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 a lot of applications on behalf of clients to get the lawfulness of their properties established before the law changes.
Progress on the passage of LURB can be viewed on the government’s website here.
In this case, we worked closely with our client to compile the evidence needed to show that their first and second floor flat had been converted into three separate flats more than 4 years ago and had been in continuous as separate flats over the whole period.
We were delighted when the lawful development certificate was issued by Hounslow, giving the owners some security and piece of mind.
If you have a development that might benefit from the 4 year rule, now is the time to apply for a certificate of lawfulness, before the law changes as the rule is abolished.
Contact our team now for some advice!
