According to a survey, more than one in 10 homeowners either failed to secure planning permission for major renovations, or did not realise they had to do so.
The poll commissioned by eXp UK, a platform for personal estate agents and estate agency businesses, of more than 5,600 UK homeowners, reveals that 25% of respondents have carried out a major renovation project, such as adding an extension to their home.
eXp UK warns a good proportion of these homeowners could be at risk of receiving an enforcement notice, having failed to properly obtain the proper planning permission before starting the renovation project, with:
Of those who failed to secure planning permission, 21% said that they did so knowingly, with the main reason for doing so that they were confident the would not be found out.
Head of eXp UK, Adam Day, said: "Homeownership doesn't come cheap and we've seen house prices continue to climb in recent years".
"So it's understandable that a good proportion of homeowners have undertaken major renovation projects on their existing homes, such as extensions or conversions, in order to maximise space".
"What's quite astounding is that a notable number of those undertaking a major renovation are doing so without ensuring the proper planning permission is in place".
"In doing so, they leave themselves open to enforcement and prosecution from the local planning authority if they aren't able to secure a retrospective planning application. This can be a very costly mistake indeed, as having invested a considerable amount of money, they will find themselves back to square one and out of pocket".
