Browse Forums Real Estate 1 May 05, 2015 9:00 pm Hi, this might not be the place for my question, apologies. Basically, I'm 18 years old and inherited a property from my father when he passed away a couple of years ago. So there was no loans involved, but quite a few transfers as it was originally in my grandfathers name and then my mothers and then mine once I turned 18. I had no part in the buying process other than signing the paper so I don't really know anything about real estate. My question is, I now have this property which may or may not have an illegal bungalow on it/ converted garage with plastered walls and ceiling, plumbed and powered (plumbing and power was probably there when it was a garage). House was built in the late 70s I think and my great aunt owned it, it was made into a granny flat for my great grandmother before my dad bought the place and then I got the house. I have not received any notice from the council, and I would love to keep the structure as it was my bedroom for quite awhile and has some family history to it.I have no idea if it was legal, am I at any risk in terms of permits since the alterations were done before I owned it and would I be forced to change it if the council were to find out about it? If I do need to change it, what would I need to do? I'm really quite in over my head most people in situations like this are usually told that the real estate agents or their building consultant or previous would need to sort it out before they bought the property, unfourtunately I already have the property and need to deal with it myself, there is no title insurance or anything like that. Re: Confusion of Building permits. 2May 05, 2015 10:50 pm The best bet is to have the property inspected by private building surveyor to advise you on safety and compliance or a good building consultant with qualifications in building surveying. There could be safety issues such as smoke detectors or heath issues such as dampness. You could elect to perform building works for compliance and then have it signed off by building surveyor and the council will put it on their file and leave you alone. Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Confusion of Building permits. 3May 25, 2015 7:32 pm dbuc0501 I now have this property which may or may not have an illegal bungalow on it/ converted garage with plastered walls and ceiling, plumbed and powered (plumbing and power was probably there when it was a garage). House was built in the late 70s I think and my great aunt owned it, it was made into a granny flat for my great grandmother before my dad bought the place and then I got the house. what makes you think it is illegal? It may not be. do a plan search of council records to see what they have listed for the site. dbuc0501 I have not received any notice from the council, and I would love to keep the structure as it was my bedroom for quite awhile and has some family history to it. then why rock the boat? Heaps of people have converted sheds they use as dwellings and yet have not had it so certified. dbuc0501 I have no idea if it was legal, am I at any risk in terms of permits since the alterations were done before I owned it and would I be forced to change it if the council were to find out about it? dbuc0501 If I do need to change it, what would I need to do? As Building Expert said above. Hi All, see above image. The required setback from the rear boundary in my case is 5m, as you can see the shape of the site and location of the boundary is slightly… 0 8463 go upvc window frames ensure insulation under colorbond. not just sarking, lighter color roof also not sure if you have seen this viewtopic.php?t=5823 last couple of pages… 4 110586 |