Buy part of neighbours garden

[drowningintinsel]

This might be a bit strange. My ndn live in a housing association house. They're elderly and tell me very often how hard it is for them to keep on top of their large garden now they're old. I wondered if anyone had approached the council to ask if they could buy part of a garden? I could take down my fence and have the top part (which is what I was thinking) anyone ever done this? I haven't approached the neighbours as I don't want to start something which might not even be possible. Thanks.

Following as I’m in the exact same boat! Except I want to buy the back bit to make off road parking behind my/her house. I’ve contacted the council last week but no reply as yet. Not a clue how/if they’ll be interested and found next to nothing online - I’m guessing it’s a pretty unusual request

DSis sold half her garden to a company expanding at the back of her house - the estate agents value it like any other land.

Its not complex - it depends if the home owner wants to sell. You should approach them first, you neighbours a tenants and don’t get a say either way.

@Scarletttulips they're not home owners. They're housing association

I am guessing there are strict rules about councils selling off publicly owned land.

I’d hope so

You can approach the housing association..they might need the cash, but as you say your neighbours are elderly and it's very likely the next tenant might welcome a big garden.

Its housing association.

unless you’re going to pay way over the odds for it
it probably won’t happen

@ScroogeMcDuckling oh really? Do they over price?

housing associations certainly don’t underprice

Very unlikely a HA will sell it incase they need to redevelop the area in the future.

Housing associations / charities and public sector bodies are all under various statutory requirements not to sell property for less than the "best consideration that can reasonably obtained". So it's not really about over or under pricing, it's whether the value that can be obtained meets that requirement.

As a PP said, the HA are under no obligation to sell and in fact their ownership may be subject to restrictions preventing them from doing so.

However, if they are prepared to consider it, you would be considered a "special purchaser" because that land is worth more to you than to any other third party. As a valuer I would be looking at the increase in value to your house as a measure of the value that can be attributed to the extra bit of garden, or the diminution in the value of the other house. Then it would be a matter of negotiation.