Whether your conservatory meets planning and development restrictions will depend upon the following:
• How old is it? If historic (20 plus years) you may be okay.
• Is the conservatory built at ground level and with a floor area of less than 30 square metres. Hopefully it is. Otherwise Building Regulations Consent is necessary.
• Are the walls and roof of the conservatory substantially glazed with transparent glass and not bricks?
• Is the glass safety glazing; and did it comply with the British Standards in force at the time of the installation?
• Is the conservatory separated from the existing property by a wall or door? If not, this is an issue and means building regulations apply.
• Was the entrance leading to the conservatory from the property altered? If an RSJ (structural) beam was required, then so was building regs.
• Is the conservatory heated? If so, how? New gas and electric installations require building regs.
• The conservatory should not have a new electric connection although an extension from a spur in the house is generally acceptable.
• Was any new plumbing / water supply installed? If yes, then again building regulations apply.
• There must be no sink, WC or drainage and it must not be adjacent to the kitchen.
• Is the conservatory more than 50 cubic metres in size? If so, then you are in trouble regarding planning.
• Does the conservatory exceed the height of the original dwelling? Does the overall height exceed 4 meters? Again, it should have planning / building regs.
• Is it nearer the highway than the existing home?
Is the conservatory on any wall of the property so that it fronts the public highway?
• If any part of the conservatory is within 2 metres of the boundary fence, does the height of the eaves exceed 3 meters?
• Does the width of any side conservatory exceed 50% of the width of the original home?
• The conservatory must not be within 2 metres of any boundary fence/line.
• There must be at least 20 metres between the house (as extended by conservatory) and the highway.
CONCLUSION
If you are concerned that you should have obtained planning, and / or building regulations ...
It is likely that then when you sell you will require indemnity insurance to satisfy your buyer's conveyancer and their mortgage lender requirements.
Indemnity insurance is relatively cheap and your conveyancer will arrange it for you. Further legal fees may apply for this additional work.
The indemnity insurance will cover successive owners and requires a one off premium payment.
The terms and conditions of the policy must NOT be breached or it will be invalidated.
Most policies have an escalator clause to keep them in line with property value.