Safe and Sanitary report

[macassar]

Hi all, we finally bought our first IP(in Whangarei), what an ordeal.
Firstly trying to get our Aussie heads around cross leases.
Secondly, because of vendors(mother and daughter) had changed minds(mother at least) at last minute.
The mother was on a Vanuatu holiday while daughter(sole occupant of residence) desperately wanted to accept our offer!!
We left NZ emptyhanded and never got aproper inspection.
Anyway Mom returns from holiday and lets daughter accept offer(she had wanted to upgrade to new place.
So week later (back in Darwin)we get call saying offer accepted and as daughter had offer to purchase on her new property would we go unconditional earlier.
Problem tho was a "lean-to" (we did not even notice in our first and only inspection) attached to dwelling and neighbours fence!!
Building inspector and our lawyer warnd us about this but we figured we could knock down."NO safe and Sanitary" (I know I know, I can hear you all saying "what the ...")
Friend(good handyman) has checked it out and it is pretty well set up, with power and phone outlets, used as storage and workspace, attached to garage(garage attached to house with walk in access to residence).
Friend recommend we keep and upgrade firewall etc.
But problem with insurance mainly.
So my question is(apology for the epic post).
What is our course of action?
Do we get Council to inspect and advise and rectify to standards or demolish?
Cheers and thanks in advance
Macassar
(By the way great house and great location)

[muppet]

Hi Macassar

What did the building inspector recommend?

Regards

[macassar]

Yeah well we did not listen did we!!
"Tool store lean-to attached to garage intrudes into side yard and due to it's proximity to side boundary the FRR(fire resistant rating) properties of this structure are dubious"

In his summary he recommends LIM(which we ordered and had council forward to solicitor before the deal fell thru originally and after we had left NZ) be obtained and legally checked.
Solicitor informed us of the lean to - not having building consent!
So I know you are LOL, and I offer no excuses for the blunder, and Buyer beware etc.
We figured the price was to good to pass up.
So now we need to rectify before we rent it out and get landlord insurance etc.
Cheers
the fool on the hill

[graemeh]

Does the lean to make much difference to rentability or the amount of rent you will receive?

If it does not I'd just knock it down and get rid of it. If it adds value to the place get a price to make it legal but if it's too close to the boundary you may also need your neighbours consent to make it legal.

In short, is it worth the extra cost and trouble of keeping it?

[drelly]

The Whangarei District Council are pretty strict on consents and especially firewalls. I built a garage beside a grassed reserve strip and they made me spend an extra $1000 to firewall that side! Must be to protect the grass!

I suggest begging and maybe with the backup of your builders report, they might let you keep it with some modification. But as Graemeh said... is it worth the expense and will it add to your rent?

Here's the council's website: http://www.wdc.govt.nz/

[drelly]

Hi macassar...

Just as an aside... what made you decide to buy in Whangarei?

[macassar]

Hi graemeh, I think its worth the extra trouble (and value?)and also a reminder to me of the folly of not following 'due diligence" and so will try and legalise it.

Hi drelly, my partner has a section at matapouri, and when she dragged me (screaming and kicking) to look at it last year I fell in love with the place and so went back this year to set ourselves up for our twilight years! And having an IP was a step in trying to have some more equity for developing matapouri.

Now I want to see if we can relocate and work in whangarei and build on the section at matapouri, but living in the Northern Territory(20yrs) I want to test my ability to survive a winter in the "land of the winterless north"

Now I have to find a builder to rectify the lean to, any suggestions drelly?

Cheers all
Macassar[/u][/b]