Situation 

We were asked to value and potentially market a top floor flat in Manor Road Worthing. The flat had many positive attributes including a triple aspect lounge with balcony, two double bedrooms and was recently refurbished throughout. We felt that such a well presented home would sell quickly to an owner occupier or to an investment landlord.

Following further discussion with the vendor, it became apparent that the windows to the flat had been recently replaced. The vendor had engaged a FENSA installer to undertake the work and as such, the new windows had building control approval. The vendor had also considered the lease and the requirement for consent. However, upon further investigation, it became apparent that the vendor had not applied for or received local authority planning consent for the change in windows.

We advised the vendor that the absence of local authority consent would be a concern to any potential purchaser and that the matter would almost certainly be identified during the conveyance process. We advised the vendor that the best course of action would be to apply for retrospective consent in parallel with marketing the property and to advise all interested buyers that the application was in process.

Action taken : - Once appointed as selling agent, we  contacted the local planning authority to explain the situation and take their advice. We then introduced the vendor to a local architect who quickly produced a set of drawings in support of the application for retrospective consent. By the time that the property was actively marketed, a planning application had been submitted and we were able to advise potential buyers that that the matter was in hand and would not slow down the sale of the property.

Result : The property sold quickly after launch and the conveyance process ran in parallel with the application for retrospective consent. As a result, there was no delay in completing the transaction.

Feedback from vendor :

"Aspire were great at not only identifying all the positives about my property, but also making sure that we identified and dealt with any issues or concerns that would likely arise later in the sales process. Mike took complete control of the situation and managed the application for retrospective consent for the windows. As a result we were able to quickly sell the flat and the conveyance process wasn't delayed. Really great service and Mike went above and beyond what we would have expected from an agent. Thanks - Maria"