Buying a house and adding a garage? (Advice)

[cjhillman]

Looking for a bit of advice. Me and my girlfriend are looking at buying our first house together. One of my stipulations is I want a garage as I'm currently renting one but, a lot of the houses on the market at the moment don't have them BUT have space at the back or the side.

My question is what is the deal with buying a house then putting a garage up? Can you do it without planning permission? Is it worth finding an older garage that someone doesnt want for cheap or, building a wooden one?
I know it all depends on what property we end up with but all the ones we're looking at tomorrow (in the photos) don't have garages but look to have space for something even if its a car port. I wouldnt be making anything more than a single garage I guess but would love some advice! Especially how it can be done cheaply but properly as I'm sure this process will destroy my bank account. 

[brachunky]

If you look online at the Planning Portal, there used to be an easy to understand walk through on what's allowed as "permitted development". You can also find Planning Geeks on FB who have proper advice.

[bricol]

Prefab I reckon is the easiest and quickest.

Even better if you have the strength, some mates, and find one being given away for free as long as you take it down.

Built my double and a bit from two prefabs, some seconds panels and a some seconds insulated roof panels. As long as it's under 30 sq.m, then no planning required - usually.

[joem83]

It's a bit of a mine field, you would need to check the local council's planning portal to see what their rules are.

Some garages fall under permitted development, but you there is proximity to the boundary to consider.

[cortinaman]

The permitted development guidance for householders can be found here:-

link

There are different rules for detached outbuildings to extensions to the house, as you will see.

There are also building regulations to consider - if you are building on or close to the boundary the walls need to be of non-combustible material (so a concrete sectional garage would work)

good luck

Cortinaman

[jmsheahan]

As others have said it's a bit of minefield and it depends on the property.

It's surprising what seemingly minor things you need planning permission for, and quite wild what you can do under permitted development!

I'm currently going through a similar process. The roof is a big factor - pretty much anything with a pitched roof is going to need permission, flat not so much. Anything new, certainly with our property anyway, requires a 2m exclusion zone from any boundary.

The biggest advice I can offer is to get an architect or planner involved early on. Ours did a free consultation which gives you a chance to ask many questions!

Would a fallback option be one of those Clarke outdoor tents? Bolted to the ground they are fairly sturdy for car storage, and as it's a temporary structure you shouldn't have to worry about permissions.

[bricol]

Having ensured mine was non-combustible on the boundary . . . you then spot all the wooden garden sheds in the neighbourhood shoved up to boundary fences . . .

[mr2fc]

I would imagine it would be easier and cheaper to buy a house with one already built.

Maybe worth talking directly with local estate agents, as garages don't seem to register as very desirable in the advertising!

When we moved 2yrs ago, there were at least 3 local to us with garages not even mentioned on Rightmove

[homersimpson]

Oct 6, 2023 19:35:27 GMT mr2fc said:

I would imagine it would be easier and cheaper to buy a house with one already built.

Maybe worth talking directly with local estate agents, as garages don't seem to register as very desirable in the advertising!

When we moved 2yrs ago, there were at least 3 local to us with garages not even mentioned on Rightmove

I agree, if you haven't already mentioned to the agents that you would prefer a garage it would be worth doing so.

Nowardays most people aren't interested in a garage as its just dead space to themso unless they plan to convert it into a room its not a selling point, for those of us with more vision its a major plus point!

[dodgerover]

You would also need to look at any restrictions on permitted development either in the area or on your specific address. The planning department for where you intend to buy will usually have an option to make an appointment and pop in and speak to a planner for informal advice.
Beware do not under any circumstances say to the planner you wish to work on your car in the garage or that you want a 2 post lift, rolling road or inspection pit as this will raise the issue of business use in their minds. You have a classic car, motorcycle, push bike collection etc and you wish to keep them safe and dry

[cjhillman]

Thanks for all the advise everyone. Definitely looking for one with a garage already but the area we are looking is more tereced housing in nature. Also I've just realised a few of the properties are leasehold and not freehold. Not sure how that affects things. This is what I can find on the councils portal... looks like it should be ok with the one property I have in mind.

All the properties we viewed yesterday didn't really work out unfortanatly and its a shame as one would have been perfect... not a great area though... oh well.


"Garages can be built in your garden or on the land around your house without the need to apply for planning permission.

However, permission will be required in certain circumstances. If you live in a listed building you should check with your Local Planning Authority.


"
Building a new garage attached to an existing home would normally need building regulations approval.

Building a new attached carport (open on at least two sides) would not normally require building regulations approval if it is less than 30 square metres in floor area.

Building a detached garage of less than 30 square metres floor area would not normally need building regulations approval if:

the floor area of the detached garage is less than 15 square metres.
the floor area of the garage is between 15 square metres and 30 square metres, provided the garage is at least one metre from any boundary, or it is constructed substantially of non-combustible materials.

[igor]

Don't touch anything leasehold.

[crockpot]

Oct 8, 2023 5:00:16 GMT igor said:

Don't touch anything leasehold.

This.

[homersimpson]

Oct 8, 2023 8:49:56 GMT crockpot said:

Oct 8, 2023 5:00:16 GMT igor said:

Don't touch anything leasehold.

This.

Absolutley this, also if you do end up looking at anything modern be very wary of freehold properties with an estate rentcharge:

bbslaw.co.uk/major-problems-with-estate-rentcharge/

Developers in some instances are being sneaky and rather than paying the local authority to take on the public areas of the estate are creating a management company to look after it who  then charge all the home owners the priviledge and in a lot of instances (certainly the few I looked into when we were planning to move) the amount the home owners pay is not capped in any way and is purely based on what they spend plus their overheads so if all the roads needed resurfacing in 40 years the home owners get a big bill that they have no choice but to pay.  Said management company is also an asset the developers can sell to investors.

[cjhillman]

Oct 8, 2023 5:00:16 GMT igor said:

Don't touch anything leasehold.

Tell me more about this with older houses. In Manchester I've got a couple of mates who have lease hold. One a 1900s terraced and one a 1930s/40s 3 bed semi. I know they converted their garages into a small recording studio and both pals say not to worry about it your just pay the £5 a year ground rent... or something to that effect. I'm trying to find out more about how this works with old houses rather than flats or new builds which I know can be problematic. Annoyingly this house is quite nice compared so would love to know more about how it works.

[igor]

The main, and for most people only, problem with leasehold is that you don't actually own the land your house sits on. When the lease expires anything can happen.

[kevins]

Even before it expires it can be sold on to someone who then racks up the charges.

[LowStandards]

Also, remember, people are vile, vile things

Buy a detached house

[homersimpson]

Oct 8, 2023 19:58:24 GMT igor said:

The main, and for most people only, problem with leasehold is that you don't actually own the land your house sits on. When the lease expires anything can happen.

Indeed, when the lease expires you lose the right to keep your house on the land and presumably then either leave it or move it!

The issue can be that once the lease reaches a certain length (60 years?) its difficult if not impossible to get a mortgage as lenders want to make sure the house is always worth what it needs to be as security for the mortgage and you then need a lease extension or to buy the freehold which can be expensive.

You need to know exactly where you stand and what it will cost you and what it might be worth if you want to sell in 10/20/30 years and move.

The thing that amazes me most is that a house is probably the biggest purchase most people make and they spend less time looking into it than they do buying a mobile phone or a car.  As an example with my house we own the path to the neighbours back gate, they don't know this but we do as its clearly marked on the land registry plan.  How they didn't spot this I will never know but I suspect its because they just didn't look.   If I was looking to buy their house as soon as I saw that I would pull out as someone else owning your access with you having no rights over it is a recipe for disaster in the future if you have a bad neighbour.

The amount of people who buy a house and take no notice of what the solicitor tells them until its all gone wrong is quite scarey in my view.

[dodgerover]

[Source] homersimpson said:

As an example with my house we own the path to the neighbours back gate, they don't know this but we do as its clearly marked on the land registry plan.  How they didn't spot this I will never know but I suspect its because they just didn't look.   If I was looking to buy their house as soon as I saw that I would pull out as someone else owning your access with you having no rights over it is a recipe for disaster in the future if you have a bad neighbour.

You may find that in your neighbours deeds there will be a right of access given over the route marked xyz - it's not forced to be on your paperwork, especially if the property has been subdivided or subject to multiple changes.
The "new" Titles held by the land registry don't always include all the information that can be found on the original deeds. Especially for fences, boundaries etc. I know our deeds have several covenants on them that aren't on the land registry information, such gems as not keeping poultry or running a piggery nor allowing the house to be used as a place of business - IMO this is a biggie with more and more people working from home - it's also quite a common one to find.