Certificate of lawfulness granted for HMO in Enfield
We recently obtained a certificate of lawfulness for a HMO in Enfield. A HMO in use class C4 is residential accommodation for up to six individuals from at least two households. The application related to a property which had been used as a HMO for a period exceeding ten years, but without the benefit of […]
Brent success: Certificate of Lawfulness for two self-contained flats
This case related to an application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the use of part of a residential property in the London Borough of Brent as two self-contained flats. The property had been subdivided into multiple units without planning permission. The application relied on evidence that the use of the ground floor and top […]
Appeal against a refusal of a Certificate of Lawfulness for a residential outbuilding
Appeal against a refusal of a Certificate of Lawfulness for a residential outbuilding The main issue in this appeal was whether the proposed outbuilding was genuinely required for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the main house. Residential outbuildings can be permitted development, meaning that planning permission is not normally required. However, permitted development rights only apply […]
Certificate of lawfulness granted for flat above workshop in Leyton
This case concerned a successful application for a Certificate of Lawfulness (or Lawful Development Certificate) for an existing residential use above a workshop premises in Leyton, east London. Our client had purchased a workshop unit located beneath railway arches. The upper floor of the building had been occupied as a self-contained flat by the previous […]
Application for a certificate of lawfulness for the use of an outbuilding as a separate, self-contained dwelling
Section 171B(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 sets out a time limit of four years for councils to take enforcement action against new dwellings that have been created without planning permission. This ‘four year rule’ was abolished in April 2024, but it can still be used as long as the new dwelling was […]
Certificate of lawfulness for the use of the building as 4 flats (under the four year rule)
This is the latest in a series of successful applications for certificates of lawfulness under the so-called ‘four year rule’. It is also the second victory of this kind in Redbridge in just two days! Yesterday we obtained a similar certificate of lawfulness for the use of 39 flats in another part of Ilford. This […]
Certificate of Lawfulness under the four year rule for the use of a building as 39 flats
This is the biggest ever application we have made for a certificate of lawfulness under the four year rule! The applicant had created 39 flats without planning permission. However, the “four-year rule” means that the creation of new dwellings is lawful after a period of four years has passed. It is a provision set out […]
Certificate of lawfulness granted for long-established HMO in Newham
Councils across the country have been taking a much stricter approach to houses in multiple occupation, both when it comes to new HMOs and to existing properties that have been in use for many years. The London Borough of Newham is one of the most restrictive authorities in this respect. First, the borough is covered by an […]
Certificate of lawfulness granted for 14 flats (four-year rule)
This case concerned a building that had been converted into 14 self-contained flats without planning permission. The flats had been in place for several years, but no formal confirmation of their lawfulness had been obtained. This created uncertainty as to the planning status of the property. If a building is converted into flats without planning […]
Certificate of lawfulness granted for a house (four-year rule)
This case concerned a property that had been in use as a separate house for many years, but without any formal confirmation that the use was lawful. The dwelling had originally been created from a two-storey side extension to number 5 Kentwode Green. Although it had clearly been used as a separate, self-contained house for […]