Owning your own home

https://www.rics.org/globalassets/rics-website/ews1-external-wall-fire-review-final-2.pdf

This form is intended for recording in a consistent manner what assessment has been carried out for the external wall construction of residential apartment buildings where the highest floor is 18m or more above ground level or where specific concerns exist (Note 1).

December 2019 NOTES Note 1 - This form includes two options. Option A is for buildings where the materials used in the external wall would be unlikely to support combustion. Option B is for buildings where Option A does not apply and a more detailed review (and hence higher level of fire expertise) is required. The signatory should use either the Option A approach or the Option B approach and delete/cross out the unused option. Within each option there are sub-options, the user should tick the box of the relevant sub-option.

It definitely shouldn't but the application of EWS1 forms seems to be ambiguous. Literally nobody in the chain (lender, intermediary, valuation surveyor, PII provider to valuer) is incentivised enough to take the risk without an EWS1 form.

If you follow the story on Twitter you can see there are now stories emerging of multi-occupant buildings of 8m high with full brick construction being valued at £0 unless an EWS1 form is present.

or where specific concerns exist (Note 1)

This is the issue. Blocks that have any sort of attachment are now in scope. Attachments can be a walkway to your front door, a balcony, lift machinery plant rooms, a rubbish chute, etc.. Almost anything.

In the case where your building has any of these (highly likely) then you'll need an EWS1 form to officially declare that the materials used in said attachment are of limited combustibility. And then you're in the quagmire of trying to obtain an EWS1 form.

Should I try to talk to Lewisham homes about this or accept I'm living in my house till I die?

Do it.

accept I'm living in my house till I find a cash buyer

Serious answer though, they will not tell you anything. They might tell your solicitor something.

Could lock the flat and drop the key through the letterbox, aka. the man I knew did with his maisonette in the Barbican.

This man then moved to a flat in La Defense where I remember he had a very nice bike in his flat (Delta and red is all I remember).

Obvs. don’t do all this ^^.

Best to know your options I reckon. Finding out retrospectively like I have, is suboptimal.

I'm considering buying a house but the property behind (that has access through an alleyway next to the house) has permitted development rights for conversion from a commercial unit to 2 large residential units. As I understand that means there's not been a planning application (there's none registered) but development could go ahead without planning permission. It's currently a single storey office block. How's that possible and how can I find out how likely it is to happen? The property is in a conservation area.

£5,000 to Jenrick?

This is down to the Government's disastrous policy of permitting change of use from commercial to residential. It's not specific to the property in question. See here:

A mixed use comprising an A1 or A2 use and up to two flats may also be permitted subject to meeting certain conditions

https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/9/change_of_use/2

How likely it is to happen depends entirely on whether the owners of the property want to make this conversion, and on whether they can afford it. You should get in touch with them (if you know/know how to find out who they are) and ask them.

I'm of the same opinion. But I'm not sure I want to pile another concern into life right now.

@howard solicitor? Sigh. why won't a housing association just talk to me? I may as well get my solicitor to ask for written confirmation about major works too.

From last year you no longer need planning permission to convert shops and offices to residential - if you don't significantly change the outside. You need "Prior Approval" but councils are supposed to give this fairly quickly. Conservation Areas remove many permitted development rights so it's worth checking with the local planning dept - however conservation areas are more about the outside of buildings, so they might not care about change of use. Planning is in a pretty destroyed and messed up state right now :/

Ignore me, found the planning application. Approved in February for conversion to 9 flats. Fuck that and associated estate agents. Might explain why it’s not sold yet.

Sigh. why won't a housing association just talk to me?

Because you are the bottom of the food chain for them - merely a sack from which to drain money

Ha, yeah, nine flats is a different level.

Does all traffic to that property have to go through the alley or is that only a secondary access?

So... it’s apparently taking 6 weeks plus to turn a first time buyer mortgage application into the real deal, from our agreement in principle. And they are being less generous in granting them so we may not make the cut. One of us is self employed so not as straightforward. Would you go ahead with the searches now, at £300 or so risk, to keep things moving or wait until we get a mortgage decision? Offer accepted on a place with an understanding we try and move quickly.

The latter.

Yep your buyer won't look kindly on it if you don't get on with the other stuff in the meantime.

Without wishing to start an argument, what’s ‘disastrous’ about it? Is it one of those things that sounds good in principle (ie repurpose over-shopped areas creating needed housing) but falls down at a micro level?

Where are you looking Fred?

all traffic through the alleyway.

Looking forward to updating the estate agent later this week and finding out how he neglected to mention the application.