new house purchase, cellar conundrum

kerbuz

hello all,

I am in the early stages of buying a Victorian property, however the original house has been split into 2. The front half is the residential dwelling (the house I'm buying). The other half is a centre for teenagers with learning difficulties.

From the house there steps leading down to a cellar which has been blocked off, as I'm told the neighbours have access to the cellar but it isn't used. My concern is that whether the cellar is under the house, the current occupier doesn't know, the surveyor said there needs to be more investigation.

Has anyone any advice or experienced this situation before?

Comms69

Well it's not going to be under the house down the road...




I agree with your surveyor, surely though you can just pop round and ask the centre?

davidmcn

kerbuz wrote: »

Has anyone any advice or experienced this situation before?

I doubt it, as it sounds quite peculiar to your property. Sounds like you'll need to get your vendor and/or the neighbours to provide access so you/your surveyor can check the extent of the cellar.

Rambosmum

Some celleras only go under part of a house.

For example, our cellar is under the front and back (dining) room of our house, but not the kitchen.

In one house we viewed the cellar was only in half the front room and nothing else and in another was the whole back room but not the front or kitchen, in a couple it was under the whole house.

You need to ask the adjoining property. Pop round and ask to speak to the centre manager and arrange a time for your surveyor or you to go round and look. Should be fairly straight forward to organise.

AdrianC

kerbuz wrote: »

I am in the early stages of buying a Victorian property, however the original house has been split into 2. The front half is the residential dwelling (the house I'm buying). The other half is a centre for teenagers with learning difficulties.

From the house there steps leading down to a cellar which has been blocked off, as I'm told the neighbours have access to the cellar but it isn't used. My concern is that whether the cellar is under the house, the current occupier doesn't know, the surveyor said there needs to be more investigation.

It's odds-on that the cellar is pretty much the full footprint of the original ground floor, and when the house was split into two, the occupier of the other half took ownership of the full cellar.

Does it make much of a difference either way? I'm guessing you're looking at basically a flying freehold, unless "your" half of the property is leasehold?

kerbuz

Thank you all for the quick responses and valuable input

My solicitor had said there's nothing in the title plan and wasn't helpful to be honest. I'm still awaiting feedback from the neighbours for the full foot print of the cellar but the property is listed as freehold and not flying freehold.

lincroft1710

kerbuz wrote: »

hello all,

I am in the early stages of buying a Victorian property, however the original house has been split into 2. The front half is the residential dwelling (the house I'm buying). The other half is a centre for teenagers with learning difficulties.

From the house there steps leading down to a cellar which has been blocked off, as I'm told the neighbours have access to the cellar but it isn't used. My concern is that whether the cellar is under the house, the current occupier doesn't know, the surveyor said there needs to be more investigation.

Has anyone any advice or experienced this situation before?

Look for somewhere else.

kerbuz

Quick update, managed to see access to next doors cellar which confirmed they don't have access to the property. thank you all for your advice.