Am I entiteled to compensation for a bypass being built close to my house?

mush1234

Hi All,

We have recently bought a house (2 years ago now, it was valued at £270k) and we always knew there was a possibility of a distributor road being built close to us.

Now it looks like it is going to be built (and I'm total fine with it being built). And it will be fairly close to my house and I will be able to see it from my window.

So anyway, as I said I'm not to bothered about it, I knew about it when I bought the house, and its probably a good thing for the area....But.....It will devalue my house.

So a couple of months back I received a letter from a solicitors firm claiming that I should be entitled to some kind of compensation, and we should call them and arrange something...No win No fee.

Does anyone have any thoughts, Ill admit Its not something I know about at all!

cheers

nearlyrich

If you are entitled to compensation you won't want to give it to the low life scumbags who send letters like this to people.

mark55man

i'm in similar position been living here for a decade some new scheme comes along and I get flooded with solictors trying to score some business.

As I understand it -
* you are entitled to some redress for the loss of value caused by the scheme
* you have a goodly period (3 years I think but not sure) to claim after the event

I would keep your powder dry - as well unless it makes the shelves rattle you could claim it increased desirablility for people wanting to commute

Carl31

If you have always known about it, assuming this means prior to, or at the time of purchase, how are you now at loss?

I imagine the solicitors have just fired off mailshots to everyone in the area to attempt to score some business

Graham_Devon

I doubt it, considering you knew about it when you moved in, therefore will have known it would have devalued the house.

I'm not sure the compensation culture is crazy enough to give people compensation for something they knew all along was going to happen.

daveyjp

Ignore Graham's rant.

Yes you can under the Compulsory Purchase Act. You will need specialist advice, but be wary of unsolicited letters from claims companies, no win no fee doesn't come into it. The surveyor costs are covered by the highway authority.

Find your own CPO surveyor who will advise. You may be eligible for compo from the road simply being there and also for the noise generated.

Some reading for you.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/147648.pdf

Graham_Devon

Rant?

Hardly. But I wouldn't be particularly impressed if someone could buy a house knowing there was a bypass being built, and knowing this would end in a reduced house value, and then claim taxpayers money in "compensation".

Pennywise

Surely if the bypass was known about, the loss in value because of it will have already been factored into the price paid. If anything, it should be the previous owner entitled to compensation as arguably they're the ones who suffered the loss.

cajef

Several years ago we were about to purchase a property with a wide strip of land running behind, in the search our solicitor threw up that it was intended to build a bypass there at some time, though it had been in the planning for over twenty years and never actually been started.

We decided to pull out and pleased we did, three years later the road was constructed and people were complaining about traffic noise.

mush1234

hold on....some of you are jumping to pretty massive conclusions regarding my character (thanks for that)

I was aware if it, I am aware of it, as for it having an effect on my house value when I bought the house...Its possible, but its also unlikely. When I bought my house it was not a foregone thing, its was still in the early stages. And living close to a city there is always talk of development - some of which never happens, and some of which do....its no big deal!.

As for me wanting compensation. Truth be told I'm not particularly bothered if I get it or not, and ifs it a lot of effort I probably wont even bother. But....If there is a pot of cash earmarked (which is what the letter I received says there is) then by my logic (as it will effect the value of my house afterall) then Im entitled to a portion of it. I'm not looking to start chasing people/government waving my arms around treating people with lawsuits etc.... and Im certainly not complaining about it at all.

I'm just looking for information at this point, thanks to everyone who offered constructive help.

Amba_Gambla

You should be paying them, for increasing the value of your house by improving infrastructure and transport links.