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Drainage and services to annex?
Posting this out of frustration more than anything but maybe as a plea for advice too. We have an old stable block on our property. It is currently classed as an annexe to the main house. We are renovating it and have gone through full planning approval etc. with local building regs etc.
The build is well under way but where our problem lies is with provision of services to the annex/stable block. If we want gas, electric, water to be supplied to the annex/stable the service suppliers say they can ONLY do that if we register the building as a new and separate address to the house. But the local council will not give us a separate address because it is only registered as an annexe to the main house.
We are running round in circles because whichever way we turn the answer is NO!
Any idea on how we can get this resolved? How to approach the council to get a new address or to get the service providers to give separate utility services to an annexe?
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19 Replies
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Be aware this could open you up to CIL payments as you could be seen to create a new dwelling.
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Our detached annexe has both it’s water supply and electricity coming from the main house. It has a separate name – because we spoke to the postman and said ‘my mum lives in the cottage and I live in the main house’ – so an informal arrangement.
It does have it’s own oil supply. I don’t know if this helps but maybe there is a solution to the problem within those ideas…
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You don’t necessarily need its own mains supply – especially if you aren’t selling it separately. You could just run a sub main to supply power (an electrician can advise and you’d need someone to dig and make good). Same for water and gas. You can run both from your main house supply (consumer side) you might have to upgrade elements of gas supply to avoid pressure drop but this isn’t a massive job. You can also sub meter them if you need. Where are you located?
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Just run all that yourself from the main house supply. Will be far cheaper than getting separate services put in anyway and if it’s an annex shouldn’t be an issue. Unless you really want it to be entirely separate…..
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I may be ignorant here, but surely if the services are all “behind the meter”, you can simply get a contractor to put them in, subject of course to building regulations inspections and approval.
I would be delighted to change my opinion if I am wrong…
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What was in your planning application? If the building can operate independently of the main house then it’s a new dwelling and not an annex. I’m surprised it was passed under a householder development. Has it got a kitchen and a bathroom? I think that would be the distinction and what the proposed usage is. Have the council not said to withdraw planning and resubmit?
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The moment you get the council to do it as a separate address or split the title with land registrt, expect the council tax bill in the post!! It’s much cheaper to run it from the main house! Otherwise you will have extra standing charges on gas, elec, water, desperate home and buildings insurance plus obviously the good old council tax bill.
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On a house we use to live in. We had the trades come in and connect, water, electricity and gas. We had to agree with planning that it wouldn’t be sold separately to our property. And, we didn’t pay extra council tax. As it was seen as part of our dwelling. An annex. Hope this helps. ( we were advised by our architect)
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We have a stable block which isn’t used as a dwelling we use it as a studio space/workshop and the electricity runs from our house. If I wanted gas there (no mains gas in the area) I’d use cylinders. It had water (cold) that ran from our house as well.
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So we have an Annexe (converted stable block)
It has its own gas and electricity meter
But runs off our water supply
It has its own postal address and council tax
This was all set up before we bought the property
If I was doing it again though I’d classify it as ancillary accommodation to the main house.
I wouldn’t run gas but install a sub electrical board off our main supply and use electrical heating and water heater.
So I’d say it depends what you are planning to use it for regarding how far you need to go with setting up separate supplies
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A friend of mine has converted their garage into a granny annexe, complete with kitchenette and shower room. You are not legally bound to tell the council tax, or to let them onto your property if they appear at the door. You do however have to declare it when you come to sell.
We ourselves have knocked two terraced houses into one, with the possibility of reverting to 2 houses again later. The planning inspector arranged by the builder was paid a fee and seemed only to be concerned with safety issues.
All the electricity and gas are taken from our original house (as yours should be), keeping one gas and one electric meter in the original part. (The elec & gas meters in the 2nd part were removed.)
We asked the water board to install 2 internal water meters, one of which lies at 0000. This is to avoid digging up the riser in the second house.
As we didn’t want to pay 2 council taxes, we had to get it reassessed (from 2xB to a C – luckily). This involved removing a kitchen, capping off the water and ‘dressing’ it as an office prior to reassessment… what a performance! (They don’t want you to sublet part of the house with a kitchen!!)
A dept called ‘Street Naming & Numbering’ called and asked how we wanted the new building to be known. We chose the original house number as it was easier for our post!
Hope some of this helps.
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We have bought two tiny semi detached cottages with one title at the land registry but they each have their own address. Even though neither are habitable ( currently living in a shed on site) we are paying full council tax on one cottage and double on the second. This came in after we had bought them. We would like to make one into an annex but it all seems very difficult to navigate.
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We had an annexe which was on a separate title with land registry. Go back to the council and complain if you have to. The council can approve it as a annexe with a separate address and then you can register it with the post office. As a separate address you can choose to pay council tax for one large property or two smaller ones, but it did take us months to sort out!
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If it’s an annexe it should be easy.
We have an outbuilding at bottom of our long garden – it’s Listed. We have a cold water supply from the mains supply for the house to it as an outside tap. I suspect some form of hot water electric sourced heating arrangement could be set up if really wanted as it has electric from our house system with all appropriate safety etc. and electric heating also could be established if we wanted to I’m sure on that basis although we don’t as our outbuilding is used as a shed store and nothing more. So it’s obviously basic but the supplies are there…
All the electric system to the two outbuildings is assessed and future proofed when required under each EICR as part of our main property not as separate entities.
We don’t have any mains gas anyway – do you need gas in it?
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We had this problem at my partners workshop which he rents. Its an old factory split into smaller units, all the services are submetered from the main supply, but they need to have their own phone line installed for internet… it took a bit of time but all we had to do is register his individual address on the post office website. Wait for it to be updated and then apply again.
Hope that helps.
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An “annexe” will indeed be separately rated. Keep it (ah’m) as a stable but you need electric water gas in order that you can prepare feed & that there is a toilet for groom/farrier & also heating for the horses.Don’t call it an annexe & don’t put a full kitchen in until later!
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Depends what you applied to planning for. Are you going to sell it separately from the main house? If so you will need to register a separate title at the land registry and have it separate for council tax and utilities. If not then you just run services in from your existing supply if it’s sufficient.
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Have you tried a simple application to Royal Mail to apply for new address ? This may overcome the issue, or as someone else has said, just name it yourself and deal with it retrospectively
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If it’s an annexe then you can connect it from the main house. If you have full planning permission to create a separate dwelling, then you connect it independently and pay the relevant charges and fees.
Any separate building that has a kitchen and bathroom will be subject to council tax even if you don’t rent it out or make money out of it.
Some of the suggestions here are verging on the ‘how to get round the rules’ which we would never support in this group. I’m sure you aren’t trying to get around the rules yourself.
Turning off commenting now as I think this has run its course.
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