Derelict Property

Lord_Baltimore

Would you buy a property next to one that was virtually derelict?

A terraced house is coming on to the market at a low price because the house next door has been vacant for a very long time and it is now showing the classic signs of physical neglect. The next door is boarded and it doesn't seem likely that it will get much attention in the foreseeable future. Its stone work is beginning to degrade.

Does anyone know where you stand if a property like this impacts on the physical structure of the property you own? Would buildings insurance cover it? Does the local Council have a responsibility in such circumstances?

All comments appreciated, thanks .

pmlindyloo

You can report derelict properties to the local councils.

https://www.rother.gov.uk/article/482/Empty-Residential-Properties

If you are thinking of buying a place next door then I would be knocking on neighbours doors and seeing what has been done so far. could be the council is not very proactive which might cause lots of problems.

davidmcn

Insurance isn't going to cover it. You can take legal action against the owners, but if they've disappeared or broke then it might not do you much good. The council have a statutory responsibility and can step in where the state of a property is causing a nuisance, but as you might expect they'll be reluctant to spend their money sorting out what is really a dispute between two private property owners.

moneyistooshorttomention

I can think of an attached derelict house right now and it's still being lived in.

So, as it's not necessarily the case that a derelict house will be abandoned, I am wondering whether the law/etc would allow for differentiation between derelict abandoned houses and derelict lived-in houses??

I do feel sorry for the attached neighbour of this house, as they keep their house in pretty reasonable order and are a nice person.

Lord_Baltimore

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I can think of an attached derelict house right now and it's still being lived in.

So, as it's not necessarily the case that a derelict house will be abandoned, I am wondering whether the law/etc would allow for differentiation between derelict abandoned houses and derelict lived-in houses??

I do feel sorry for the attached neighbour of this house, as they keep their house in pretty reasonable order and are a nice person.

This house is definitely empty and has been for some time. I'm concerned that some structural defect may occur and make the adjacent property effectively valueless.

moneyistooshorttomention

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

This house is definitely empty and has been for some time. I'm concerned that some structural defect may occur and make the adjacent property effectively valueless.

Understandable. The lived-in derelict house I know of has quite clearly got structural defects. I would say its quite probably got pretty severe subsidence.

Subsidence is probably your major worry here. Damp would be another possible one.

stef73

2 years ago my neighbour died this was october /november time and the house stood empty whilst probate went through. No heating was on over winter and the attached walls in our house were freezing.

DigForVictory

If I could afford it, I'd buy the derelict as well. That way I can choose one set of neighbours...

Mind_the_Gap

DigForVictory wrote: »

If I could afford it, I'd buy the derelict as well. That way I can choose one set of neighbours...

My thoughts exactly. Or buy the derelict one instead of the other one and spend the money saved on doing it up.

moneyistooshorttomention

Can you find out the reason why the derelict house seems to have been abandoned? That might yield some useful information.

Perhaps there are covenants on that derelict house that severely restrict who might be interested in buying it, eg because that site cannot ever be redeveloped into weeny size modern houses or something.

If there is something like that there, then maybe the derelict house could be bought for a song by someone brave enough to renovate it or who just intended to "knock it off" the side of the okay house (ie demolish it) and leave the site as nice big garden for themselves.

Of course that house may not yet have been Registered with the Land Registry over the years. But, if it has been (ie as we have no idea how long its been derelict for), then there may well be some useful information on its Register entry that would indicate any negative covenants like that.

It's a bit of a long shot...but you never know...

fishpond

Buy them both.