Planning Checks When Buying a Home

Planning history can make or break a purchase. A loft that was never approved, an unfinished condition, or a major development proposed on the field behind your new garden can all affect value and enjoyment. A few checks before you commit can save a great deal later.

Check the property's own history

Look up the address on the council's planning register. Confirm that any extension, loft conversion or outbuilding had the right consent (or a Lawful Development Certificate), and that conditions were discharged. Your conveyancer's searches will cover much of this, but doing your own check early flags problems before you spend on surveys and legal fees.

Check what's proposed nearby

An attractive view today can become a building site tomorrow. Search for live and recent applications around the property — new housing, commercial development, or changes of use nearby can affect traffic, parking, light and value. MB Planning Alerts lets you watch an address and be told the moment anything new is proposed close by, which is ideal during a purchase.

Red flags to raise with your solicitor

• Building work with no matching permission or certificate.
• Open enforcement notices or breach of condition notices.
• Conditions that were never discharged.
• Large allocations in the local plan for nearby land.
• An Article 4 direction that removes permitted development rights you were relying on.

After you move in

Keep watching. Setting up a free alert around your new home means you will hear about a neighbour's extension or a nearby development while there is still time to comment — not after the diggers arrive.