I am about to build a conservatory on my freehold property but someone has told me that I should make sure that there are no "covenants" which would stop me from doing this. What are covenants?
Covenants are rules in the deeds of houses which have to be observed by owners of those houses and this includes freehold houses. Covenants differ from house to house and often include one which says that the house must not be altered or added to without a particular person's permission. This permission is in addition to any planning permission or building regulation approval which may be required. The person whose permission is required may be the original builder or where the house was built on land which once formed part of a large estate it may be the original estate owner. Sometimes these covenants can be enforced by neighbours who may be entitled to compensation or even to insist that a conservatory or extension is pulled down if proper permission has not been given so it is important to make sure that permission is given before building work is started. Often it is impossible to find the person who needs to give permission and in those cases it is usually possible to take out an insurance policy instead of obtaining permission. We can advise you on whether your property has covenants on it if you would like to contact us.Covenants are rules in the deeds of houses which have to be observed by owners of those houses and this includes freehold houses. Covenants differ from house to house and often include one which says that the house must not be altered or added to without a particular person's permission. This permission is in addition to any planning permission or building regulation approval which may be required. The person whose permission is required may be the original builder or where the house was built on land which once formed part of a large estate it may be the original estate owner. Sometimes these covenants can be enforced by neighbours who may be entitled to compensation or even to insist that a conservatory or extension is pulled down if proper permission has not been given so it is important to make sure that permission is given before building work is started. Often it is impossible to find the person who needs to give permission and in those cases it is usually possible to take out an insurance policy instead of obtaining permission. We can advise you on whether your property has covenants on it if you would like to contact us.
For more information contact Jacobs & Reeves http://www.jacobsreeves.co.uk
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