Certificate of lawfulness for use of an outbuilding as a dwelling (under the four year rule)

If a building is converted into a dwelling (a house or a flat) and occupied continuously for a period of 4 years, it becomes immune from planning enforcement action. It is possible to apply to your local council for a lawful development certificate (also known as a certificate of lawfulness) to confirm that the development […]

Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the use of a dwelling as three separate flats

Under the so-called ‘four year rule’, the creation of new dwellings is lawful four years after they have been created, as long as they have been continuously occupied for that period.  The government’s levelling up bill (known as LURB) is currently being debated and will abolish the four year rule, so we are currently submitting […]