Adding an extra bedroom

Hi everyone,

Have come across a unit which at one point was a one bedroom plus sun room, but a few years ago the owner pulled down the wall in between and made one ginormous bedroom. It's now being sold as one bedroom.

I'm pretty confident you could split the bedroom into two separate rooms (with separate entries, eg not having to walk through one to get to the other), putting it into the two bedroom category (and hence higher price bracket). Get it revalued by the bank = instant equity.

Are we missing something? Assuming we can get this for a "one bedroom price"- why is no one else thinking of this? (Might be a big assumption) Are there any limitations with bank revals etc (assuming I get licensed builder etc). Would we need council approval for this to make it legit?

 

New plan of strata subdivision, DA & BA (signed by body corporate), trigger any required BCA upgrade to the building, compliance with parking requirements if you require additional spaces....and that's off the top of my head.

 

Thanks @Scott No Mates .

Just had a quick google on all these things - sounds like a nightmare! (particularly triggering BCA upgrades to the building...) - and all this is required just to add a couple of internal walls?

 

I would not buy any unit, or in any block, where anyone had modified a unit without proper approvals, well not unless it was easy enough to restore back to original.

I have seen this enough that I think BC's should have annual inspections or at least inspections as owners change or tenants vacate/change.

Offer an amount that reflects costs plus a bit more to restore to original and make it an attractive buy.

 

If the previous owner did the modifications without notifying the BC then surely the infrastructure is still in place for the 2br unit?

I.e You could possibly change the unit back to a 2br and nobody would know that a wall was taken out in the first place?

 

This was a few months ago but it ended up going for $150k over price guide- so we were out regardless ! (I guess someone else did factor in the fact that you could potentially convert to a two bedroom)

 

Lot of people I see buying are totally clueless on many levels, let alone understanding strata.