buying
How to check the planning permission history of a house before you buy
How to check the planning permission history of a house before you buy: where to search, what the results mean and what to ask the seller.
- 4 min read
- Last reviewed 4 November 2026
- By Your Property Check team
Key answer
Part 1 of 7
Where to look
General information, not advice. Planning applications are published on each local planning authority's own website, in its planning register or public access system. There is no single national list of every application. Our planning applications tool checks the statutory planning constraints at a postcode (such as conservation areas and Article 4 directions) from the national planning dataset, names the authority and links to its own planning search. It does not list every past application, so it is a starting point for the authority's portal, not a replacement for it.
We read the Planning Portal pages named below on 4 November 2026.
Part 2 of 7
What to search for
- Search the authority's register by address, and by neighbouring numbers if the search is fussy.
- Look at each application's decision and any conditions attached.
- Compare what you can see on site, or in the listing photos, with what was approved. Look at extensions, conversions of garages or lofts, dormer windows, outbuildings and changes of use such as a house split into flats.
- Keep copies of the decision notices and approved plans for your conveyancer.
Some work needs no application at all, as explained below. If you find nothing, ask the seller and ask your conveyancer to confirm with the council.
Part 3 of 7
Reading the results
| Outcome | What it means | What to ask the seller |
|---|---|---|
| Permission granted | The council agreed the works, possibly with conditions | Were the works built as approved, and were the conditions met? |
| Permission granted with conditions | The Planning Portal says failing to comply with the details or conditions of a permission is a planning breach | Evidence that each condition was met |
| Refused, but work appears built | The Planning Portal says that where a refused development goes ahead, or a retrospective application fails, the council can issue an enforcement notice requiring the works to be reversed | Whether any further application or appeal followed |
| No application found for visible work | Work may have been permitted development, may predate the records, or may be a breach | The date the work was finished and any certificate or building control paperwork |
Part 4 of 7
Permitted development: no application, but not always lawful
Some work needs no planning application because it falls under permitted development rights. The Planning Portal says these come from a general permission granted by Government, carry conditions and limits, and can be removed by an Article 4 direction. They also do not apply in the same way to flats. Our guide to permitted development rights lists the main limits for houses. If a seller says "it was permitted development", ask for the date and the size, and for the paperwork that shows it fits the limits. Building regulations are a separate matter from planning, so ask about both.
Part 5 of 7
How long can a breach be enforced
The Planning Portal sets out the time limits:
- For breaches before 25 April 2024, the limit is four years for operational development (building, engineering or mining works, from when they were substantially completed) and four years for a change of use of a building to a single dwelling house.
- For breaches on or after 25 April 2024, those two limits are ten years.
- For any other breach, such as most other changes of use, the limit is ten years from the date of the breach.
- There is no time limit for enforcement against relevant demolition.
The Planning Portal page we read does not explain how a buyer proves the date work was completed, so ask your conveyancer how to evidence it. It also links to guidance on Lawful Development Certificates without explaining them, so we do not describe them in detail here.
Part 6 of 7
What if work was done without permission
Do not assume it is fatal, and do not ignore it. The usual steps are to tell your conveyancer, ask the seller what paperwork exists, and find out whether the work is still open to enforcement given the dates above. Possible outcomes include the seller obtaining retrospective approval, a price discussion, indemnity insurance where available, or walking away. Our guide on indemnity insurance for property explains what it can and cannot do, and the property checks before buying article lists the other searches to run alongside this one.
Part 7 of 7
Constraints that change the picture
A conservation area, listed building or Article 4 direction can limit what work could be done, even when the work looks small. The Planning Portal says rights are more restricted in conservation areas, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and similar designated land, and that listed buildings have different requirements. Check those constraints early.
This page is general information, not advice. Your conveyancer or a planning consultant can check a specific property.
Our take
A missing permission is a question, not a verdict
Missing permission is not always a problem, but a breach can be enforced for four or ten years depending on when the work was finished. Our view: search the planning register before you offer, and compare any extension or conversion you can see with the decisions you find, rather than relying on the listing.
OfferCheck is our plain-English risk report on any UK address before you offer: crime, flood, planning, tenure and more, every figure sourced. There is a free snapshot, and the full OfferCheck Report is from £4.99. It sits beside the council's own register, not in place of it.
Our opinion, drawn from the facts on this page: not advice and not a forecast. We earn from OfferCheck reports and from introducing sellers to cash buyers, so weigh it with that in mind (see our disclosure). We are not authorised or regulated by the FCA.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
How do I check planning permission for a house?
Can I see old planning applications?
What if work was done without planning permission?
Does the planning check show building regulations sign-off?
Does your planning tool list every application?
Where this comes from
Sources
- Planning Portal: What is the 10 year rule for planning enforcement?
- Planning Portal: Permitted development rights
- GOV.UK: Preventing and resolving disputes in relation to party walls
Last reviewed 4 November 2026 by the Your Property Check team. This page is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For your own situation, speak to a conveyancing solicitor or another qualified professional.