Pre-Purchase Advice

Heritage due diligence on a listed building or property in a conservation area before exchange of contracts.

Before purchasing a listed building or property within a conservation area, it is prudent to understand the heritage constraints and the realistic scope for alteration. A short pre-purchase report sets out the designations, the significance, the planning history and the likely appetite of the local authority for change.

The point of pre-purchase advice is timing. Every constraint it identifies is one you can still act on, whether by adjusting the offer, renegotiating, or walking away. After exchange, exactly the same information is merely an expensive surprise.

Past unauthorised works deserve particular attention. Liability for works carried out without listed building consent runs with the building rather than with whoever carried them out, so a local authority may require their reversal long afterwards. Establishing what has been done, and what was actually consented, is one of the more valuable parts of the exercise.

You are likely to need this if

You are buying a listed building and want to know what you would be able to change.
A property sits in a conservation area and the plans you have in mind may not be permitted.
You suspect previous works were carried out without the necessary consent.
You need to know whether an offer reflects what is realistically deliverable.

What you receive

Confirmation of the designations, the listing grade and the extent of what is protected.
A review of planning and consent history, including any apparently unauthorised works.
An assessment of significance, and where alteration is most likely to be accepted.
A candid view on the changes you have in mind, before you are committed to them.

Other services

Not sure which of these you need? Describe the building and the works you have in mind and I will tell you — or read the common questions about listed buildings and conservation areas.

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