1. What are Permitted Development Rights?

Permitted Development Rights are attached to most houses in the UK and allow for a number of changes to be made to your property without the need to apply for a formal planning application or consult with neighbours or surrounding properties.

The Permitted Development Rights attached to a property will best reveal a property's true potential because the additional spaces they allow are not reliant on local planning decisions, and as such are finite and objective. These spaces, which include loft conversions, extensions, the conversion of garages and the formation of outbuildings can add significant value to a house and therefore require your attention when making intelligent property decisions.

2. Does everyone have Permitted Development Rights?

Permitted Development Rights are attached to most houses but not all. Article 4 Directions can annul Permitted Development Rights and can drastically reduce the development potential of a house and in turn its potential value. The planning searches we carry out as part of your report will reveal all planning restrictions related to PD.

Remember flats do not have Permitted Development Rights, whether they are converted from a house or built originally.

Very new houses will often have their Rights amended or removed at the point of construction which will restrict what you can do to the property.

3. What happens if my PD Rights are limited?

If your Permitted Development Rights are affected in one Class this does not mean they are affected in all Classes. For instance properties in conservation areas will often not be allowed to add loft conversions or make changes to the front elevation; this would be flagged at the Betternest planning check stage. Within the report we would then suggest development works that utilised other areas of PD where you are not affected; such as rear extensions, outbuildings and so on.

PD rights can be affected in a number of ways for example if your property has undergone previous developments. This may affect the volume of space you can add in that particular class of PD. Remember that PD is split into different sections (to see a breakdown Click here), its essential to know what Classes of PD might be affected, if any. Your Property Potential Report will explain in plain English if and where you are affected and suggest the best next steps for you and your property.

4. What happens if I don't have any PD Rights?

This is quite rare but if your PD Rights have been completely annulled you will be charged an admin fee for your planning searches. The final fee will depend on the charges your local authority command, but it will be in the region of £75 - £125 in total. We will send to you a clear breakdown and refund you the remaining amount. We will then put you in contact with Architect Your-Home who can advise on next steps. This may involve a full planning assessment or having a local Architect advise the best options available.

Remember its well worth knowing if you do not have PD Rights on the property; without them all future developments to your property will require full planning permission. To understand potential you must understand PD!

5. Does my home still have potential without Permitted Development Rights?

Yes, but without having PD you are forced to go down the route of full planning which requires much more time and effort (and money). Unlike PD which is objective and finite full planning is subjective and dependant on a number of decisions and consultations not to mention the need to consult with your neighbours. For this reason it is difficult to quantify the level of potential contained within your home if your PD Rights have been removed.

If you would like to explore the full planning opportunities on your property then simply take your Property Potential Report to Architect-Your Home and they will guide you through the best next steps to revealing the full planning potential.

If you would like to be kept up to date on Betternest service developments simply email 'New Stuff' to info@betternest.co.uk and we will keep you posted on our forthcoming additional services.

6. Can I still develop without Permitted Development?

Yes, but without having PD you are forced to go down the route of full planning which requires much more time and effort. Unlike PD which is objective and finite full planning is subjective and dependant on a number of decisions and consultations not to mention the need to consult with your neighbours. However many successful developments are undertaken through full planning as long as you surround yourself with the right people. We suggest AYH, to view their website Click here.
If you would like to be kept up to date on Betternest service developments simply email 'New Stuff' to info@betternest.co.uk and we will keep you posted on our forthcoming additional services.

7. Can I use the PPR to get planning permission?

Full planning permission is not required if you are developing under Permitted Development, however we do suggest that you apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness if you intend to develop your home. To find out more about a Certificate of Lawfulness see below.

8. What is a Certificate of Lawfulness?

A Certificate of Lawfulness is an application for planning under Permitted Development (Approved by the Secretary of State and not the Local Planning Authority), it costs half as much as a full planning application. In order to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness you will need full architectural drawings.

9. Can I apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness with my PPR?

No. The Property Potential Report is the best way to discover your PD Rights and understand the alterations that can be made and the additional spaces that they allow. You will need full architectural drawings to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness.

1. How much is the report?

The report is delivered to you online as a fully interactive report and as a professionally printed and bound document, all for just £495 - inclusive of VAT and no hidden extras.

2. Do you offer The Property Potential Report to flats?

Currently our service is only available to terraced, semi-detached and detached houses, flats do not have PD. However we do have new services in development, if you would like us to keep you up to date with these additional services please Click here to register FREE as a Betternest member.

3. Do you offer The Property Potential Report to flats?

You can purchase a Property Potential Report on any house within England & Wales. This is due to the difference in planning regulations in other parts of the UK.

4. Will someone be coming round to my property?

No. We use your property photographs and door measurement, alongside the UK's leading geographical measuring systems, to create scaled two and three dimensional existing and proposed representations of your property.

5. How long does it take to arrive?

The online report is delivered to you between 2-5 working days from the point at which we receive your Property Information Form (Click here) and varies in relation to the speed of your local authority.

Some local authorities are faster than others; this is dependant on how up-to-date their filing systems are. Generally if they are fully computerised they are much quicker than those still working with pen and paper!!

At Betternest we use state-of-the-art conveyancing software to carry out our planning searches. Searches undertaken by such companies are given a priority over public enquiries and are notably quicker.

Your professionally printed and bound hard copy report will be posted to your home within 5-10 working days of us receiving your Property Information Form.

6. Do I receive full architectural drawings?

No. The drawings we provide you with are spatial representations of the changes that can be made to the property under PD.

1. What is the Property Information Form?

Once you have purchased your PPR you are prompted to download our Property Information Form which is a quick and easy way of getting the more detailed property information we need to complete your report. Its available as a pdf download immediately after payment or on various parts of the website; Click here to download. Depending the type of photos you've taken or floor-plans you have you can send it back to us electronically by email or print it out, fill it in and send it via the post.

2. What happens if I have printed photos?

This is no problem simply send your photos to the address below; making sure you write your postcode on the back of each photo and to include your printed Property Information Form (see above).

26 York Street
Marylebone
London
W1U 6PZ

3. The property does not match any of the plans in the Betternest Plan Bank, what do I do?

If you have access to Estate Agency plans these can be sent via email or hard copy posted to the Betternest team along with your Property Information Form. If you do not have any form of floor plan and you cannot find a match in our Plan Bank then contact a member of our support team at info@betternest.co.uk or call (020) 3149 1065 and we will contact you with the appropriate next step.

4. What do I need to purchase the PPR?

You will need the full address and post code of the property you wish to commission the report on as well as two outside door measurements and six external photos. To see further details of the steps involved in purchasing your report please Click here.

5. Where do I input my promotional code to get my discount?

If you have been given a promotional code to receive a discount on your PPR then this can be entered on the final payment page just below where you enter your card details.

6. What happens if a tree or other object is in front of my property?

This is why we ask you to take three photos of both the front and rear of the property from different angles. If you feel that more photos may be necessary in order to get a better picture of the property then you can email or post these to us along with your Property Information Form, there is no limit to the number of photos you can provide us with.

7. What happens if the rear garden length is insufficient to allow for photo to capture the whole of the property?

Please take two photos of the rear fa?ade one of the bottom half and the other of the top half and email or post them to the Betternest team along with your Property Information Form. Our design teams use computer imaging software to combine the two photos alongside 3D geographical technology to create a 3D model that matches your property's exterior and size.

8. What do you do after I have paid?

Once you have purchased your PPR you are prompted to download our Property Information Form which is a quick and easy way of getting the more detailed property information we need to complete your report. We require six photographs of the property, two door measurements and estate agent floor plan if available, otherwise you can select a plan that best suits your property form our online Plan Bank.

9. How long will it take to provide you with all my property details?

The Property Information Form is quick and easy to fill out; it takes between 10-15 minutes to carry out and can be returned to us electronically by email or printed and sent by post. To see an example of our Property Information Form Click here.

1. I cannot view the animations?

The animations used in our reports require flash player software; you can download the latest version FREE by Clicking here.

2. I am unable to view the navigation tabs at the bottom of the website?

Our navigation bar on the website requires flash player software; you can download this for free by Clicking here.

1. Should I seek further consultation if deciding to develop my home?

Yes. At Betternest our ambition is to reveal the potential contained within a property.

If the report inspires you to develop a property or the home you live in we strongly recommend that you seek the advice of a good architect, when you are dealing with such a large asset and investment it is so important to get it right.

The time to be swift does not extend to domestic development. If you choose to take the plunge into the complex and profitable world of home improvement we advise that you take stock and enjoy the process with the professionals. No quick fix exists in the domestic development world (currently).

2. Who should I seek advice from?

Architect-Your Home is the UK's leading supplier of architectural services and will ensure you make the most of your development and enjoy the process along the way. To find out more about our unique service partnership Click here.