We are buying a house – old cottage from 1790. During the 1970s it was derelict and condemned. In 1978 it was bought by a builder and fixed up.
The solicitors have sent a load of paperwork through, and the deeds (dated 1978) have an entry under restrictive covenants stating something like ‘this dwelling must not be used as a private dwelling house without consent of the local authority’.
Since 1980 it has been occupied (they all have, it’s the end of a terrace of 7). In the mid 1980s it was extended, and other conveyancing documents we have been sent reference the fact that this is a private dwelling house.
Our solicitor is saying that if we may need an indemnity policy. Does this sound right? Presumably if there was an issue, this would have been picked up in the last 37 years every time one of the cottages was bought/sold?
Any advice?