A couple builds their house with permission from the City Council, but it takes 15 months to send the papers and now they have to demolish it because it is 37 centimeters short of height.

build a house from scratch is an expensive investment that is made with great enthusiasm on the part of the owners. Therefore, before starting work, it is necessary to have all the corresponding permits and, when obtained, everything is expected to go without any problem. But sometimes unexpected complications can arise, as is the case of this French couple who, after building their home and moving into it, face having to demolish it because the municipal administration took 15 months to send the documentation for review.

According to information published by Le Figaro Immobilierthose affected built the home after obtaining the necessary permits from the town hall. These permits then had to go through the Prefecture for authorization, so, to avoid problems, they waited until the legal deadlines were over before building the house.

The works began in September 2018 and in April 2020 they were finally installed in the house. It was then that the problem arose. After just three weeks of installation, they discovered that the license had been canceled because the construction was 37 centimeters below the minimum height required in an area at risk of flooding. The problem was that the City Council had sent the documents too late to the Prefecture, so the non-compliance was not detected before the house was built.

The City Council had 15 days to send the documentation, but it took 15 months

According to the regulations of the area, the City Council was obliged to send the construction permits to the Prefecture, within a period of 15 days, so that it could verify that the project respected the urban planning conditions.

However, although the license had been granted in January 2018, the documents were not submitted until April 8, 2019, some 15 months later. When the Prefecture received the file, it verified that the house did not respect the minimum height required because it was close to a flood zone, and appealed the permit.

The architect had planned to raise the construction to comply with this obligation, but the house ended up being 37 centimeters below the established level.

The couple acknowledges that this non-compliance existed, although they consider that it could have been solved if the City Council had sent the documentation when appropriate, before the works were so advanced.

“If the City Council had done everything on time, we would have been able to correct it sooner,” lamented the owners.

They demand 950,000 euros from the City Council

Now the solution proposed to the couple is to demolish the house and request a new permit to build it again respecting urban planning regulations, something that for them is economically unfeasible.

For this reason, they have claimed compensation of 950,000 euros from the City Council, considering that the delay in sending the documentation prevented them from correcting the problem in time.

The current mayor of the town has acknowledged that the previous local administration made a serious mistake by sending the documentation late, but considers that the architect bears part of the responsibility for not having correctly checked the urban planning requirements before designing the home.

Furthermore, the councilor explained that the 950,000 euros claimed represent approximately half of the municipal budget, so he hopes that insurers can intervene.