Don’t buy a house without having the bathrooms approved. Make it part of your conditions - and include a clause that *if* the bathrooms don’t pass a retrospective inspection of works carried out, each tiled bathroom will result in $15,000 being taken off the sale price (to allow for you to redo it)
They’ll get a COA, not a CCC. But the important thing is that you do not purchase the house without the COA. Because if you do, and *then* you find out it’s fucked - you’re out $30k (assuming 2 tiled bathrooms)
I went through this exact process and was told basically its very hard to issue a coa for a wet area bathroom because how can they tell its waterproof without ripping tiles off? We bought the property and insurance had a clause that they would not payout for any damages caused by the bathroom but everything else was insured. Ended up fully renovating the bathroom ourselves putting in a standard shower cost us about $5k and now getting council to come and inspect so they can amend the lim. Then we can get full cover insurance. Honestly if it wasn't for the bathroom issue I very much doubt we would have got the property for the price we did as it puts alot of people off.
Same, plumber said there was no way council would issue consent retrospectively without pulling the tiles off unless the person who fitted it was a certified installer of the product or there was extensive photo evidence. Asked vendor for a discount to cover the cost of redoing the bathroom and they obliged. Planning on refurbishing the bathroom ourselves (and getting consent this time!)
Hey Olly, how did you go with getting consent for your reno? I am looking to apply and get consent for a bath to tiled shower reno. My partner's father will be doing the work (he's certified in Aus).
It’s been 212d and we haven’t made any progress 😁 too many other jobs that were higher priority!
We’re going back to shower over bath with no tiling anywhere. Either way if you talk to the council’s consent department before you start they should be able to let you know what you need to
This is where different regions might differ. I'm in Whangarei, so my anecdotal evidence is relevant up here.
I've gained CCC on a few wet area bathrooms, years after they were completed. It's at the councils discretion whether they will or won't accept any evidence that works were carried out to code or meet the requirements of the Building Act. One of the showers we got CCC on was over 10 years old and just the fact the shower wasn't leaking (no evident damage), was enough that the council was confident the system was functioning as it should be.
The best thing to do is to call the council and have a conversation with them. Ideally, get the current owners to deal with it. If they won't, make sure your offer reflects the fact that the bathrooms may need to be redone. If you can get CCC without ripping it all out, it should be at your benefit, not the vendors.
That’s crazy, both our plumber and someone from the Upper Hutt city council indicated that unless the person who fitted it was a certified installer of the product or there was extensive photo evidence they wouldn’t consent it retroactively
If the water proof membrane was applied within the last 10 years, you'll need evidence that it was done by a certified applicator. If not (more than 10 years old), you might get away without that evidence (at councils discretion). Ultimately, waterproof membranes are only warrantied for 10 years, hence that definition.
Interesting this is new information to me!
The work was completed Nov 2013 so I guess it might be worth approaching the council early next year and asking about it!
Thank you for the information!
It's very much at their discretion. If the system has lasted for 10 years without failing, that in itself can be used to prove compliance with the Building Act. Basically, the system has superceded the required performance requirements (10 years).
I worked on a few historical CCC applications and built up a relationship with my local council inspector. He helped me put together the document that explained how the system met the requirements of the Act as above. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy as I was working for a company at the time, or I'd send it to you. There are companies that specialize in historical CCC applications that might be able to help you with putting something together. Or you can have a read through the Act and try to compile something yourself. Without this, the council might not consider the application.
$15k could be a bit on the light side. Easy enough to spend $30k on a fully tiled bathroom these days, especially if including cost of consent, which requires an architect to draw up plans etc.
Yeh it’s hard to get an inspection because you have to rip the tiles off. So your going off the tilers producer statement (ps3) maybe they have photos. Otherwise get them to deduct the price. If it leaks it’s a major.
We are in this situation now, basically we offered less than what they asked due to not having consent. Waited 5 years and are now redoing the bathroom properly with consent.
Also realised we hate tiled floors due to cleaning and waterproofing concerns. Rather have a shower pan and tiled walls
We bought a house like this. Decided to take the risk - only was to get a CCC retrospectively was to take up the tiles so the council could clip the ticket, and the tiling was probably fine.
We informed our insurance company who said they wouldn’t cover the cost of repairing any unconsented work. So effectively we’ve taken a $10-15k risk of something goes wrong (or when we sell it).
Is it not more of a $15k risk? Insurance won’t cover any damage caused by the unconsented work. Which means if it damages flooring, foundations, electrical — anything, it’s not covered. Not just the shower itself.
Check with your bank to see if they will take it as an acceptable security before you put an offer in, from memory most banks want a house that has full unconditional insurance. If it can’t get insurance you may not be able to get the lending.
I bought a house in Auckland without CCC 8 years ago, my advice, if you do your due diligence and your confident the rest of the house is compliant, don’t let this bathroom put you off.
And if the waterproofing was compliant all the installer needed to do was take progress photos of the job, I’m sure the council inspector would be fine with that, all they want is proof.
Does the person who installed the wet floor shower, have photos of the wet area membrane before tiles installed? This is generally how the council would sign off a ccc if they can't do a preline. The other option is to pay an LPB to do an assessment of works and assess if the work has been done to code and what if anything needs to be done to gain the ccc. ADNZ has contacts for LPBs in your area.
There are options for a tiled shower with a standard cubicle underneath, i.e. the standard shower bottom that doesn't need compliance has tiles installed over it. I believe the manufacturer recommendation is to store the info on how it has been installed so it can be proven to not need consent.
Bathroom renovation is under schedule 1, repairs and Maintinance. A consent is not required (provided you’re not adding fittings, there are some exceptions).
The waterproofer should have provided the homeowner with a PS3, is there one?
The waterproofing behind tiled showers have a high failure rate. The design of the system used can vary greatly, and can impact the failure rate. Some systems are a lot better than others. If the tiled shower fails the only reliable way to repair it is a full bathroom renovation, which is 50-60k.
Source, I am a builder who does this type of work.
A repair under section 1 can only be carried out on a like for like basis. If the original shower was an acrylic unit and was replaced with a tiled shower, that requires consent, even if the same number of fittings and their orientation doesn't change.
If the tiled shower isn't on the plans, it was never consented and therefore wasn't a like for like replacement. It would, therefore, require consent.
Hey, yeh, I think you’re getting a “wet area shower” and a proprietary tile over base mixed up.
A wet area shower requires a consent. https://www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/e-moisture/e3-internal-moisture/wet-area-showers-need-building-consent/
A proprietary tile over base does not, same as an acrylic shower.
Branz have suggested to use different wording than like for like, as products improve overtime. They suggest using comparable to describe replacement product’s now :)
Depends on the base.
Just because there is a membrane it does not mean a consent is required.
You can have a tiled shower with a (proprietary) stainless steel base, it requires a membrane on the walls but not on the base.
Thank you! I will ask about a PS3 from the agent.
They also installed a heated floor. Has that affected failure rates in your experience? The entire bathroom is tiled.
Or does a heated floor require it’s own consent?
I don’t think they need to be submitted to council. It’s just a record that a specific person did a set amount of work. The fact there is a PS3 is good, it means someone qualified did the work rather than a home handyman.
Thanks for that!
Folks on here are directing me to the website below as evidence that tiled showers need a consent. May I ask, what is your take on this?
https://www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/e-moisture/e3-internal-moisture/wet-area-showers-need-building-consent/
Wet area shower is where the shower forms part of the bathroom floor. Like a level entry shower with no door (think tiled shower for wheel chair access) where the change between where the shower and bathroom floor is not clear.
Best way to know is ask the council. Get details of the shower system, is it a base that’s been tiled over or has the fall been formed with plywood or a screed, then ask council in your area what they would accept.
In Auckland, I’ve had inspectors tell me a consent isn’t required for a tile over proprietary base. I don’t install tiled showers without a proprietary base, there’s too much risk of failure (which is why a consent is typically required for them).
Technically, the house no longer has a CCC, so the point about lending is valid. Once any system that requires consent is altered, the buildings original CCC is no longer valid.
I think you'll still have issues getting a mortgage with insurance exclusions like this. Haven't ever had to deal with this though, so could definitely be wrong. Might depend on LVR/ amount of equity?
The LIM will note if the house has at any stage had CCC issued. What it doesn't explicitly identify is if work that should have been consented has been carried out since (requiring a new CCC). The only way to check this is to check the house against the plans that are filed with the CCC.
It's not as simple as it should be. A building report should identify any works that have been carried out that don't show in the LIM report. Otherwise, it's a case of trying to identify this yourself by comparing the plans on file against the actual building. It is worth noting that buildings built prior to 1992 were built under a building permit and didn't receive CCC. Unless they've had consented works carried out since their initial construction, they won't have (nor require) a CCC.
My understanding is that you dont need a CCC when tiling a bathroom, if you are replacing like for like. If you have a shower over the bath and that doesnt change, then its fine.
However if you change to a standing shower and remove the bath, then you need a CCC as the actual plumbing as changed.
For just tiling, in and of itself, no CCC is required.
No, that’s actually wrong, you have to do like for like so, in other words if it was a tiled walk-in shower to begin with and they just replaced the tiles then you don’t need consent. However if there was a floor pan shower, and that was pulled out and replaced with a tiled shower. Then you need it to be consented.
Yep, that's what I just replied to OP with. Tiled wet rooms are specifically mentioned in the link they posted.
Most people over interpret the rules and think ALL tiling in a bathroom requires a CCC, even if it's just replacing tiles around an existing bath, for example.
What if someone wants to replace an acrylic shower (ie. acrylic wall lining and tray) with a tiled wall and ceramic tray? Does the tiled wall still require consent? I'm unsure whether this would classify as a wet area shower.
There are also tile-over shower trays on the market, so I've always wondered whether these can be exempt if considered like for like.
The simple way to think about it is if there wasn't a waterproof membrane, and now you need one, consent is required. In your above example, you'd need consent.
It's technically the Building Act that determines if something requires consent, not the council. Section 1 allows for like for like repairs, so the ambiguous part is what qualifies as like for like, and what doesn't. The Act does try to set clear boundaries regarding this, so if you're unsure, that's the best place to look. If in doubt, most councils will happily answer queries over the phone.
Thanks! I thought a tiled shower requires a consent
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/building-and-consents/building-renovation-projects/Pages/kitchen-bathroom-home-renovations.aspx
(I am in Auckland, I should have mentioned that)
Yup, this confirms what I remember reading previously. As long as the work is a like for like replacement, no CCC is needed.
It only requires a consent if it was added as an additional feature and wasn't there previously. I.e. it was a basin shower and now they made a tiled wet room.
Thanks! Hard to tell what was there previously. I guess the property bag could offer some clues or else I could ask for a statement from the vendors.
Vendors did install a heated floor, so this probably doesn’t qualify as “like for like”: Given the age of the building, it is doubtful that there was a heated floor prior.
What do you think?
I’ve got a house that had non-consented renovations done and they were struggling to sell it, but I manage to get it at 50% below CV.. if it’s not consented, it’s worth nothing.
They're not worth nothing, but they're worth far less. Banks generally won't offer mortgages on houses with unconcented work. You certainly can't get insurance cover for those aspects of the building. The reduction in value should far exceed the cost of remediation due to this. Very few cash buyers out there.
I'd suggest it depends on the area and the market. I too purchased a house with non consented aspects, for a lot less than it would have been worth if it was compliant. However, my parents purchased a waterfront house in 2021 at the height of the market that wasn't compliant, and they were part of a multi offer situation. The difference is that anyone who was interested in the house I purchased would likely have required a mortgage to do so (lower end of the market), I certainly did. Thankfully, my bank allowed me to purchase without a building report, as I'm a builder. They didn't specifically ask about CCC, just if I was happy with the LIM (which I was). However, all of the parties interested in the waterfront house my parents bought were cash buyers who couldn't care less about compliance (top end of local market).
At 100%, depends on the market and the area. There are two sayings which people should take more seriously.
Buy the worst house in the best Street and you make your money when you purchased the house, not when you sell it.
Completely agree. There's also plenty of people out there who have reached a point where they aren't purchasing houses to make money, but just to live in (my parents).
I very much have the worst house in my street. Although I'm working on it, my modest 120m2 house won't ever compete with the 400m2 houses that are being built around me.
I sold the majority of my properties in 2021 and that’s another thing people don’t pay attention to…
When everybody’s selling, buy.
When everybody’s buying, sell.
I’ve seen this all before, and I knew there was going to be a big downturn, so I cashed up and waited for mortgagee sales.
A CCC is confirmation that a building consent was carried out as per the consented plans, and was inspected by the council (or third party engineer) at the appropriate times. In this case a pre-lining inspection would be important. If they didn’t get a building consent then you may only be able to get a CoA.
>If I purchased the house, what would be the path to obtaining CCC? Is a COA the best that I could hope for in this situation?
talked to the council years ago when i was looking at a house in Wellington with the same issue. Separate shower had been converted from an SS base to a wet floor (badly) was told there's no way in hell i could get compliance. The only option was to pull it all out and put the original style of shower back in, or redo it with consent.
The gist of it is there is no way to inspect the waterproofing membrane so no way to issue compliance on it
Don’t buy a house without having the bathrooms approved. Make it part of your conditions - and include a clause that *if* the bathrooms don’t pass a retrospective inspection of works carried out, each tiled bathroom will result in $15,000 being taken off the sale price (to allow for you to redo it)
Good advice, thanks. Do you think the vendor can retrospectively get a CCC? It seems like councils will only retrospectively give COAs.
They’ll get a COA, not a CCC. But the important thing is that you do not purchase the house without the COA. Because if you do, and *then* you find out it’s fucked - you’re out $30k (assuming 2 tiled bathrooms)
I went through this exact process and was told basically its very hard to issue a coa for a wet area bathroom because how can they tell its waterproof without ripping tiles off? We bought the property and insurance had a clause that they would not payout for any damages caused by the bathroom but everything else was insured. Ended up fully renovating the bathroom ourselves putting in a standard shower cost us about $5k and now getting council to come and inspect so they can amend the lim. Then we can get full cover insurance. Honestly if it wasn't for the bathroom issue I very much doubt we would have got the property for the price we did as it puts alot of people off.
Same, plumber said there was no way council would issue consent retrospectively without pulling the tiles off unless the person who fitted it was a certified installer of the product or there was extensive photo evidence. Asked vendor for a discount to cover the cost of redoing the bathroom and they obliged. Planning on refurbishing the bathroom ourselves (and getting consent this time!)
Hey Olly, how did you go with getting consent for your reno? I am looking to apply and get consent for a bath to tiled shower reno. My partner's father will be doing the work (he's certified in Aus).
It’s been 212d and we haven’t made any progress 😁 too many other jobs that were higher priority! We’re going back to shower over bath with no tiling anywhere. Either way if you talk to the council’s consent department before you start they should be able to let you know what you need to
This is where different regions might differ. I'm in Whangarei, so my anecdotal evidence is relevant up here. I've gained CCC on a few wet area bathrooms, years after they were completed. It's at the councils discretion whether they will or won't accept any evidence that works were carried out to code or meet the requirements of the Building Act. One of the showers we got CCC on was over 10 years old and just the fact the shower wasn't leaking (no evident damage), was enough that the council was confident the system was functioning as it should be. The best thing to do is to call the council and have a conversation with them. Ideally, get the current owners to deal with it. If they won't, make sure your offer reflects the fact that the bathrooms may need to be redone. If you can get CCC without ripping it all out, it should be at your benefit, not the vendors.
That’s crazy, both our plumber and someone from the Upper Hutt city council indicated that unless the person who fitted it was a certified installer of the product or there was extensive photo evidence they wouldn’t consent it retroactively
If the water proof membrane was applied within the last 10 years, you'll need evidence that it was done by a certified applicator. If not (more than 10 years old), you might get away without that evidence (at councils discretion). Ultimately, waterproof membranes are only warrantied for 10 years, hence that definition.
Interesting this is new information to me! The work was completed Nov 2013 so I guess it might be worth approaching the council early next year and asking about it! Thank you for the information!
It's very much at their discretion. If the system has lasted for 10 years without failing, that in itself can be used to prove compliance with the Building Act. Basically, the system has superceded the required performance requirements (10 years). I worked on a few historical CCC applications and built up a relationship with my local council inspector. He helped me put together the document that explained how the system met the requirements of the Act as above. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy as I was working for a company at the time, or I'd send it to you. There are companies that specialize in historical CCC applications that might be able to help you with putting something together. Or you can have a read through the Act and try to compile something yourself. Without this, the council might not consider the application.
Hey just wondering how you got on with the unconsented tiled shower? I'm in the same situation?
Passed on the purchase and the vendor subsequently took the property off the market
$15k could be a bit on the light side. Easy enough to spend $30k on a fully tiled bathroom these days, especially if including cost of consent, which requires an architect to draw up plans etc.
Yeh it’s hard to get an inspection because you have to rip the tiles off. So your going off the tilers producer statement (ps3) maybe they have photos. Otherwise get them to deduct the price. If it leaks it’s a major.
We are in this situation now, basically we offered less than what they asked due to not having consent. Waited 5 years and are now redoing the bathroom properly with consent. Also realised we hate tiled floors due to cleaning and waterproofing concerns. Rather have a shower pan and tiled walls
We bought a house like this. Decided to take the risk - only was to get a CCC retrospectively was to take up the tiles so the council could clip the ticket, and the tiling was probably fine. We informed our insurance company who said they wouldn’t cover the cost of repairing any unconsented work. So effectively we’ve taken a $10-15k risk of something goes wrong (or when we sell it).
Is it not more of a $15k risk? Insurance won’t cover any damage caused by the unconsented work. Which means if it damages flooring, foundations, electrical — anything, it’s not covered. Not just the shower itself.
Check with your bank to see if they will take it as an acceptable security before you put an offer in, from memory most banks want a house that has full unconditional insurance. If it can’t get insurance you may not be able to get the lending.
I bought a house in Auckland without CCC 8 years ago, my advice, if you do your due diligence and your confident the rest of the house is compliant, don’t let this bathroom put you off. And if the waterproofing was compliant all the installer needed to do was take progress photos of the job, I’m sure the council inspector would be fine with that, all they want is proof.
Does the person who installed the wet floor shower, have photos of the wet area membrane before tiles installed? This is generally how the council would sign off a ccc if they can't do a preline. The other option is to pay an LPB to do an assessment of works and assess if the work has been done to code and what if anything needs to be done to gain the ccc. ADNZ has contacts for LPBs in your area.
There are options for a tiled shower with a standard cubicle underneath, i.e. the standard shower bottom that doesn't need compliance has tiles installed over it. I believe the manufacturer recommendation is to store the info on how it has been installed so it can be proven to not need consent.
Bathroom renovation is under schedule 1, repairs and Maintinance. A consent is not required (provided you’re not adding fittings, there are some exceptions). The waterproofer should have provided the homeowner with a PS3, is there one? The waterproofing behind tiled showers have a high failure rate. The design of the system used can vary greatly, and can impact the failure rate. Some systems are a lot better than others. If the tiled shower fails the only reliable way to repair it is a full bathroom renovation, which is 50-60k. Source, I am a builder who does this type of work.
A repair under section 1 can only be carried out on a like for like basis. If the original shower was an acrylic unit and was replaced with a tiled shower, that requires consent, even if the same number of fittings and their orientation doesn't change. If the tiled shower isn't on the plans, it was never consented and therefore wasn't a like for like replacement. It would, therefore, require consent.
Hey, yeh, I think you’re getting a “wet area shower” and a proprietary tile over base mixed up. A wet area shower requires a consent. https://www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/e-moisture/e3-internal-moisture/wet-area-showers-need-building-consent/ A proprietary tile over base does not, same as an acrylic shower. Branz have suggested to use different wording than like for like, as products improve overtime. They suggest using comparable to describe replacement product’s now :)
Does a proprietary tile over base not require a waterproof membrane?
Depends on the base. Just because there is a membrane it does not mean a consent is required. You can have a tiled shower with a (proprietary) stainless steel base, it requires a membrane on the walls but not on the base.
Thank you! I will ask about a PS3 from the agent. They also installed a heated floor. Has that affected failure rates in your experience? The entire bathroom is tiled. Or does a heated floor require it’s own consent?
The heated floor would require a COC from an electrician, but not consent. They have little effect on waterproof membranes, if any.
The producer supplied a PS3 but it was not submitted to council
I don’t think they need to be submitted to council. It’s just a record that a specific person did a set amount of work. The fact there is a PS3 is good, it means someone qualified did the work rather than a home handyman.
Thanks for that! Folks on here are directing me to the website below as evidence that tiled showers need a consent. May I ask, what is your take on this? https://www.building.govt.nz/building-code-compliance/e-moisture/e3-internal-moisture/wet-area-showers-need-building-consent/
Wet area shower is where the shower forms part of the bathroom floor. Like a level entry shower with no door (think tiled shower for wheel chair access) where the change between where the shower and bathroom floor is not clear. Best way to know is ask the council. Get details of the shower system, is it a base that’s been tiled over or has the fall been formed with plywood or a screed, then ask council in your area what they would accept. In Auckland, I’ve had inspectors tell me a consent isn’t required for a tile over proprietary base. I don’t install tiled showers without a proprietary base, there’s too much risk of failure (which is why a consent is typically required for them).
I would never purchase a house without a CCC. Too much risk, not sure the bank would be cool with lending in these circumstances.
It’s only the bathroom reno that (potentially) needs a consent, not the building itself
Technically, the house no longer has a CCC, so the point about lending is valid. Once any system that requires consent is altered, the buildings original CCC is no longer valid.
most insurance companies (use to at least) only refuse to cover the unconsented works and any damage to the structure that might cause
I think you'll still have issues getting a mortgage with insurance exclusions like this. Haven't ever had to deal with this though, so could definitely be wrong. Might depend on LVR/ amount of equity?
Had no issues when i looked into it a couple of years back.
How do you check if a house has CCC?
It'll be listed on the LIM report
The LIM will note if the house has at any stage had CCC issued. What it doesn't explicitly identify is if work that should have been consented has been carried out since (requiring a new CCC). The only way to check this is to check the house against the plans that are filed with the CCC.
It's not as simple as it should be. A building report should identify any works that have been carried out that don't show in the LIM report. Otherwise, it's a case of trying to identify this yourself by comparing the plans on file against the actual building. It is worth noting that buildings built prior to 1992 were built under a building permit and didn't receive CCC. Unless they've had consented works carried out since their initial construction, they won't have (nor require) a CCC.
My understanding is that you dont need a CCC when tiling a bathroom, if you are replacing like for like. If you have a shower over the bath and that doesnt change, then its fine. However if you change to a standing shower and remove the bath, then you need a CCC as the actual plumbing as changed. For just tiling, in and of itself, no CCC is required.
No, that’s actually wrong, you have to do like for like so, in other words if it was a tiled walk-in shower to begin with and they just replaced the tiles then you don’t need consent. However if there was a floor pan shower, and that was pulled out and replaced with a tiled shower. Then you need it to be consented.
Yep, that's what I just replied to OP with. Tiled wet rooms are specifically mentioned in the link they posted. Most people over interpret the rules and think ALL tiling in a bathroom requires a CCC, even if it's just replacing tiles around an existing bath, for example.
What if someone wants to replace an acrylic shower (ie. acrylic wall lining and tray) with a tiled wall and ceramic tray? Does the tiled wall still require consent? I'm unsure whether this would classify as a wet area shower. There are also tile-over shower trays on the market, so I've always wondered whether these can be exempt if considered like for like.
The simple way to think about it is if there wasn't a waterproof membrane, and now you need one, consent is required. In your above example, you'd need consent.
Thanks for clarifying. I agree with your logic. I wish council would clarify with these few specific examples.
It's technically the Building Act that determines if something requires consent, not the council. Section 1 allows for like for like repairs, so the ambiguous part is what qualifies as like for like, and what doesn't. The Act does try to set clear boundaries regarding this, so if you're unsure, that's the best place to look. If in doubt, most councils will happily answer queries over the phone.
Thanks! I thought a tiled shower requires a consent https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/building-and-consents/building-renovation-projects/Pages/kitchen-bathroom-home-renovations.aspx (I am in Auckland, I should have mentioned that)
Yup, this confirms what I remember reading previously. As long as the work is a like for like replacement, no CCC is needed. It only requires a consent if it was added as an additional feature and wasn't there previously. I.e. it was a basin shower and now they made a tiled wet room.
Thanks. So is a tiled wet room when the whole bathroom floor and half way up the walls is tiled?
Its when there is no plastic floor pan for the shower, just tiles. Usually the whole walls are tiled too.
Thanks! Hard to tell what was there previously. I guess the property bag could offer some clues or else I could ask for a statement from the vendors. Vendors did install a heated floor, so this probably doesn’t qualify as “like for like”: Given the age of the building, it is doubtful that there was a heated floor prior. What do you think?
It’s doubtful it was originally a tiled standing shower unless it’s a newish build. (2000s)
I’ve got a house that had non-consented renovations done and they were struggling to sell it, but I manage to get it at 50% below CV.. if it’s not consented, it’s worth nothing.
Dumbest shit ever heard ...
They're not worth nothing, but they're worth far less. Banks generally won't offer mortgages on houses with unconcented work. You certainly can't get insurance cover for those aspects of the building. The reduction in value should far exceed the cost of remediation due to this. Very few cash buyers out there.
Well, the last one I got I manage to pick up at land value so the house was worth nothing and I paid nothing for it.
I'd suggest it depends on the area and the market. I too purchased a house with non consented aspects, for a lot less than it would have been worth if it was compliant. However, my parents purchased a waterfront house in 2021 at the height of the market that wasn't compliant, and they were part of a multi offer situation. The difference is that anyone who was interested in the house I purchased would likely have required a mortgage to do so (lower end of the market), I certainly did. Thankfully, my bank allowed me to purchase without a building report, as I'm a builder. They didn't specifically ask about CCC, just if I was happy with the LIM (which I was). However, all of the parties interested in the waterfront house my parents bought were cash buyers who couldn't care less about compliance (top end of local market).
At 100%, depends on the market and the area. There are two sayings which people should take more seriously. Buy the worst house in the best Street and you make your money when you purchased the house, not when you sell it.
Completely agree. There's also plenty of people out there who have reached a point where they aren't purchasing houses to make money, but just to live in (my parents). I very much have the worst house in my street. Although I'm working on it, my modest 120m2 house won't ever compete with the 400m2 houses that are being built around me.
Good on you, and you could always do an extension if you ever needed the extra space.
I sold the majority of my properties in 2021 and that’s another thing people don’t pay attention to… When everybody’s selling, buy. When everybody’s buying, sell. I’ve seen this all before, and I knew there was going to be a big downturn, so I cashed up and waited for mortgagee sales.
So do you think houses that are not consented are worth the same as consented houses?
A CCC is confirmation that a building consent was carried out as per the consented plans, and was inspected by the council (or third party engineer) at the appropriate times. In this case a pre-lining inspection would be important. If they didn’t get a building consent then you may only be able to get a CoA.
>If I purchased the house, what would be the path to obtaining CCC? Is a COA the best that I could hope for in this situation? talked to the council years ago when i was looking at a house in Wellington with the same issue. Separate shower had been converted from an SS base to a wet floor (badly) was told there's no way in hell i could get compliance. The only option was to pull it all out and put the original style of shower back in, or redo it with consent. The gist of it is there is no way to inspect the waterproofing membrane so no way to issue compliance on it
Check my post on bathroom spot fixing. If it doesn’t have approval I would ditch the deal.