Would you buy listed, shared freehold flat to re-develop?

[Eatweeds]

Just had my offer accepted on flat with strange layout and lovely garden, and have plans to move the bathroom and open up lounge.

It is a shared freehold so how hard might this be? Planners don't foresee problems but could the management agent/other freeholders just say no? Do they need reasonable grounds to refuse and what problems might I face... no idea how difficult this might be! Don't want to buy if I can't improve the layout.... thanks

[minibmw2010]

I wouldn't expect the other freeholders to be allowed a say in the layout of your flat or development, but if its listed I would expect the local listed buildings/english heritage people to be interested and they possibly could object, make life difficult. I would check this out with them before going ahead as their word can be law really.

[iskra]

Hm, I think other freeholders can have a say. This is just heresay, but friends thought they were the sole freeholders & proceeded with a loft conversion without consulting with their downstairs neighbour, who turned out to be a shared freeholder. It ended up v acriminiously in court.

[lalalonglegs]

It depends how much structural work is needed (for which you would need party wall consent anyway) - your solicitor will be able to give you an idea of how far you could be prevented from doing the work in a shared freehold situation if it doesn't actually affect the integrity of their flats or facilities in any way. I too would have thought the conservation officer would be tricky.

[Eatweeds]

Many thanks - I can understand them objecting if I knock down a load-bearing wall but not sure about other objections - can't see how your friend's loft would affect the downstairs flat so I guess there are likely to be some things that I haven't thought about! (noise/mess maybe?)