SUNDAY 25 AUGUST 2019Is an indemnity policy enough
for a loft room?
House doctor: Fiona McNulty answers your legal questions
Our buyer wants a building regulations completion certificate for the conversion
Q When we bought our house there was no building regulations completion certificate for the loft
conversion but the seller had an indemnity policy. Our solicitor said that was fine as it satisfied our
mortgage lender’s requirements.
Now we are selling, our agent says our buyer isn’t happy there’s no certificate. Should we have refused to
accept the indemnity insurance when we bought?
A Building regulations set minimum standards for construction, design and alterations and are concerned
with safety. Indemnity insurance can cover a lack of building regulations consent but provides no
reassurance as to the safety or integrity of the work where a building has been altered without such
approval.