Decking, 4 year rule and selling a house

[TheAngryDog]

Hi all,

We are selling our house currently and a query has come up from the buyers solicitor - they are querying the decking in the rear garden. This was built before we moved in to the house, so existed before 2017. As far as I know there was no planning permission gained by the previous owners and we received no indemnity policy for it.

The decking is quite large but less than half of the total area of the house and land, and less than half of the rear garden. It is over 30cm high where it starts, next to our back door, and drops down as our garden slopes down from the back of the house.

I am aware of a 4 year immunity rule for decking so we may have some coverage under that. I assume I can get an indemnity policy to cover it?

Does anyone have any experience of this? I am concerned it may screw our sale up.

Thanks.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Don't have any direct experience of decking but last time I sold I just offered to pay for indemnity insurance, had about 5 policies by the time I exchanged but all in only cost me 120 quid.

[TheAngryDog]

Sheets Tabuer said:

Don't have any direct experience of decking but last time I sold I just offered to pay for indemnity insurance, had about 5 policies by the time I exchanged but all in only cost me 120 quid.

I think we are certainly going to be getting some indemnity policies, at least for the windows and the electrical wiring. We had one window replaced and have a fensa cert for it, but not for the rest of the windows that were replaced before we moved in. We have no fensa / indemnity given to us for these.

Same with the electrical wiring. Had no work done but I think a policy to cover us seems sensible.

We had a new boiler installed, but we have all the certs for this being done so I think we are OK to not have a policy for this.

[worsy]

The alternative is to tell them it was there before you bought the place and they are welcome to rip it out once they have moved in.

[TheAngryDog]

worsy said:

The alternative is to tell them it was there before you bought the place and they are welcome to rip it out once they have moved in.

We have told them that it was here before we moved in, and there is evidence to back this up on Google Earth