HIPS and Building Mods

[russ_a]

When we moved into our current house the bathroom upstairs had been ripped out and the room was left bare, though the soil stack and waste pipes were still plumbed in.

As the room was empty they classed it as a bedroom on the sale details, though when we moved in we refitted the toilet and put in a shower but we didn't apply for planning (never crossed my mind)

Now, would this be classified as a change of use? All the other houses on the street have their bathroom in the same place.

The reason I am asking is that we are now selling the house and have to state on the HIPS if we have altered the function of a room in the house (the example states changing a bedroom to a bathroom)

Cheers

[SJobson]

Did the house have another bathroom when you bought it? The sales particulars from your purchase have no particular consequence, so effectively you simply refitted an existing bathroom, in my view.

[Dr_Gonzo]

russ_a said:

When we moved into our current house the bathroom upstairs had been ripped out and the room was left bare, though the soil stack and waste pipes were still plumbed in.

You just re-fitted a suite in the existing bathroom.

[JR]

It was used as a bathroom before you bought it and is used as a bathroom now. The room was not used for any other purpose in between so I don't see any change of use at any time.

[Sam_68]

russ_a said:

Now, would this be classified as a change of use?

No. A 'change of use' in Planning Terms is a change to the whole function of the building or land, eg. from residential to business use (though change from a single occupancy dwelling to a HMO, or to create new dwellings by sub-dividing to form flats are exceptions that do require approval).

Although the function of rooms is considered by Planning when a house is first designed (eg. kitchen windows can can be overlooked more closely by other dwellings than lounge windows), once the house is occupied, there's very little that Planning can do to prevent a change in the function of a particular room, unless the property doesn't benefit from Permitted Development rights, for some reason.