To buy a terraced where house next door is rundown

[drummergirl34]

I've seen a really lovely house, but the house next door is empty, has been sold in auction, looks really run down (wooden boards in windows some tiles missing on kitchen roof etc) and hasn't been renovated for at 6 months. The street looks really nice though and I'm tempted by the house, there's hardly any (reported) crime on the street too. The owner tells me the people who bought the house plan to renovate and move in, but how long it's been since auction end I wouldn't be too sure about that.

The house has been on for a little over a year which is a bit of a red flag to me.

What would you do?

I lived next to a house that was completely burnt out. In a terrace. Before it got renovated it made my house much colder and actually felt a little unsafe at times.

During renovation it was bloody noisy.

Afterwards - fine.

I was renting. I'm not sure I'd have bought.

They might be waiting on planning permission coming through , this can take a bit of time , first of all deciding a lay out then architects , engineers drawings , council advice , etc etc possibly resubmitting plans .... all adds time ... or perhaps they could buy it but waiting to sell something to have funds available for the work .... look on your local planning portal and see if they have submitted and plans at least you will start to get an idea

Can't you buy the run down house? Don't they say that you should buy the worst house in the best street?

Anna - haha my first thought too when I saw the auctioneers sign outside the house - sadly it's already sold. It is an idea though that I could perhaps contact the buyers to see if they still want it!

Question is; can you put up with building works for a while? If you can, then go for it. A nicely renovated house next door can't hurt your resale value.

Buy both and knock through?!

I would be less worried as it has sold and presumably the new owner will renovate it. I would look to see if it is awaiting pp. I have a rental house next door to an uncared for one in a small close. All the other houses are cared for. I think it might devalue mine. They would not even put up a new fence when it blew over because it was rotten. I paid for a new fence on my land because my tenants wanted some privacy and then the neighbour's complained about it. We all ignore them but it drags the look of the close down.

You know what, I'd be very wary about it. Probably more so as it's a terrace. Dissipation of the building - leaking gutters, underground pipes and the like - could seriously affect your property, and things like vermin would cause a huge problem. Or even squatters!? I gather it's extremely difficult going through the council and all the proper channels to get absent owners to address such things. I'm sure there was a series on TV about it a few years back.

I don't know, is really tough. What state is the house in now? Is it okay or is it already looking problematic? I wonder if a surveyor would give you their opinion on the risks associated with it potentially going a few years mire without renovation... Only in very general terms of course, just on first glance as it's not like they'd surveying next door!

The more I think about it the more I think I wouldn't do it unless I was fairly sure it would be renovated imminently.

*dilapidation not dissipation

House next door but one to me has been empty for over 10 years. Missing roof tiles so internal ceilings beginning to fall in. Foxes got in as back door unsecured and died under floorboards. Mid terrace so no one can access it though from the front. Supposedly the council are seizing it and selling it but it's taking a long time. However in some ways it's no nuisance to me but I dread the time it does go to auction as it hasn't been touched for decades so there will be months of building work disruption. Quite hoping I might see it on homes under the hammer though!

I would hesitate to be honest. I have an elderly recluse living in the attached semi to me - we have had problems with leaky roofs (which we had to fix when the dampness came into our spare bedroom as he won't / can't afford to), tiles falling off, fences which are falling down and which we will soon have to replace even though it's "his" boundary and all sorts of issues with mice / foxes etc from his very overgrown and rubbish strewn garden. Luckily (for us) he's old and not at all well, so I can't see he'll be able to stay living alone much longer - but who knows what will happen then as to my knowledge he has no relatives! Luckily we have no plans too sell, but I am sure that his house would devalue ours.
In short, you could find yourself paying to maintain someone else's house and unable to sell yours if you want to.

.... though, on the plus side, he's very quiet and never uses his garden!