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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

WIBU to buy neighbouring flat and live in both?

103 replies

TinselTimes · 06/02/2019 15:21

We love our flat and the area, we don’t want to move but do need more space.

Our next door neighbours have told us they’re planning to sell later this year.

We could afford to buy their flat as well.

There’s no chance the freeholder would let us knock through walls, they would have to stay officially separate flats. But we could use the extra space for a home office, and a spare room, and a playroom, and just have more space generally.

Is this totally crazy? Pros and cons?

OP posts:
Original poster
TinselTimes · 06/02/2019 16:05

This is all really helpful, thanks!

Yes knocking through would be great if we can. Our freeholder is a bit unhelpful generally (tends to just say no to everything), and it’s a big block so we couldn’t buy the freehold.

But yes maybe the first step is to get plans drawn up and make it easy for the freeholder to see how it would work?

OP posts:
YouCanCallMeJodieWho · 06/02/2019 16:07

You would need planning permission to knock them through as well as permission from freeholder.

cestlavielife · 06/02/2019 16:10

Yes do it!
I did also london and the combined space was great...or would have been....sadly separated and due to ex s issues it just wasn't feasible to live next door . So sold. But if it had been different it would have been great ! Especially as dc got older.

blueskiesandforests · 06/02/2019 16:12

I would love that set up as long as you could make at least a doorway between the two. I'd make the second kitchen into a laundry room.

Quartz2208 · 06/02/2019 16:13

Yes you would need not only planning permission but permission from the the freeholder - you could be in serious trouble if you did anything to the flats without permission

You have also got to think about charges to the freeholder and how that would be effected as well as council tax charges

Also how it would work in terms of a mortgage on a second property

To be honest if I were you my first step would be some legal advice taking with you the leasehold/freehold agreement that you have (and covenants attached to it)- they are the only ones who could tell you whether it is feasible and properly approach the freeholder

Isleepinahedgefund · 06/02/2019 16:15

I fantasise about buying the flat next door and knocking through. It's become a running joke! Go for it Grin

PinkOboe · 06/02/2019 16:16

You’d need planning permission to combine into one and local authorities are dead against reducing the overall number of habitations in an area

Oceanbliss · 06/02/2019 16:17

I think it's a great idea. With all the threads I've read about cf neighbors, scary neighbors, loud neighbors etc. you'll be able to avoid all that. Especially important when there is a shared wall. It's the perfect solution to there being no guarantees that it will be a good new neighbor. Plus it would be handy and fun to have the extra space next door. If one unit is a bit messy and a friend or relative is coming over without much notice you can use the spare unit. You could occasionally rent it out on airbnb to people on holiday to make a bit of cash and cover extra costs of having extra flat.

mathsquestions · 06/02/2019 16:21

If it’s only an extension to your existing first property do you need to pay the extra SDLT? One to ask.

Aridane · 06/02/2019 16:21

Sounds awesome (if you can afford it)

MustShowDH · 06/02/2019 16:26

I keep telling my husband we'd get on great if we lived next door to each other rather than in the same house.

He could keep all his shit in 'his' house and I could decorate 'mine' how I liked.

No more arguments over housework, we would just each clean and tidy our own.

Ah, you've got me dreaming again now...…...

viccat · 06/02/2019 16:28

Could you rent out a room in the 2nd flat to make back some money? If it's central London then should be easy to find a student or young professional for it. Then you could use the rest of the space as the office/storage etc.

Although as others have pointed out, for bills and council tax reasons it sounds expensive and moving to a bigger flat would probably work best in the long run.

Quartz2208 · 06/02/2019 16:31

Pinkoboe is right OP if you are in central london the local authority would be loathed to allow it to be one whole property as well so not only legal advice regarding freehold/leasehold contract and then ask a planner regarding the permission

Doing it without either could have huge ramifications and you need to see if it is feasible. it sounds like a lovely idea in theory but the practical side ...

popcornwizard · 06/02/2019 16:36

Buy the flat so you have one each, get a lodger, have your home office & spare room, additional kitchen/bathroom at your disposal as well as basic bills paid - win!

Melroses · 06/02/2019 16:46

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/1787544-How-straightforward-is-it-to-buy-the-house-next-door-and-knock-through?pg=2

This is an old thread about a house, but some of it will apply, eg council tax.

The biggest issue would be the freeholder. They may only be interested as far as overseeing all works being carried out correctly and to a good standard. Are there charges? Unlikely to let you halve any payments due to them. You need to have someone look at your lease.

purpleleotard · 06/02/2019 16:46

Go for it, our friends have done this.

HundredMilesAnHour · 06/02/2019 16:47

I would definitely do it OP. I wanted to do it myself as my next door neighbour sadly died and I wondered if the flat would eventally go up for sale. But his family seemed to decide to rent it out instead.

Then I was working overseas for a while and when I came back, I saw that the flat had changed hands (a group of us bought the freehold so we have a list of all the owners) so they must have sold it privately (it was never advertised as I was keeping an eye out). I was a bit gutted I must admit. There are only 2 flats per floor so it would have worked really well and given me some extra space for guests (and clothes/shoes/bags!) Flats in my building very rarely come on the market. If people move, they tend to keep their flat and rent it out rather than selling it.

So go for it! I would!

Jaxhog · 06/02/2019 16:51

Sounds like a great idea! One flat for living in; one flat as a home office or music room or library or storeroom, with a guest spare room, and eventually a teenage pad.

You could keep them as two residences with a 'temporary' access between if possible. This could then be removed as and when you came to sell one or both of them.

Possible downsides:

  • 2 lots of council tax
  • Capital gains tax if you sell both (only one would be your principal residence)
  • stamp duty would be higher on the 2nd flat
BHStowel · 06/02/2019 16:58

Not all London Boroughs will give planning permission to people wanting to make two ( or more) properties into one. Although this is usually for large houses that have been turned into flats-the Council won’t let them revert to a single family occupancy. I think that’s the case in Camden anyway.

It’s because there isn’t enough housing stock in central London so making two flats into one would reduce it even more. I guess this is more likely to be in the case in Labour controlled areas. It depends where you are.

kenandbarbie · 06/02/2019 17:09

How long is your lease? If you didn't ask freeholder or apply for planning permission would anyone actually know if you knocked through?

Grace212 · 06/02/2019 17:31

@kenandbarbie

OMG why would you encourage anyone to go down that road?!

sleepwhenidie · 06/02/2019 17:33

BHStowell we are in Camden and it was no problem getting pp for 2 into 1 (approx 7 years ago so they may be even stricter now) but as I understood it, more than 2 into 1 is routinely refused.

BHStowel · 06/02/2019 17:43

sleep interesting. I know a couple who did two into one in Camden and that was maybe 11years ago. I just thought the planning rules had tightened up a bit since then. Maybe the rules are “Two into one bit no more”.

I wish we could do it Grin

I guess it doesn’t matter to the OP if she’s not in Camden anyhow.

Original poster
TinselTimes · 06/02/2019 17:45

We’re not in Camden :) but definitely a lot to think about here, thank you everybody.

DHs builder friend has said we may have difficulty knocking through anyway due to where he thinks the pipes for the other floors must be? I didn’t really follow the explanation, need to look at the plans.

Lots for us to look into!

OP posts:
sleepwhenidie · 06/02/2019 18:50

Jamie Oliver managed to get two entire houses knocked into one Grin - but I think it took him forever to get PP...still wonder how it finally got through!