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Original poster

House with seller retaining a ransom strip

39 replies

Iamsodonewith2020 · 09/05/2021 15:09

We have found our dream forever home. It really is a worst house on the best street with nearly an acre garden. BUT estate agent just told us the seller is keeping a ransom strip 1m wide around the whole of the property’s boundary. Estate agent won’t divulge why. I have noticed that the house next door is actually at the bottom of the garden (long driveway) and has just sold to a developer including it’s 2 acre paddock.I think our seller is keeping the strip to either A) prevent a developer buying his property for access or B) gain financially when neighbouring plot is developed as the current access is only a car width wide. Should we walk away?

OP posts:
WindowsSmindows · 09/05/2021 15:11

I would walk away
You will massively regret it

LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 09/05/2021 15:16

well for a start I'd expect a sizeable reduction in the price if he is hanging on to this strip in order to cash in further down the line.

and also do you really want to move there if they are going to be building christ knows how many houses in a presumably large plot and 2 acre paddock?

I'd be negotiating hard if I wasn't going to walk away.

museumum · 09/05/2021 15:18

So you’d have to cross his land to get on or off the property in any direction? No way! That’s crazy! Walk away now.

Marshmon · 09/05/2021 15:19

I’d run rather than walk away. Has he given a reason?

Aposterhasnoname · 09/05/2021 15:22

We need a diagram, but yeah, walk away.

titchy · 09/05/2021 15:24

Don't know why the estate agent won't divulge the reason - it's fairly obvious!

As others have said don't buy. You have no direct access to your own property - might make it difficult to get a mortgage.

There will be other ways of dealing with his desire to benefit from you selling the land for development which you could suggest after consulting with a specialist solicitor. But if he's not interested there's not much you can do.

TheWindOnTheMoon · 09/05/2021 15:27

We walked away from a house that had a 1m wide ransom strip that would have completely blocked access to the house & driveway. Solicitor didn't spot it in deeds - we did. Really close call.

starfishmummy · 09/05/2021 15:27

Run.....

Atalune · 09/05/2021 15:29

Seller will not be able to sell with such an extreme Condition

Walk away. It’s a nightmare.

UCOinanOCG · 09/05/2021 15:31

If he owns the whole border round your house how would you be able to get access? I would be saying you buy all the land or or buy nothing.

Iwant2move · 09/05/2021 15:31

I would walk away. He may be doing it to prevent you from selling on again at profit to the developer. My neighbour in my old house would do that. Is he granting an easement to allow you to cross over this “land moat” when you drive onto the drive?
It’ll make the property almost impossible to sell on in the future.

Original poster
Iamsodonewith2020 · 09/05/2021 15:34

Sorry should have said it’s the 3 sides around the garden as it’s an end plot, can access drive and front of house.

OP posts:
SprayedWithDettol · 09/05/2021 15:36

Don’t touch it.

SeaToSki · 09/05/2021 15:40

I might be happy with the 1 m strip at the end, as if you have no intention of selling to a developer, then its not much bother (but make sure he doesnt have right of access across your land to get to it) but I wouldnt be happy with the side strips as he could potentially put a drive/passageway down the side to access the property behind and that negatively changes the value of your plot

SpiderinaWingMirror · 09/05/2021 15:44

I echo others.
It's someone wanting to have their cake and eat it.
You either buy the land free and clear or you dont buy it.
He wants you to pony up full price but stay in the game for future development rights. Or stop you from doing it. Not fair.

MintMatchmaker · 09/05/2021 15:54

I doubt anyone would buy it with this condition in place.

Ideasplease322 · 09/05/2021 15:57

He wants to seek it in the future as access - he knows other plots will be developed. You will be surrounded by access lanes.

Don’t buy it. This will cause you endless annoyance.

Ideasplease322 · 09/05/2021 15:57

Sell not seek!

OneCalamerra · 09/05/2021 16:00

Ok so he would own a 1m strip down the sides and at the bottom of your garden.

That wouldn’t prevent your access at all, it just means that your garden is very slightly smaller all around.

He’s doing it so you can’t sell the land to the developer to join up with the land behind you, without involving him. So if the developer wants to buy your land he will also need to buy this ransom strip and the current owner will make some more money.

I don’t have an issue with that, and it wouldn’t put me off buying.

The points you need to check are

  • how will this 1m strip be maintained? Is it just going to be full of weeds?
  • Will he agree to maintain the boundaries (fences/hedges) that this 1m strip will require?
  • how does he access the strip? Can he get to it for maintenance without crossing your land?
  • will he agree limitations on how to use it? If it’s right around your garden you don’t want any use that is noisy/smelly etc (can’t offhand think what he could do in that size strip! But best to agree covenants you prevent that).
  • how much extra are you going to spend on legal fees to document all this?

Hope that helps. It doesn’t need to be a dealbreaker, but it does make the purchase more complicated and the price needs to reflect that.

Hawkins001 · 09/05/2021 16:05

what ever happens get it all in writing and all the best op

Londongent · 09/05/2021 16:34

Walk away

StressMagnet · 09/05/2021 16:46

I would walk away. I bought a house and own the 10m drive which our house is at the top of. There is one house that has right of way over my drive. Two garages ( but in theory they drive over a public footpath to access) and a old cottage that has to ask every ten years to access as they could access their plot from.the road.

The old cottage is being developed into multiple houses. I'm glad I own the drive as the developers want to buy it from me and lease it back out. Imagine if my neighbours owned it and agreed? I would have to pay a service charge to access my drive. Little things like this are a pain down the line

Original poster
Iamsodonewith2020 · 09/05/2021 19:54

Thank you all. It won’t effect the garden at all as the 1m strip on 3 sides is currently on the other side of the fence. I think we will have to pull out though as it was meant to be forever home and although houses at the bottom of the garden wouldn’t bother me as the garden is over 200m long but the idea of years of messy, noisy building work going on would ruin our enjoyment of the house and reduce desirability of the area. It currently is a small pretty exclusive village of only a hundred houses but potentially could quadruple in size if developers bought all the land surrounding the house next door.

OP posts:
Smokeahontas · 09/05/2021 23:22

Yeah, peace out of that.

Hazel444 · 10/05/2021 09:28

It's a real shame as it's your dream home, but this screams future trouble! How on earth does the seller think anyone would agree to this?