Buy my NDN's cupboard thread? Could be a diagram in it if people respond.....

[questionsandquestions]

Big old Victorian house divided into 3 smaller terraced houses. Older NDN selling. Have been desperate to put en suite to master bedroom in walk in cupboard, but cupboard not big enough/weird long thin shape. Cupboard was a box room, divided down the middle when old big house originally divided, 60 years ago. Even has a window divided in half. Wondering if we can ask old lady neighbor (not living there any more) if we could buy half of her half of the cupboard. Would this get us into flying overhangs and stuff like that? Anyone ever heard of anyone buying a bit of house? I've read reams and reams about buying a bit of someone's garden, how you can do it, how to price it, all sorts of helpful stuff but zero about buying a bit of a house like a cupboard. It's a long thin cupboard and we'd only need half of it, the half with the window in it. Would happily pay her (and solicitor/surveyor) decent price but DH thinks she (or her agent) would say no in case it impacted sale of her house. If this thread gets replies I could do a diagram and post it (you know how we all love a diagram, ok it's not a parking thread but a buy-my-neighbour's cupboard thread).

I'm not sure it would add to the value of the house. It might end up decreasing the value ..... it certainly would for me.

Sounds like a great idea!

Flying freeholds are incredibly common. You just have to make sure your ins co is aware and covers downstairs for any damage that may originate in your property. Just like any upstairs flat would be.

Not sure why you would be offering an indemnity - surely that's what your home insurance is for?

We recently bought an old house which was divided up in a strange way so we have a pantry on the ground floor but everything above the pantry is part of next doors house. We had to have an indemnity policy for a creeping freehold which our vendors paid (it was around £100) and it caused no issues whatsoever with mortgages etc.

I'd say go for it and make the offer to her - the worst she can say is no!

Oh I've never heard of a creeping freehold!

Thanks everyone. I think if it was a normal house it would sound more scary but it's already all over the place, I mean right now, part of the window is broken, no-one knows who repairs it, we all just muddle along with our bits of roof, shared front and back of chimneys, etc. foundations and cellars don't quite match up to the lines on the 60 year old plans....

I do really appreciate everything people have pointed out about what to look out for!

The bedroom itself isn't really big enough and taking part of it would wreck the proportions/light.