas rules.If we wanted to change our front or back doors, it wouldn't cross my mind to check with the council before we bought the damned thing!
But swapping white uPVC for white uPVC....well no I wouldn't check with anybody but the OH.
Zeek said:
I thought this was a building regs thing. Changing windows requires a cert in the same way that changing the hot water cylinder does?
He will only be confirming because it is on the standard sellers questionnaire. Just say the windows were replaced in 2001!
..don't need to - we have all the fensa stuff and had sent it to him..!He will only be confirming because it is on the standard sellers questionnaire. Just say the windows were replaced in 2001!
i think it's going to be okay - i think he was being 'cautious'.
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