Help - Right of way question

BHB

Hope I'm in the right place ....


We live in a mid terraced house (of 3) and have a pedestrian right of way over our neighbours property - literally round the side and rear of the house - ie no space between the path and the house.


Next doors house is up for sale and the potential buyers want to move the right of way to the far end of the garden.


This would make the distance we walk from the road to the back door change from 15m to around 150m.


I have no real objections assuming they put a new path / gate in .


My question is - how will this effect the value of our house - It will obviously boost the value of theirs as we will not walk past the back door or conservatory and will probably not be able to see us at all from any window. The proposed new route is at the edge of their property. I reckon it will put at least £20K on the value of next door.


Should we be 'selling' our change ie should we be compensated if so how much should we be asking for the change?


It effects us considerably as we use the route numerous times a day and also we have 3 tonnes of fuel delivered each year. There is no way we can bring all that round the new route so would have to buy smaller amounts and store it in the front yard. This will obviously cost a lot more money.


To give you an idea of the house prices ours about £145K theirs about £190K.


Any comments / ideas ? Thanks in advance

stator

No idea how much it would affect the value of your house but given the inconvenience to you I would just flat refuse to allow it. Don't feel pressured into being a nice guy. If you do want to allow it then you can ask for any sum you want.

DTDfanBoy

Well it's your ROW so you can decide how much compensation is sufficient to allow it to be moved. Would you be happy with £20,000

BHB

stator wrote: »

No idea how much it would affect the value of your house but given the inconvenience to you I would just flat refuse to allow it. Don't feel pressured into being a nice guy. If you do want to allow it then you can ask for any sum you want.

Thanks Stator.


That's the trouble - am feeling a bit pressured. The trouble is that the people that want to buy seem really nice and 'our' type of people.


I know they could sell after a year though and we could still get 'not quite so nice' neighbours.


I guess the other consideration is that they may wish to build an extension - this would have to effect the right of way route too.

Davesnave

BHB wrote: »

Next doors house is up for sale and the potential buyers want to move the right of way to the far end of the garden.

This would make the distance we walk from the road to the back door change from 15m to around 150m.

I have no real objections assuming they put a new path / gate in .

You might have no objection now, but what if you became infirm, and are you sure that having to buy small amounts of fuel wouldn't be an imposition?

There is no meaningful figure that anyone here can suggest to you as compensation, because all these things, including your 're-valuation' of your neighbour's house are mere supposition.

If it were me, I'd be keen to avoid walking directly past my neighbour's window or conservatory, as one never knows who might be the neighbour in a year or two's time, what kind of dog they might have etc. However, walking an extra 135m several times a day just to please someone else would be asking too much.

I'd be looking for a middle way, and if there isn't one, say at 10m from the house, I'd tell the neighbour that the right of way is staying where it was when they purchased.

BHB

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

Well it's your ROW so you can decide how much compensation is sufficient to allow it to be moved. Would you be happy with £20,000

Chokes on coffee - they can have my soul for £20K

moneyistooshorttomention

Me, I'm green with envy at such a long garden.

That has got me wondering whether its 150 metres or actually 150 feet, as I'm not aware of any cheaper-end houses that would have gardens over 450 feet long???

I'm assuming that its a typing error and its actually 150'??

Re the fuel...then I'm guessing that aspect (fuel of a type that gets carried around) is something that wouldn't apply to many future buyers of your house?? (ie because they would swop to a fuel that didn't need carrying around - such as gas?). Is your house in a location that they could decide to swop from wood?/coal? to gas ?

Also, when you say you are the middle one of 3 houses - then what is the case with the other house? Does that 3rd house have access currently over your garden? If that aspect is in there too, then doing this might help in giving you leverage to ensure House 3 doesn't have any ROW impinging on your garden (ie because it got shifted to the end).

silvercar

BHB wrote: »

Chokes on coffee - they can have my soul for £20K

I agree. Can't see neighbours agreeing to anything like that amount.

BHB

Davesnave wrote: »

You might have no objection now, but what if you became infirm, and are you sure that having to buy small amounts of fuel wouldn't be an imposition?

There is no meaningful figure that anyone here can suggest to you as compensation, because all these things, including your 're-valuation' of your neighbour's house are mere supposition.

If it were me, I'd be keen to avoid walking directly past my neighbour's window or conservatory, as one never knows who might be the neighbour in a year or two's time, what kind of dog they might have etc. However, walking an extra 135m several times a day just to please someone else would be asking too much.

I'd be looking for a middle way, and if there isn't one, say at 10m from the house, I'd tell the neighbour that the right of way is staying where it was when they purchased.

True - its just a guestimate, but the estate agent said that it would be pretty much unsaleable with the route in its current position. Moving it to the end of the 1/8 acre garden and out of site must make a huge change to the value.


Dog? :eek: Hadn't thought of that..


Our preference would actually be somewhere down the middle of the garden, I guess.


hmmm what to do?


They are paying for an independent solicitor for my side of the deal and having a meeting at the end of the week. Need to know what I should be asking for, I suppose.


Thanks for your comments so far.


BHB

stator

They probably only want to get rid of the ROW so they can build a huge extension. You could always propose they move the right of way so that it goes through their house, build a new alley between it and the house next door closer to you. That way you wouldn't have to go through their garden.

BHB

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Me, I'm green with envy at such a long garden.

That has got me wondering whether its 150 metres or actually 150 feet, as I'm not aware of any cheaper-end houses that would have gardens over 450 feet long???

I'm assuming that its a typing error and its actually 150'??

Re the fuel...then I'm guessing that aspect (fuel of a type that gets carried around) is something that wouldn't apply to many future buyers of your house?? (ie because they would swop to a fuel that didn't need carrying around - such as gas?). Is your house in a location that they could decide to swop from wood?/coal? to gas ?

Also, when you say you are the middle one of 3 houses - then what is the case with the other house? Does that 3rd house have access currently over your garden? If that aspect is in there too, then doing this might help in giving you leverage to ensure House 3 doesn't have any ROW impinging on your garden (ie because it got shifted to the end).

Nope its metres round. We have huge gardens (rather odd setup)


Re Gas - no mains, so if converted to bottle or tank (or oil) then you would have the consideration of how far the tanker could fill up from. I guess that's is something else to think abaout.


Third house is end terrace as well with enormous garden and direct accees.


Cheers
BHB