Unadopted road?

Metermaid

We're looking at a house in a village in North Somerset. It is situated on an unadopted road. It's not one of those dirt tracks in the middle of nowhere, it's a 70's bungalow in an established residential are. Please could anyone give me advice of the implications of the unadopted status and whether it is necessary/possible to take out some sort of insurance policy?

Thanks so much

R

thelawnet

are you personally responsible for maintaing the road - i.e. do you actually own it? It will be in the deed of sale.

Metermaid

thelawnet wrote: »

are you personally responsible for maintaing the road - i.e. do you actually own it? It will be in the deed of sale.

I've no idea - we just did a second viewing on it today and are thinking of putting in an offer. Could I get this info via the EA from the owner?

dzug

It's possible that there's some form of residents association responsible for maintaining the road. If so you would be expected to join and pay an annual fee towards a maintenance fund.

If not, when the road comes to need resurfacing it would be up to you to pay for it, maybe in agreement with the same neighbours. Difficult if one can't afford it/disagrees it needs doing.

Don't think you need any special insurance - your house policy should cover you for third party liability.

lic

You would not own the road.
Unadoprted simply means that the road is not repairable at public expense. in other words the Council will not resurface it, or put street furniture such as street lamps in.
my parents have lived on an unadopted road for over 45 years. They have never had any problems. The road has always been a country lane with a sandstone base, so there is plenty of grit on it. They, and their neighbours had some old tarmac covering put on it about 9 years ago now. They all chipped in and it cost them collectively about £200. They actually spoke to lorry driver, who was taking an old motorway road surface away; so instead of taking it to where he should he dumped it on thier road for them.
I wouldn't be put off by buying a property on an unadopted road, depending on the council, it might be grounds for a reduction in you Council Tax.

Metermaid

Thanks for the replies. I was wondering about any drain, leaking water pipe problems - presumably these would not be repaired by the council and that was why I was thinking about insurance policies. We were previously buying a house on another unadopted road (sale fell through) - apparently the residents there had some sort of policy which one of them sorted out - £10 per year I think.

silvercar

The neighbours can collectively raise the standards of the road to a level that the council will adopt.

Metermaid

silvercar wrote: »

The neighbours can collectively raise the standards of the road to a level that the council will adopt.

What would be necessary for that? As I say, it looks like a perfectly ordinary road!

silvercar

They have regulations like the width of the road, the state of the street lighting, drainage and the state of the pavements.

Metermaid

silvercar wrote: »

They have regulations like the width of the road, the state of the street lighting, drainage and the state of the pavements.

Ah, the EA did mention something about the width of the road that leads down to that one. I will make a call to the council I think. Thanks