How much is this land worth to my neighbour?

[OriginalLilibet]

I live in a detached property and my neighbour on one side is a Regency terrace with 3 houses.

The boundary is unusual in that my property extends to the wall of the terrace and therefore the end property can only get from front to rear through the house, or by going around the other 2 houses.

Currently a triangle of my land is fenced in my neighbour's favour to create a passage to allow them to take their bins out etc. This arrangement has been in place since the 1960s and my ownership is protected by signed statements, renewed every 5 years in which my neighbour relinquishes any claim to the land. The neighbour has committed in writing that the boundary will be reinstated before the property is sold.

The neighbour will be selling in the next few years and is interested to buy the land (approx 15m2) to increase his house value and make it more saleable. I have a half acre garden and the land is of no particular use to me (my garden is on the other side of my house - the area on the screenshot is my driveway), but I would like to charge 50% of the uplift in value plus costs. The neighbour's house is 6 bedroom, 3 receptions and is valued at around £800,000.

I have attached a diagram.

How much do you think that the land would increase the neighbour's house price?

You need to contact a RICS Chartered Surveyor.

Agree. Get a surveyor to value, but it's tricky. Makes no difference to your house, but how much value does it add to the neighbours? 5k? 10k? I doubt more than that.

Neighbour should pay all legal fees, if you have a mortgage it'll be a bit more hassle because they need to agree.

Sounds like you are a nice neighbour. I had a lovely neighbour who sold me some garden so our family could enjoy it. He was lovely, didn't need to, didn't really need the money. He was nice. A RICS surveyor valued the garden at £15k so that was what we paid.

It’s impossible to know how much that would actually add at the time of selling. Would it really affect the sale price or would it just be something that puts off potential buyers? Ask a surveyor or you could ask for a number you would he happy with. Your neighbour can then agree or refuse.

@User135792468

It’s impossible to know how much that would actually add at the time of selling. Would it really affect the sale price or would it just be something that puts off potential buyers? Ask a surveyor or you could ask for a number you would he happy with. Your neighbour can then agree or refuse.

The neighbours always use the back door to exit and walk down my land to leave the house. It’s a typical house of the period where the front door is formal and for visitors. The alternative route out the back on the ROW crosses 2 neighbours gardens and is inconvenient and somewhat uncomfortable, particularly on foot.

For a house of this size and value, (small town in the Midlands), buyers will view the default arrangement very negatively. Another factor is that the original boundary passes around 30cm from their kitchen window and any standard fence would eliminate almost all light from the room.

It’s not the whole differential of end-of-terrace versus mid-terrace, but it is a reasonable portion of it.

....and I agree with you all that I should engage a surveyor, but if everyone were as sensible as this, there would be no posts on Mumsnet!