A pre-purchase planning report from us starts at from £185. It is a written read of the property's planning history and the likely options for extending it, and the fee is credited against drawings if you go ahead with us.
On this page
The time to ask what a house will allow is before you exchange, because afterwards the price is paid and the answer cannot change it. This post sets out what a search turns up and what it cannot tell you.
What does the planning history show?
Every application the council has recorded for the address, and how each was decided. A council must keep a register of applications and how they were dealt with, and it must be available for public inspection (section 69 of the 1990 Act). We read the entries for the house and its neighbours: permissions, refusals, appeals, conditions and certificates.
The history answers practical questions. Has the loft already been converted, and with permission? Was the rear extension built under the permission the seller shows you? Is there a condition that removes permitted development rights? A refusal for a two-storey side extension tells you something about what the council will accept.
Are earlier extensions lawful?
Not always, and the answer is a matter of dates and evidence. In England, enforcement against operational development is barred ten years after the operations were substantially completed (section 171B). An older extension without permission may be immune from enforcement and a recent one may not be, and which rules applied when it was finished matters, as our certificate of lawfulness guide explains.
A certificate of lawfulness is how a seller proves it. The guidance says the evidence must be precise and unambiguous, on the balance of probability (MHCLG). If your search shows an extension with no permission, ask the seller's solicitor how it will be dealt with before you exchange. Our certificate cost post sets out the route.
What constraints change what you can build?
Three matter most. An Article 4 direction withdraws a permitted development right in an area, so work that is normally allowed needs an application (article 4). A conservation area triggers the duty in section 72 to preserve or enhance its character or appearance (section 72). And a listing brings listed building consent into every change.
The report lists the designations at the address. Our constraints check is the shorter product, covering designations only; the pre-purchase report adds the history and the likely options.
What does it not tell you?
Whether the council will grant a particular scheme, which only the council can decide. It also does not replace your solicitor's searches or a surveyor's inspection: those cover title, building condition and legal matters we do not advise on. We say what we found and what we could not see.
If the house looks right and you want to test a specific idea, the next step is a feasibility study, and the report fee is credited against the drawings that follow.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need it if I only plan a small extension? If the house is outside any designation and has no unusual history, the free permitted development checker may be enough. The report is for houses with a history, a designation or a plan that stretches the rules.
Can you do it quickly if I am in a chain? Tell us the timetable when you ask. We say what we can deliver and when, before you pay.
Does it cover flats? Yes, where there is something to read, but flats have no permitted development rights, so the report concentrates on the history and the designations.
What is credited if I go ahead? The report fee is credited against our drawings, as stated on the price list. We put the credit in your quote.
