House Without Approved Plans

The Implications of Selling a House
Without Approved Plans

Home-floor-plans-Additions

If you are selling your house, and don’t have approved plans, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble. And if you are buying a house, and don’t ask whether the seller has approved plans, you might end up inheriting some very expensive problems.

Legal Implications of Selling a House Without Approved Plans

Since the law requires everybody to have plans drawn up in a particular manner, and approved by the local authority in their area, it stands to reason that every house will have plans. But this is not always the case, and a lack of approved building plans is clearly a major problem for many people buying and selling houses and other buildings in all parts of South Africa.

Hardly a day goes by that we don’t get asked questions on this website that relate to issues concerning plans. Sometimes people only discover that there are no plans years after they have bought a property, either because they eventually want to do alterations, or because they want to sell. Other times people find at the point of sale that a house they are buying does not have plans, and they want to know whose responsibility it is to have plans drawn up retrospectively (“as built”).

The reality is that if alterations and additions have been carried out on a property without municipal (local authority) approval and the property is then sold, it can become quite a complex legal matter.

An article by STBB Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes that we have referenced gives some clarity about the implications of selling a house without approved plans.

Are Building Plans and Building Approval Always
Required for Houses?

As STBB explain, the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act  specifies the need for building plans and approval. More specifically, it is the local authority that governs exactly what can be done in terms of its zoning regulations and the NBR. So it is they that give approval (or deny it) for all building work and renovations on ALL properties. “Minor building work”  is viewed differently and most municipalities will be more lenient when it comes to minor building work.

The Act states that the municipality, at its own discretion, may be approached for a relaxation of the necessity to obtain approval of plans. But note that this must be asked for and approval received in writing. Read our page on minor building work  for more information.

How the Issue of “Voetstoets” Affects
Building Approval and Plans

The agreement made between two parties when a property is sold will in most instances include a voetstoets clause. Essentially this clause indicates that the purchaser accepts the risk relating to defects existing at the time of the sale, patent or latent (but not visible). The exceptions to this clause are instances where the seller deliberately and fraudulently conceals latent defects from the purchaser, that he or she was aware of at the time – in which case the seller will remain liable for these defects. But of course the purchaser will have to provide evidence that the seller knew what was wrong.

Note that the position is somewhat altered if the Consumer Protection Act applies to the agreement between the parties, e.g. where the seller is a developer.

Our law takes into account that any property with buildings erected without municipal approval is a property with a latent defect. The voetstoets clause will normally cover latent defects and a seller will not automatically attract liability if he sells a property with unauthorised building works. But if the seller knows that there are no plans and he organized and did the renovations himself, and he deliberately does not disclose this fact (with the intention to defraud the purchaser), the seller cannot hide behind the voetstoets clause.

Problems That Can Arise

The lack of approved plans could lead a municipality to refuse to allow any further renovations a purchaser might have had planned. In the worst case scenario the municipality could order that the illegally erected structure or additions be demolished.
A (latent or patent) defect that is of a significant nature, and affects the use and enjoyment of the property, does allow the purchaser certain remedies. The most far-reaching of these is cancellation of the agreement, which he is entitled to do, if the purchaser can prove that the defect is so serious that he would not have bought the property had he known this. Other courses of action include the reduction in purchase price or a claim for damages, depending on the seriousness of the defect and the specific circumstances involved.

In many cases an offer to purchase a house will be dependent on the purchaser obtaining home-loan finance from a bank or other institution. And in most instances, (though not all), the financial institution will want to see up-to-date approved plans before finance will be granted. If the plans lodged with council do not match the house as it stands, then the sale could fall through and set the seller’s plans back for quite a length of time, together with additional costs to rectify the problem.

The local authority is also entitled to levy fines on any “illegal” building work that was done without approval.

There is more on the “Voetstoets Clause” and the CPA (Consumer Protection Act) here: the-consumer-protection-act/the-cpa-the-voetstoets-clause

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95 comments

  1. shaun lottering

    if you change your roof pier angle do you need plans do you need plans for an awning. and do you need plans for building another room onto an out building

  2. I would like to know how I can report my neighbour in Centurion for making alterations to his house without approval. I would like to report it anonymously. Could you tell me how to go about it? Thanks.

  3. Contact the planning department of your local authority – Tshwane Municipality. Don’t give your name – or tell them you want to remain anonymous.

  4. Yes, maybe and yes!

  5. I recently bought a property from a insolvent estate with a incomplete building at the back. I only recently found out that there are no plans drawn up for this building. What is the best way to solve this?

    Thank you

  6. My neighbour erected a sunroom (size of a bedroom) on an existing slab of concrete that was initially built (open) as a braai area.
    I was never asked if it would encroach on my privacy next door. Do I as a neighbour have no say in building extensions next to my house?

  7. Only if the extension is over the building line or in contravention of the National Building Regulations. I would contact the planning department of your local authority and ask them to investigate.

  8. Only if the extension is over the building line or in contravention of the National Building Regulations. I would contact the planning department of your local authority and ask them to investigate.

  9. Have “as built” plans drawn up and submit these.

  10. How convinient is “as built” plan approved and what average cost? (multiple costs)

  11. Hi Steven, What do you mean “as built”? In the housing industry “as built” plans are plans that are submitted to council if there were no approved plans for a building lodged with them. Or if the owner or builder deviated from the plans that were approved and a new set of rider “as built” plans have to be submitted. This happens a lot with people doing renovations without submitting plans and later when they want to sell the buyer, if he has any sense, should ask to see the plans and if the house and layout are not the same as the approved plans then new “as built” plans must be submitted and approved.

  12. How much does “as build” plans cost to be drawn up?

  13. can a purchaser demand that the seller have new plans drawn up if they cannot find the original plans at council, before registration takes place ?

  14. Can you rent an office space you have built on your property that has no plans out….is this legal….surely SARS will question this for the company that is renting the office that technically and legally does not exist as it has been built without plans???

  15. Hi,

    If i want to change my roof from a flat,IBR covering to concrete tiles Tuscan style do I need to submit plans?

  16. If you supmid as build plans it still have to be approved. If build not in accordens with sans10400 it cant be approved

  17. If they don’t have plans, chances are they haven’t declared the building to SARS either. You can report it to SARS and to the local authority.

  18. Kindly please help. We bought a house 2 years ago and now want to sell. The previous owner says he thinks the plans to extensions were passed but doesn’t remember through who or what. We went to council and the lapa is built over a council drain and there are no approved plans for the lapa or the extensions to the house. Please could you tell me legally what we can do about this and how can we rectify this?

  19. a so-called builder is extending 3-rooms. he put on the roof within +-5-hours. the roof was very skew and not applied as it was requested or discussed between the 2-parties. he spoiled the image of the house and also damaged the building material in the way how he constructed the 3-rooms and the roof

    what can be done in this case?

  20. Hi, I looked up my 1960’s building plans (home in Blairgowrie) to check if the out-building was on plan.
    I discovered the main house was not built strictly to plan. The tile roof structure differs. It looks totally sound. It wasn’t altered and the bank financed the house. Do I have a problem ?
    Also, regards the outbuilding. It was a garage-domestic living space.
    It has sewage pipe and water and was used for accommodation.
    I’ve knocked out (interior) walls, put in interior walls and windows without plans. I also used unregistered electricians and plumbers.
    Do you have suggestions for me on that…? Do I have to get plans and pay rates for an additional dwelling ?
    Thanks,
    TJ

  21. Paul vd Merwe

    Where could I find plans for my house?

    Is there a repository where I could go to?

  22. Your local authority should have copies.

  23. TJ it’s not clear whether it is only the tiles on the roof or the structure itself that is different. However, in the past – and sometimes now – banks don’t bother with plans when they mortgage houses. You might though have a problem if you decide to sell, because more and more are now calling for plans as well as NHBRC certificates (which won’t affect you). Knocking out internal walls and putting in windows shouldn’t be a problem as long as the extent of the house wasn’t altered and the walls weren’t load bearing. It’s not clear what you used unregistered electricians and plumbers for; generally as long as the basic system was signed off by professionals you should be alright… and of course as long as it has been done properly. Your options are to continue as is – the fact that the house is so old might play out in your favour; or to have as-built plans drawn up. The latter might be your only choice if you decide to sell.

  24. Not much unless you sue him – or send a lawyer’s letter making demands – e.g. pay for damage. The secret is to ensure that before you hire someone to do building work for you to make sure they are reputable and know what they are doing.

  25. As the owners, you are liable now and the only thing you can do is have as-built plans drawn up.

  26. Yes you must because the roof trusses will probably have to be changed due to extra weight. You can only change the roof covering if it is the same as on on the original plans – i.e. you upgrade.

  27. Yes – but there is nothing that can force the seller to comply. It’s a matter of negotiation… One of the biggest problems is local authorities “losing” plans.

  28. I would like to know what can happen to a person how do extentions to their houses with out plans or notify planning dept
    In Centurion it happen to be the case .the two houses 1 in BLUE JAY 36 – and 1 in KRAANVOEL 45 ROOIHUISKRAAL these 2 house belong to one owner and he is renting out the bachelors plus minus 9 units and make some good money. As far as we know their is no plans for the extentions and modifications to these houses
    I would like the planning dept to investigate and do something about it
    I do not have a nr and do not know who to contact regarding this matter.

  29. Alison Paulin

    I have just asked my local authority for the building plans for my home, and apparently they are dated 1930 and have never been changed since then. The person I spoke said that this could cause me problems. I have not changed the structure of the house since I moved in, except for building an outdoor braai. But I’m sure it has been changed since it was built, clearly without approval. I don’t actually want to make any alterations right now. Is it true that the local authority can fine me or charge me with something?
    Also, I have never heard that it was required upon buying a house that one obtain the plans. I bought the house in 2001.

  30. Technically they could fine you, but you’ve got a good argument in terms of changes made a long time ago. There is nothing that states you have to obtain plans when buying a house, though it’s a good idea. In fact we believe that it should be mandatory for estate agents to provide these when they are selling.

  31. Contact the Tshwane local authority and report the matter.

  32. Hi Penny,

    I’m in a similar situation but the difference we renovated the main bathroom and kitchen which could be seen as “Minor Building Work” from what I understand.

    We sold the property a year ago but a while back the new owners finally received a plan from CoJ and apparently plans were last updated 1985 and it seems the building was altered extensively since then.

    When we bought the property we have tried numerous times to acquire the plans from the Estate Agent and CoJ but with no success. We have since relocated overseas so it is difficult managing this at the moment.

    Do you have any suggestions what to do?

  33. hi my building plans burned down with munitoria now i need to get new plans, and get it approved with a electic, plumbing and engineer certificate to get a occipation certificate. all at my cost its going to cost me about 30 000 rand, so who is taking the financial punishment for the building burning down…………………ME
    SEEMS UNFAIR

  34. hi Penny,

    I want to add cottages on top of garages and maids cottage to rent it out and I was told that roodepoort town plan will not approve the plan because the house and the garage are separated. can I register my house as a business?

  35. If you see a house you want to buy can you ask for the house plans

  36. Siyabonga Msibi

    we bought a House 2014, the house is falling now, we managed to get the PLAN now, but it has the NHBRC number and Tshwane stamp, but now the stamp is cancelled, soo how is the plan get an approval stamp then gets cancelled after selling the house. please help.

  37. If you buy a house and it is stopped because owners need to draw up new plans due to buildings that are not on the plans. What is the flow of the process and how long can it take till approval

  38. where can I find lost building plans for a house in the midrand area?

  39. Mari Coetzee

    A buyer message on Social Media. What to do in this case? : As jul n huis in George koop maak asb seker by die munisipaliteit dat alle aanbouings op plan en goedgekeur is. Ek het n huis in Denneoord in 2012 gekoop. Verlede jaar verkoop. Daar word toe n bedrag geld van my teruggehou. Afdak. Motorhuis in wstel verander en wendy wat nie op plan was nie. Die vorige eienaar F. Coetzee het 2 briewe van die munisipaliteit (in my besit) gekry….let wel. In 2006 en 2011 wat hom aanbeveel om alles op plan te kry. Nie gedoen nie. Verkoop die huis aan my. Koopkontrak se alles is op plan en goedgekeur. Geteken deur agent en eienaar. Nou hou die prokureur my geld terug totdat ek als op plan en goedgekeur het. Hoe onregverdig is dit nie.? Prokureur en agente het weggestap met hul vet komissie en betaling nie hul werk gedoen nie. Eienaar met sy geld vir die huis en ek met n groot hap uit my sak. Prokureurs se dis nie hul plig om om toe sien dat als op plan is nie en agent trek hul skouers op! Maak dus seker voor jul huiskoop asb.

  40. Hi PJ, Wow, what a question, all municipalities seem to have their own way and timeline of handling plan submissions. Cape Town seem to me to be one of the better ones and you can see their process in our article here: http://sans10400.co.za/house-plan-submissions/

  41. The local authority or a previous owner. If they don’t have them you have a problem.

  42. The NHBRC warranty is valid for five years so that’s where you need to go.

  43. Of course – but the owner might not oblige unless he/she is sure you are a serious buyer.

  44. You need approved plans to be able to build and only the municipality will be able to tell you whether you can run a business from your house.

  45. I agree, it’s very unfair.

  46. Nicolene Larkins

    I’m in the proses of buying my first house. Registration has not been finalised. We would like to see the bulding plans, because we are concerned that two carports are not on the bulding plans. The agent is saying that it’s not in the original offering to purchase therefore it’s not the seller’s responsibility to supply us with the original plans. We will like to find out what we can do? Please

  47. We bought a house in Somerset -West ” voetstoots” Before signing contract we asked sales agent for house plans – assuming that we asked approved house plans, She gave us a copy of a piece of yhe plan. We asked for the full plan after signing the offer to purchase & received a plan drawn up in 1985 without alterations. We received also a drawing of street gates that were recently erected. At the municipality are no renovation plans & attorneys want us to sign for purchase without recently approved plans. What are our rights? We are told we did not specify on offer to purchase that we want “approved” building plans. We were put under a wrong impression that everthing is in place. Please advice!

  48. Geoff Pethick

    My house in Roodepoort has a nice 4m x 4m Wendy house on stilts, including bath, toilet and hand basin.I’ve put my house up for dale and buyer has been told by bank to get plans and occupation certificate for the wendy house.
    Wendy house was there when I bought – OK so I thought – so how do I go about getting plans and relevant certificate and how long should it take. Will it have to be removed?

  49. Tshifhiwa Mudzielwana

    I’m purchasing a property and my offer has been accepted. I forgot to put condition for the seller to give me the approved building plan but told the agent and the transferring Attorneys who relayed the message to the seller. The seller went to the municipality offices but there was no plan for the property. It is the only building on the stand/ERF. He bought the property at an auction as it was repossessed by ABSA. The NHBRC has confirmed it was enrolled before being built. Should I accept it to be transferred to my name before the approved plan is provided? Is Absa not supposed to have the plan since they financed it’s construction? Where else could a copy be obtained? What if the seller doesn’t want to counter sign the addendum to force him to provide it? Does voetstoots give him a right to sell an illegal property and what are my rights?

  50. Hi there … so is there new legislation pertaining to Conveyancers,Buyers,Estate Agents requesting Copies of Building plans or As built plans to be processed? I draw plans in the Cape town Surrounding and seem to be getting more and more requests from Sellers to rectify Property Structures or submitt As Built plans .. Just as a Matter of interest so i may guide my Clients more efficiently with regards this Subject.thanks

  51. Hi Penny

    Kindly advise if a home owner is required by the National Building Regulations Act to provide approved building plans to the new buyer, if this was not a specification in the Offer to Purchase?

  52. Hi Penny,

    We in the process of selling our house, went to the municipality to get copies of our houses plans, was told that they no longer have them , they seem to have lost them. What do I do if the buyer insists on the house plans.

  53. I have put an offer to purchase in on a house in Durban. Currently the property is being subdivided and the house I am buying has no plans. my offer to purchase is subject to approved subdivision and approved plans.

    I have been told since that the seller’s may not even legally advertise the sale of this property. Is this correct? Is my decision wise and safe or am I potentially in for a nasty surprise?

  54. The municipality has lost our building plans.

    we have inherited a house and need to get a copy of the plans but the municipality cant find them (only site plan).

    how do I proceed to get plans (finances are an issue).

  55. i would like to know about how to get house plan approced if the stand is at rural area because most of the stand you might find that are not register or no records of the stand?

  56. i would like to know about how to approve a house plans which are going to be build in rural and stands are not registered or no records of the stand?

  57. Hi there
    We have purchased property – had bond finance approved etc etc. We have now erected a structure on our erf and have had to obtain the existing plans of the property – upon which the local municipality informed us that they do not have it (as it is too old????) and had requested it from the State Archives – who in turn do not have it either. Therefore, our residential property currently has NO PLANS. What would the procedure be to obtain these?

  58. Hi we bought a house and enquired before the purchase if all extensions were on plan at municipality and was told they were. Now a year later the extensions roof is failing and it’s clear the extension was not built according to approved plan. Is there any way to keep previous owner or anyone else liable for the costs of redoing the roof?

  59. We put in an offer to purchase on a house that didnt have updated house plans, they build an extra granny flat on and a structure over a pool. We were approved for the loan with SA homeloans subject to the owners supplying the updated house plans. The owner is now not willing to get the updated plans, what is ourlegal right as surely the offer to purchase is a legal binding document? the owner cant decide not to sell to us because he isnt willing to update the house plans? we even offered to pay for the updated plans. Should he give us the option to update the plans and still buy the house or can he pull away from the sale as he is hoping a “cash buyer” will come along and buy the house as is?

  60. Was there a building already on the property when you bought it? And if you have erected a “structure” you should have had plans to do this. Sounds like a bit of a mess to me.

  61. There must be a local authority for the area? Only they would know.

  62. This is quite a common problem and the only solution I can think of is to have “as built” plans drawn up.

  63. If you have those subject clauses you should be okay.

  64. I do hope you sorted this problem out. If the house was enrolled with the NHBRC perhaps they can give you the name of the builder – who should have plans. Absa probably didn’t have plans – they wouldn’t usually. The only place that SHOULD have plans is the municipality. Voetstoets does NOT give him the right to sell an illegal property.

  65. Sounds like you were being bullied. I would report the agent to the Board of Estate Agents.

  66. Good morning, is it legal to cancel an OTP if the seller does not have house plans?

  67. The question is did the owner state in writing he/she would supply updated plans? Certainly the offer to purchase, if accepted, is legally binding. There may though be clauses relating to the bond – in terms of time and other conditions (including the need for updated house plans). If you really want the house you should probably negotiate with SA Home Loans and undertake to update the plans yourself. I’m guessing that 1) the seller doesn’t want to incur costs of new plans and 2) is afraid it might delay the sale unnecessarily. Just one other thing, if I were you I would have a look at the plans as they stand (if you haven’t already). Perhaps there are other issues e.g. other additions or extensions that haven’t been included on the plans.

  68. If your offer required these to be supplied. Otherwise you will have to fight about it. You could also go to council and see if they have plans. I personally believe the law should be changed to make it mandatory for all sellers to supply plans.

  69. This is the kind of thing that you need to get in writing. Plus, you should have asked for a copy of the plans. If you can prove that this is what you were told you can try litigation.

  70. You should be able to obtain the title deeds. The plan will then be drawn from these.

  71. If you don’t have plans and the council has lost their copies, you could try a previous owner or the original architect. Otherwise you would have to have “built as” plans drawn up.

  72. I would report the agent to the Estate Agents Board for being obstructive! Demand the plans because there may be more than just two carports that are not on the plans!

  73. Not that I am aware of, but since it’s your business you should find out. I do know that many people have problems getting plans for municipalities that simply lose plans! So they have to get them redrawn “as built”.

  74. You can submit “as built” plans to council.

  75. Hi, we have put an offer in for a house, of which the seller says the boundary walls are not reflected on the municipal plans. Who is responsible for updating this? Is this expensive?

  76. Hi,

    Please can you help me with what the process would be for submitting plans after alterations were made?

    Many thanks,

    Jacques

  77. I bought a house directly from the developer in a new sectional title complex. I now want to sell the house, 10 years later, only to find that the garage is not on the building plans. I did not do any building after buying the house, only put up a Louvre Deck (for which I was told I do not need plans). The garage was supposed to be part of the original plans. Whose responsibility is it to fix this mess?

  78. I would say it’s the developer’s responsibility. You should have insisted on getting copies of the approved plans when you bought. Now you may have to prove that the developer built a garage that was not on the plans – and you may have to do this through legal channels.

  79. You have to get a competent person to draw “as built” plans.

  80. The boundary walls don’t necessarily have to be on the plans – but the boundary and building lines must be. In terms of the National Building Regulations, plans are not required for walls up to 1,8 m high.

  81. Hi
    I would like to know how to check for updated House plans if you buying a house cash.when
    To ask for them before or after I sign offer to purchase.house is in Pietermaritzburg kzn

  82. Hi There,
    We are in the process of the transfer being finalised. The current owner supplied approved plans, however the pool, lapa and carport are not reflected. Is it advisable to continue with the transfer before the approval is granted on the condition that the Seller is liable to get the plans redrafted and submitted to the relevant body for approval? This clause was included in the OTP

  83. I have a unit in a sectional title complex in Pretoria. The complex was built in the late 70’s early 80’s. Over the years, some owners altered / extended their units without local authority approval (it now seems). A recent event spooked the Trustees and they are now in the process of looking at ways to legalise these alterations/extensions. One of the requirements is to submit the original building plans. But no current owner has such a set. The destruction of public records in the Munitoria fire of 1997 does not make it easy. Are there copies available somewhere? Having that will save the owners R88 000 in architect fees.

  84. Hi Hanna, I am afraid to say that there is no way around this and the municipality has the right to ask for plans. You might ask for legal advice and see if your complex could get a class action against the local authority for loss/damage to your plans. My question is surely they had insurance that covered fire damage and should have been paid out for the loss of all the plans.

  85. Hi Jackie, There are some local councils that do not require plans for “Minor Building” and this includes carports, lapas and swimming pools in some cases. I suggest that you contact your local authority and ask them what their specific requirements are for each of the three separately and then depending on their answer you will know how to proceed.

  86. Hi Sihile, You can ask for them upfront and they are obliged to give them to you. If they cannot supply you with “APPROVED” plans then walk away as you might have costs including penalties later on that you do not want.

  87. Also, R88000 sounds very steep to retroactively produce plans. I paid about R5000 plus R1500 runner’s fees for the same thing in a similar situation. Find the right architect and keep it simple. I must admit I then had to pay R5700 for new sectional plans so also budget for that.

  88. I suggest you delay your transfer citing that the seller needs to comply with that clause until you have in writing from the municipality that all is in order. And don’t let the transfer go through until the seller has complied with anything that the municipality says needs to be done because once transfer has happened they won’t do it and you can’t easily make them do it.,

  89. Patrick Moffat

    I did not know that the house I sold was rebuilt on the inside thus changing the floor plan. The buyer asked for a floor plan and I produced the plan that was registered at Mogale Municipality’.
    This plan is unlike the present structure. The offer to purchase did not state that I must submit Approved Plans. It asked for a floor plan.
    I have already discounted the price with R160 000 as I had a long list of Bad Non Paying Tenants.I am not willing to have Approved Plans drawn up and have suggested that the buyers Cancel the OTP if they are not happy with the 1935 draught which was handed to them.
    The alternative to cancellation of OTP is for them to continue with the process but their Attorney is advising them to put pressure on me to draw up APPROVED plans. What now?

  90. Hi Patrick, If the house as it is now is different to the original plans and no updater to those plans was ever submitted then the plans have to be updated. Who pays for them is up for negotiations between you and the buyer. I do not understand what you mean by the “1935 draught”. If the buyer needs a bond to buy the house then it is the bank that wants approved plans before approving any bond on the house.

  91. Hi

    I bought my house in Octobet 2015 from a real estate agent and got finance from FNB.
    I now want to extend and want to do it the right way.
    I went to my local munisipality to get my house plans. After looking in the file of the erf NO plans could be found for my portion. After talking to the estate agent and attorneys whom did the whole transaction they just said its impossible because there has to be approved plans. Eventually I got hold of the previous owner he was also the developer of this property.

    The plans he submitted in 2009 June was rejected in September 2009. But as I can collect he started building before the plans was approved. The original plan was then collected in February 2010 i assume to be revised. But as it sits now the house does not have aprroved plans nor can the original plan be found.

    I spoke with the previous owner advising him about this and his comment was how can I pay taxes and water and lights if the house wasnt legally built.

    Please advise what my next steps shoul be.

    Thank you

  92. Hi Jakes, I think that you have a problem and need to get legal help. It seems like there are violations all down the line from the submission of plans in the beginning that were not approved to FNB financing (approving a bond) a property without checking that the house has up-to-date approved plans. It would appear that you have a claim against all parties for this. Check with your transferring attorney and take it further with another lawyer. I suggest that you lay a complaint with the estate agency board because I believe estate agents have a duty to check and supply approved plans with any house that they offer for sale. Please update us how this turn out.

  93. Nadia, “As Built” is just a term used when you submit plans for a building that is already built. The cost of the plans will be the same. There might be a penalty from the coucil for “Late Submission” of plans.

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