Access rights?

[heliumballoonsupinair]

Would you buy a terraced property that had a shared path on one side of the garden (part of the garden) and along the bottom of the garden so neighbours can walk though from left to right? What are the likely issues?

Anyone?

What’s the access for?

Is it used often?

We’re buying a house that has access over next door, to get to a communal path. So say we’re buying house 1, we can walk over house 2s garden to get to a path between 2 & 3. It’s mostly used for taking the bins out, and bringing larger things like bikes/furniture etc into the house or garden. Apparently the current owners use it a lot and get along well with the people in 2, who have the house as a second home, but I’ll find it odd!

I wouldn't. People can get in your garden. If you have children then they can get out. You wouldn't be allowed to lock it. You'd have no privacy. Its not your garden with a footpath going through it.

How would you ensure privacy and safety in your garden. Could you fence it off? If all else was absolutely perfect then I'd consider it, bit not otherwise.
I share an unadopted road with 3 neighbors and while everyone is mostly considerate, it still gets blocked up with other people's guests/tradesmen.
I'd be worried about neighbors hauling bins across your garden whole you're trying to use it. Or keeping the dog/children safe. Or whether people would leave gates open.

Personally, I wouldn't buy one. I wouldn't trust other people to keep my garden secure and I wouldn't want anyone else walking through my property. Having said that, I have lived in one as a rental and nobody ever cut through, probably because it was one of the middle two in the row.

We have children, and a dog so I'm not sure how that would work. I don't think I would feel any of them were safe with other people having access.

It would be a no from me!
From a DC safety point of view.
Also I'd hate people to be walking past if I'm chilling etc

No.

Yes with three provisos.

The house is ideal in all other respects

The path can be fenced and a private garden created behind it.

I could install this type of gate at the path’s entrance & exit to stop gates being left open.

tate-fencing.co.uk/product/kissing-gate-kit/

With a dog, no I wouldn't. You could never be sure people had shut the gate and I wouldn't want people coming through when the dog was out.

@negomi90

I wouldn't. People can get in your garden. If you have children then they can get out. You wouldn't be allowed to lock it. You'd have no privacy. Its not your garden with a footpath going through it.

It gives you right of access over their land, not them into yours in this example.

Can you do a diagram showing where the access is, who has it, and what it allows?

It gives you right of access over their land, not them into yours in this example

The OP says it is for neighbours' access over the garden of the property she's talking about.

Generally, with terraces like this, people will use their front doors, as going through the back is a pain opening and closing gates and the back is usually accessed for bins and bringing things through to the back.
However it will make a difference where you are in the row and what type of neighbours they will be, i.e. Billy next door wants to wheel his motorbike through everyday and prop the gates open.
You will also have to be braced for people coming through when you are in the garden or going past your window, that can feel a bit intrusive.
If the path is at the side and bottom, I would fence this off so you can secure your garden and make it more private.
Although gardens like this sound bad, you find generally people rub along with it because they are all in the same boat.