Building permit, change of use

Hello,

I am completely new here in the forum and need a little help.

My husband (Klimameister) and I are considering purchasing a 4-sided farmyard. The property includes a single-family house with 250 sqm of living space as well as two large barns.

Our idea was to divide the single-family house into 2 apartments and rent out the lower apartment.

Furthermore, one barn is to be converted into 2 apartments.

Now my question:

What approval do we need from the responsible building authority?

Do we need to apply for a change of use for the single-family house (later two-family house)?

For the barn we definitely need approval, right?

What else do we need to consider?

Thank you very much in advance.

What permission do we need from the responsible building authority?

Building permit. If located in an outer area, then almost impossible to obtain.

Do we have to apply for a change of use for the single-family house (later two-family house)?

Is the house approved as a single-family house? Then initially no. However, if you change the use (= two-family house), then yes.

You must work with an architect from the beginning. Initially, you need a purchase consultation for this property so that you can decide whether you can/want to afford the construction project. In connection with this purchase consultation, the architect should also clarify the construction and planning law situation as initial information with the responsible authorities to generally ensure that your conversion plans are fundamentally eligible for approval at this location.

According to your description, it could be, for example, a courtyard in the so-called outer area, in which procedure under § 35 of the Building Code must be followed and where there may be restrictions on remodeling, expansion, and conversion. All projects are conversions (conversion of a single-family house to a two-family house, conversion of a barn to a residential house) and therefore require a building permit application. You need an architect for this.

The topic of "barn conversion" requires special expertise from the architect, already when assessing the building fabric for suitability for the conversion project, keyword "foundation" for example.

You should not buy the property without having clarified these points through expert consultation.

§ 34 Building Code

§35 Building Code

Sorry that I am interfering, but in Hessen it is §34 ......

In Hessen, the same Building Code applies as in the other federal states. wpic assumed [Außenbereich], and that is nationwide §35 [Baugesetzbuch].