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 ?

The canal in our town has a lot of anti social behaviour at night. So that maybe something to consider as well

My house backs on to a canal side and I can honestly say that it's absolutely gorgeous. There's no issues with insurance as canals can't flood, mine is less than 15 metres from the canal, it doesn't smell at all, and no issues with midges etc. It's a lovely atmosphere as well in summer sitting in my garden listening to the water and watching the the geese, ducks & canal boats go by!

It would put me off because I think future buyers might be put off. Too many unknowns. I would worry about flooding, small children, midges. I hadn't thought about rats but that would be the nail in the coffin!

A few years ago I went to look at one very similar. There was no back garden so the back house wall was on the edge of the tow path. So far so good. Only every man/woman and their dog went walking past there and the path was covered in many heaps of dog poo in various states of decay - stunk too. Obviously cleaning up after pets wasn't required on that canal!

I grew up in a house next to a canal. It was fantastic. I am extremely good in a kayak which you would not expect if you saw me. When we moved into the house, the previous owners had left an old kayak (they were called canoes back then) and me and my siblings taught ourselves.

Our house was actually lower than the canal, but there were never any problems with 'leaks' - our garden wasn't any more wet than anyone's who didn't live by a canal. Possibly just more lovely and green!

You do get walkers along the towpath, but you get used to that, and it's not a constant stream by any means. We used to get really excited if we heard a canal boat engine and we'd rush up the garden, through the gate, and stand on the towpath waving as they went past.

Our fence wasn't a proper fence initially - just a load of bushes - so when we first lived there, people's dogs would occasionally wander into our garden, but that was sorted eventually with proper fencing.

I would absolutely love to live near a canal again. It keeps you so in tune with the seasons too - frozen in the winter, watching for frogspawn in early spring, ducklings later, etc etc. Just lovely.

We raised two boys on a property with a large and deep irrigation pond. You just start on day one with water danger/ water safety and 'no means no'. And obvs being vigilant and latches high up on doors if the DC are really too young to understand.

Never had a problem or a fright. Our DC even 'policed' their friends around the pond.

I'd love to live on a canal. Sipping wine, watching the water traffic. Heaven

Anti social behaviour and crime. London canals are often bad for drug dealing, street drinking, and assorted burglaries on boats. I can't speak for other areas

I’d be concerned about crime and lack of privacy.

If it’s at Hebden Bridge- no.
The canal at Heb is prone to horrendous, horrendous flooding.

Otherwise, as someone who used to live on a narrowboat and spent many years living actually on many canals, I can honestly say flies are less of an issue than you’d think.

If there is a garden mooring you could rent it out to a liveaboard boater- many do, very successfully- or buy a little boat yourself for pootling on. You can buy a little 30ft springer for much less than 20k and it’s a great way for older kids to learn water safety, boat skills etc

Fine if you don't mind ratties visiting you every winter and prancing around your garden.

Not quite the same but we have a river at the bottom of our garden (navigable backwater of the Thames).
No problems with flies, rats or smells
If the bottom of the garden is on the towpath side you may get quite a few passers by on foot, and will need to ensure your back fence is secure.
Since the bottom of the garden is fenced and gated you should be fine for your children and can secure it until your children are old enough to go out by themselves.
Personally I think the upsides (wildlife, access to the water erc.) massively outweigh any downsides.

The kids thing would bother me the most, great if you don't have them m, but I'd not buy a house that backed into a canal with small kids, unless it was really well fenced, but then you lose the potential view.

Don't most insurance companies ask how close to water you are? That said, I don't think canals flood that often due to the ability to release the water via the locks.

Midges and, potentially, rats.

@OhShitShit - genuine question, not nitpicking - is it not the river Calder that runs alongside the canal at Hebden that floods instead?

Depending on where it was I wouldn’t have a problem living by a canal - I’m not far from the Rochdale Canal which goes from Manchester all the way to Sowerby Bridge. It’s beautiful and peaceful in parts but can attract a lot of anti social behaviour in the evenings as you go further into Manchester. North of Rochdale it’s idyllic though.

I would love this , the view of water with risk of flooding unlikely. How many people walk by and would you feel you have no privacy? I love to walk along the canal and have a good old nose!

Does it have moorage rights? That makes it very desirable if so? Usually these properties are sought after

Canal side houses in the village I live in go for a premium compared with others on the same estate.. Mostly on the other side from the towpath but there's a row of about 5 on the (busy) towpath which are equally pricey.

My house has a canal out front. It's gorgeous, but you do have to take precautions for rats.

I would love a house that backed on to a canal! I walk along the local canal sometimes and always think how lucky the people are who live there. Some of them have a little patio area and chairs so they can sit and watch the world go by, others have canoes/ small boats, etc.

Backing straight onto a canal wouldn't bother me, but sounds like you'd be backing on to the towpath. Friend backs onto a tow path and has to litter pick the garden most days - beer cans, bags of dog poo, disposable BBQs etc.

You can check flooding risk here if it helps? Gives a rating for both sea level and surface flooding risk from very low to very high. I always check this as flooding is going to become more and more of an issue with climate change unfortunately.
flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/long-term-flood-risk/postcode

We used to live in a house that backed onto a canal. No problems at all with flies/wildlife. Check on the flood watch site but it shouldn't be a flood risk as canals don't flood.

It was nice to have the garden back onto that rather than another house - we regularly had swans go past and some boats.

I wouldnt mind at all

When is your viewing?

Any chance of a link?

Anyone know of a website to search by 'feature'. I'd love to live on a river/canal/rail line etc but I'm not sure where to start looking.

Ps not intending to poach, I'm looking forward a very small house!!

What’s not to like? People are weird.......