WWYD - buying this house With specific issue - RM link attached

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Hi everyone, we’re thinking of buying this house - we would do pretty significant work to it, eventually changing every room, and would do a dormer extension immediately to the loft room. We have the funds for this.

My hesitations are that the garage was previously sold to builders, as was some land (decent sized garden plot) that you can access through the garage (the garage was knocked down but black door remains), and the land is to the back/side of the house. The builders have been declined planning for houses on the land a couple of times. Our hope would be to buy it off them but don’t know if they would sell. My understanding is that the land is pretty useless to them but I don’t know for sure. I’m wary of buying this house due to this issue. Would appreciate any thoughts & advice you have!

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-80536723.html

Garage is much smaller than neighboring houses and there would be no space to dig and lay foundations, unless it will be knocked down to provide access to a larger plot at the back (I assume there is much bigger space behind?). In any case I would highly doubt that builders/developers can squeeze in another house as it is already densely populated area.

If you approach them and offer to buy this land, check the land registry to see how much they have paid for it and maybe offer slightly under (they might be willing to sell as they are already losing money on it - tax, planning permission application fees, surveyors, etc.). If successful, there is no need to tell house seller you got it and offer less for the house itself, however timing is important, otherwise, if one offer falls through, you are ether stuck with the house and potential project next door, or a plot of land without development potential and no house.

Very risky.

No, wouldn't buy it with the current problems with the land. What makes you think the land is purchaseable by you? Builders will be hanging on to parcels of land because they are going to be a better investment than money in the bank (with the current threat of negative interest rates), and Boris's plan to get Britain building means the house may eventually be overlooked and hemmed in.
Also I would call that a yard and not a garden. It's really too small for a family to enjoy unless they just want to sit outside and nothing else.
Who owns the black garage? It's an eyesore.

Definitely do not buy it. This will cause you stress down the line.

No I wouldn’t

I suspect because the plot is quite a bit smaller than where the other houses have been built. And any houses Built would directly overlook a (very famous/a list) actors mums house who on the regular have famous visitors over. So probably a lot of pressure has been put on them to decline consent due to privacy.

I know of whom you speak, being from that part of town myself.

And any houses Built would directly overlook a (very famous/a list) actors mums house who on the regular have famous visitors over. So probably a lot of pressure has been put on them to decline consent due to privacy.

Is it worth approaching them to see if you can together put an offer which is hard to refuse.

Saying that, we wouldn’t want to buy it if we couldn’t either get the land, or solid confirmation from planning that they would not allow buildings on it.

How much do you think you might get the land for?

I wouldn’t go ahead on the basis of confirmation of anything from planning - it can change and could cause no end of issues. If you can buy the land then there’s no problem. Did the current owners sell the garage??

Speak to your solicitor to see if you can make the purchases conditional on each other - if the builders will sell. I would be straightforward with the vendors about what you’re doing.

Definitely offer under asking price anyway, because any purchaser is going to have this issue and the fact that the garage doesn’t belong to the house is a pretty serious issue.

Hell would freeze over before I bought the house without the land

No. I'd maybe consider it if it was an amazing property or forever home but it's a bog standard house. There must be plenty of similar properties available without the added hassel.

@LaughingDonkey I agree, I can’t see how the equipment would physically fit through that gap - it’s too small. I also agree that it’s risky, so trying to get all the info we can - thanks for your advice 😊

I read on one of the planning apps that the land has a restriction (covenant?) that the land is not to have buildings built on it. The website has gone down so haven’t got the exact words. I’m trying to source proof of this from planning.

We’re only trying to bottom this out as for various reasons we can make this house what we want at a price we can afford; but we draw a line at buying it without resolving the land issue. We’ve already had 2 ‘better’ options fall through through no fault of our own. Must have seen about 20 properties in the last 6 weeks.

No.

There is no way you can make the purchase of the house conditional on buying the land back as they are owned by two separate people. Although you seem to be intent on going ahead anyway!

Even if they say that they won’t be allowed to build on it doesn’t mean that won’t change. It’s happened before. Don’t buy it.

No - I woudl never ever buy something on a what may happen ... my DF is a solicitor and always said do not buy anything with any form of access issues of any type in any way - and if you are going to remake the house not sure why you ar ebuying it..
the council cannot give you guarentees about years in the future -
i would have thought that they money you would spend remaking the house you could buy a different house..
reading will be an area to increase density so i would be wary -

I can’t see how the equipment would physically fit through that gap - it’s too small

Have you never watched Grand Designs?

definitely not without buying the other land-planning laws are being relaxed they cant guarantee you anything

next door to my friends was turned down three times then got planning on the fourth applicaiotn been a nightmare for her they took no nitce of neighbour complaints or appeals

I wouldn't. There is also the area directly behind your yard - what would happen if the builders managed to buy that? It would double their plot size and perhaps make planning more likely (covenants permitting)

I hope it is priced as a three bedroom rather than four bedroom as they obviously don't have building regs for the fourth bedroom.

@Happydaysforever123

I hope it is priced as a three bedroom rather than four bedroom as they obviously don't have building regs for the fourth bedroom.

You beat me to it!

I think it's a lovely house.

To be honest they will probably eventually get planning permission for something. Can you live with it been built? A new house or two or a bungalow would probably be less disruptive than major renovations to a neighbouring house.

I wouldn't go ahead unless I was 100% happy with the house as it is, if I never got the land.
So, either buy the two together, sale of one dependant on sale of the other.
Or, buy the house as is, accepting that you may not get the land and the land may be built on. 9which it doesn't sound as if you want to do)

Do not go ahead with the house alone if the land matters, you cannot assume you will get it.

This is a real Catch-22 though - if you buy the land from the builder first what happens if the house purchase falls through? Conversely if you complete on the house but then the builder backs out of the sale of the land you're screwed.

You can't get a guarantee like that from the Council planners. Planning laws change frequently and even if development is refused by the Council the developers can appeal above the Council and sometimes the Council have neither the money nor the resources to continue to fight it.

If the house price reflected the uncertainty over future development, I would do some detective work. Go online, look at the publicaccess planning portal and read carefully why planning was refused. I suspect it was 'highways' and insufficient 'vision splay'. Then look at the planning application for the similar development in the road and try to understand the difference between why one has passed but the other refused. I doubt the council will tell you free of charge, as they are usually too busy, generally they want you to pay for their advice. Once you understand why planning was refused you can make a more informed decision. I hope it works out for you.

There's no way a planning officer can say permission will never be granted, plus covenants can be overturned. You either need to purchase the land beforehand or simultaneously (with the risk of losing money on costs incurred if either fall through) or be prepared to take the risk that something might one day be built, with could be quite large and of course the building process quite noisy.

Also if it was 'highways' and insufficient 'vision splay' this is a safety issue, so not easily mitigated/overturned by planning amendments, or future planning policies. Probably only by means of accessing the plot via a different route.

I would not buy with that level of uncertainty unless it was HUGELY
discounted.

There's no way a planning officer can say permission will never be granted, plus covenants can be overturned

I think the actual width of the plot fronting the road is too narrow to actually build on but around the back there could be more room in which case this house would lose any privacy in the back garden.

Unless you can buy both at the same time I would either walk away or get a big discount to take account of anything that could be built which would impact your enjoyment of the home.