barn becomes house..what permission?

[Helen888]

This is the second house we have owned in France but as the first needed no real renovation we managed to avoid much form filling and therefore i've learned next to nothing about this aspect of living in France.

Our property consists of a house best described as a ruin and a small, separate barn. The house was lived in less than ten years ago but since then the roof has fallen in. Even if work was to start on the house tomorrow i think it would take a three years to become habitable (mostly due to cash flow!).

My question concerns the separate barn, it had an open front and then, at the back, one room which had been made very cosy and habitable by the previous owner with basic kitchen, phone line , electric (no fosse though). The room was definately lived in but had no CU at the time. When we bought the house a CU was applied for and granted for this separate barn as well as the house. I would be really grateful if anyone knows the easiest (relative!) route to change the status of this little barn from barn to dwelling. No work needs to be done to the exterior and we will probably continue to live partly in this little barn and partly in the caravan while we work on the main house -the removal of rubble,fallen roof etc from inside will take until the send of the summer and no building permits will be applied for on the main house until then.

Its very tempting to put a bedroom upstairs in this barn...it wouldnt even need any new windows. In the long term plan this separate barn would be used just by friends in the summer and by us occasionally in the winter as it would be a lot cheaper to heat (for example on tempo red days!). With no exterior changes and an existing cu i wondered what might  be the most hassle free route forward. Our Mairie cares little but no matter, as from an insurance point of view i am sure if we needed to make a claim for anything it would be gleefully rejected.

[Iceni]

Suggest a visit to yr local DDE.

John