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Original poster

Do ponds tend to put off house buyers or reduce house value?

54 replies

Tumty · 05/02/2025 07:46

I just been looking at articles online which are conflicting. Some say they increase value and some say they reduce value.

OP posts:

TwentyTwentyFive · 05/02/2025 07:49

Surely it depends on the property?

A property with lots of outdoor space where the pond was a small portion is very different to a 2 up 2 down mid terrace with a small back garden dominated by a pond.

Personally if it's a family home the type a young family would buy, I suspect most people would see it as a negative that would possibly need fending off or filling in rather than a positive.

sunshineandshowers40 · 05/02/2025 07:53

Didn't put us off but it was the first thing we removed when we moved in (DC we're all under 4).

Original poster

Tumty · 05/02/2025 07:54

Yes that’s true. Our garden is quite large. Pond takes up a small percentage. Just trying to decide if we should keep it

OP posts:

Roselilly36 · 05/02/2025 07:54

Ponds and swimming pools often put off buyers, for obvious reasons. When we were looking to buy our long term family home, I didn’t view any with either.

GeorgeBeckett · 05/02/2025 07:55

For a family home it’s a hazard. As PP it didn’t put us off but we did fill it in pretty quickly when we moved.

Not2identifying · 05/02/2025 07:58

As a dog owner I don't know if my dog would drink from or get in a pond. Both those options would worry me or cause inconvenience.

TwentyTwentyFive · 05/02/2025 07:59

Tumty · 05/02/2025 07:54

Yes that’s true. Our garden is quite large. Pond takes up a small percentage. Just trying to decide if we should keep it

If it's already there then I would leave it be. The new buyer can make that choice upon buying.

dixon86 · 05/02/2025 08:00

If I liked the house I would still view but with a small child I would fill the pond in

Twiglets1 · 05/02/2025 08:02

We were very close to offering once on a house with a pond and the pond was one of the things that made me hesitate.

Of course you can get a pond filled in but we had no idea what that would cost. I do think they are negative things apart from for the minority of the population that actually want one.

If a house was perfect in other ways I would buy a house with a pond but wouldn’t really want the hassle & expense of either maintaining it or getting rid of it.

Bringiton999 · 05/02/2025 08:06

We bought house with a pond and approx. 30 fish came with it 😅😂😂didn't put us off... fish are now part of the family and they coming with us if we move again 🫡

If run correctly, filter cleaned etc. There is no issues, they are just there. There is net over the pond so the heron doesn't get them, no chance for dog to drink from it unless net is broken (we don't have dogs) previous owner had a dog. Also re safety reasons, again, net.... garden is 60ft long and pond is at the end, if we had small children it's not an easy access thing as it's not right on our doorstep.

I don’t think it’s expensive to run, if there is fish in there, bag of food is dirt cheap. You can always get it filled in, get some quotes around, I don’t think this will cost arm and a leg.

ShiftySquirrel · 05/02/2025 08:08

I'd leave it as it is OP.
It can put off young families, but plenty of buyers don't have young children. For those interested in nature it's an asset. It's hugely beneficial to wildlife. It wouldn't put off all families either.

I grew up in a house with a pond, and DH and I raised our DC in property with a pond until eldest was 11. DH made a cover and DC weren't in the garden unsupervised until they were old enough to understand. When they were older they loved pond dipping, feeding the fish and clearing excess plants.

GoldMoon · 05/02/2025 08:09

Exh wanted a pond when youngest was about 8 , so didn't have any real safety issues ( but first few years would also be in garden when they were )
Personally never really enjoyed having it , and it eventually lost its " Oooh shiny new thing to play with "
( him ) and then just turned into a pain to have .

Original poster

Tumty · 05/02/2025 08:16

This was my feeling that it’s likely to put off buyers

OP posts:

SophiaSW1 · 05/02/2025 08:19

I wild not but a house with a pond.

TheyAreNotAngelsTheyDontCareAtAll · 05/02/2025 08:20

Good grief. You can fence off a pond if you have children. Why deny them all the interesting life found in a pond.
The level of risk aversion today is spectacular.

PearlClutzsche · 05/02/2025 08:29

It may put some off, but equally, if it’s a nice pond, may attract others.
I don’t understand why it’s a huge problem if the house is otherwise what you’re looking for.

SophiaSW1 · 05/02/2025 08:34

@TheyAreNotAngelsTheyDontCareAtAll surely part of being a parent is assessing risk and it's not one I'd choose to deal with if other houses don't have them. That's pretty much what the OP is asking.

FraidSo · 05/02/2025 08:35

My GM had an amazing pond - we loved looking for all the creatures round it and frogspawn and it had a little jetty so you could up close. And the spaniels would get in in hot weather and lots of interesting language was heard. Ducks on it, moorhens etc.

I guess it depends on the pond but we were occupied perfectly safely.

Myblueclematis · 05/02/2025 08:44

I don't have kids or a dog but it wouldn't put me off buying a property, I rather like the thought of having a proper pond, I have a tiny half barrel wildlife pond in my garden, sadly in four years, no wildlife has ever appeared in it.

A swimming pool, however, would definitely put me off. There's a house near me currently that has an indoor swimming pool (empty, going by the photo) and it's been up for sale for over a year. The maintenance for that would be astronomical.

Ineedanewsofa · 05/02/2025 08:53

The last two houses we bought had ponds - the first was was a dinky one we didn’t even know was there it was so overgrown, it came up red on the survey and we both said “what pond?!” Cleared it out when we moved in, DH made a cover for it out of an old pallet when DC came along, it eventually got filled in when we did an extension.
Pond we have now is a lovely big one with fish, costs peanuts to run and helps balance the amount of water on the property (lots of concrete). There’s a big sturdy net over it to keep herons/dogs/kids out. I hardly think about it tbh.
The only type that might put me off is those glass fronted koi ponds because I personally think they are really ugly! So it depends on the pond…

Theraffarian · 05/02/2025 08:59

It wouldn’t put me off the perfect house , but I would definitely knock the amount it would cost to get rid of it off the offer . My view may be coloured by the fact our neighbour had a pond that he devoted a lot of time to over the years , but in the end had to get filled in as it was forever sludge green and a Mecca for toads . I’m very grateful the toad population has moved on , despite checking under every plant at the edge of the lawn as we cut the grass each time a few still came a cropper , which is horrendous for them .

Cattreesea · 05/02/2025 09:06

Only on Mumsnet...

The level of paranoia on this thread is truly bizarre.

I grew up in a house with a large fish pond in the garden and funnily enough no child or pet ever had any issues with it...

I created a small pond in my garden last year and I love it. I have pets and there have been no issues with them being in a garden with a pond.

But this is mumsnet where ponds, swimming pools, hot tubs are the devil's tools.

Caspianberg · 05/02/2025 09:11

I would like a small pond. It wouldn’t occur to me it’s a safety thing as I would just get a child safe grid to go over if small.

My sons nursery has a lovely pond. There’s 60+ toddlers running around. It has a safety grid so they can’t fall in but can still look for frogs and tadpoles. I love that they get use daily

misscockerspaniel · 05/02/2025 09:17

Anyone want to buy a pond, home to approx 150 goldfish (house included in sale)? Goldfish are a nightmare to move and I want to downsize 😮

May09Bump · 05/02/2025 09:22

No it didn't put us off - we have a pond, we are around water a lot in other activities - so aware of water safety from young and kids also watched in the garden. I'd fence it if you haven't already - that would help ease the people with fear of water / risk.

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