House backing on to a canal, avoid or not?

[OneofPansPeople]

Seen a house for sale, ticks most boxes but you can get to the canal from the garden, through a gate.
Would this be a no go for you ?

What worries you about it?

Not unless the canal has crocodiles in it 🐊

It would only put me off if I had small children. We walk past houses next to canals and I would love to live in one.

The worst thing about living near a canal is flies, when people fishing in it leave maggots lying around. I lived next to one for a couple of years. It didn’t flood either but sometimes they do, so I probably wouldn’t risk it again.

Would rats be an issue?

I don't know about flies and maggots but it sounds lovely to look out onto a canal!

@OhYouBadBadKitten

What worries you about it?

Potential smell? Midges? Resale of property (as it might put off people with small children who would be worried about the risk of drowning?)

Sounds lovely. Might be insurance issues living next to a water course and flooding though? You could check with your current building supplier?

Rats

Only if I had a pre teen child due to water risk.

I would ensure there isn't mooring/rights at the bottom of the garden and check the flood risk.

No other major issues can see - I can't imagine too many burglars travel by canal boat!

Obviously we'll look into the flooding but I'm concerned about other things including issues I may not have thought of.

I would love a house backing onto a canal, would you be able to get mooring rights?

No. .I would love to live near a canal

Ok, so a 4 bed family home is not going to sell easily unless kids are considerably older then?

Don't know about mooring rights at this point.

Canals don’t smell. You could always remove the gate if it worries you. I’d love it.

I don't want to remove the gate?

I'd love to back on to a canal. I don't think canals flood do they - aren't they controlled by locks?

Canals are clay lined to prevent leaks. There may be gradual seepage of water that undermines your foundations and causes subsidence. Get a full survey before you purchase. Ask lots of questions about who owns the mooring rights to the canal - you could potentially end up with a neighbour moored at the end of the garden who you don’t like or holiday makers having a party every night during the summer months. We have a canal at the end of our road with lots of holiday canal boaters and it can get loud in summer. There have also been issues with people in old boats discharging sewage into the canal.
Really you should think of a canal as a slow road - would you want this at the end of the garden?
Hope I don’t sound to negative as the canal can be lovely for a walk in the summer - just trying to show potential issues.

Found this thread that might be useful

house next to a canal...good or bad? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/property/2086438-house-next-to-a-canal-good-or-bad

Whats to stop you or future owner putting up a 6 foot fence if you wanted to?

My friend has this, long garden though, beautiful open metal fencing with a gate and the fencing has I want to say chicken wire but it is black like the metal so you cannot really see it and it prevents their children climbing through, not that they have ever tried.

You just teach your children about water safety the same way you teach children about stairs or when you go to the park to feed the ducks how not to fall in the water or how to stop at the pavement edge and not go into the road. My friend has a fenced off area near the house within the garden where the children played when they were toddlers.

I agree with everything Vest says, treat it like a slow road, you will have people passing at the end of the garden for the canal path, walkers, dog walkers etc (on the opposite side for my friend) and slow boats. There are no mooring points near to my friend but basically a lack of privacy so if that will be an issue for you then obviously it isn't the house for you. My friend has never said anything about flies but then the canal path opposite is relatively narrow so no one is fishing at that point.

If there are mooring points then people do run their generators at times so it can be noisy. You should walk the canal path yourself to see what you can see from that toward the house. There are lots of videos on YouTube by people who live on narrow boats. Pop the name of the canal into YouTube and narrow boats and you might get a different perspective. I watch Foxes Afloat, they travel all over.

vestastilly useful info that I hadn't considered
bitheby ta muchly
yesisbui didn't think of that

Just think, you'll get water birds flying past, boats going by, and access to walks on the tow path. It sounds wonderful!

Canals don't usually have sewage and are less likely to flood than rivers.

Well dh has booked a viewing.
Thanks for all your pointers you lovely lot!