Shared access - odd question.

ReadingTim

It's niggling you because you're relying on the goodwill of people who are currently strangers - you don't know if you can trust them.

By holding the keys to the gate, they also have some small degree of power over you to make your life easier of more difficult as they see fit. You will also have to try and keep in their good books, even if you don't particularly care for them, for these reasons. This inequality of power could cause an element of discomfort.

Finally, notwithstanding the points above, whilst the current arrangement may be hunky dory, you have no way of knowing what happens if they move, and if the next people will be as agreeable.

Carrot007

Don't buy it. You will just end up with issues with this sort of attitude.

rosyw

I'd certainly want the position clarified by my solicitor, I wouldn't be happy with this arrangement at all! I share a driveway, it clearly states in the deeds that I have the right to pass and re-pass,on foot or with vehicles at "any and all times", and that blocking the access isn't permitted, by someone parking there for instance. The chap at the top end wanted to put up gates, which he wished to lock at night - he got a very firm NO! from myself and the other neighbour that shares the drive as this constitutes blocking the access. Years ago I lived in a terrace which shared an access path at the back with 4 others, we did put up a gate, but all of us had keys. At the very least I would want to have a key, or keys, to all the locked gates. If this would could a problem with the neighbours I'd walk away.

YoungBlueEyes

Thanks for the replies. Moneyistooshorttomention and ReadingTim have cracked it - it's the 'being told what I must conform to, without choice' aspect that doesn't sit well with me.

I apologise Wicked Lady - I repeated line the EA told me (you'd think I'd know better by now ). He described it as shared access and not a ROW as the latter is more like a ramblers+farmer's fields type affair, whereas this is just for the people that live there.

@Elsien - I see what you mean, I looked at a couple of houses like that. This is slightly different in that each house has full length fences right to the bottom of the garden, and the fences have gates in them. That makes sense?

@Mojisola - I should think it's true that all the houses have shared access all the way along, but in practise it might be that half go one way and half the other?

I don't know about the arrangement if no 6 go on holiday etc.

I'll update when I've seen my solic in the morning.

Red-Squirrel_2

I wouldn’t be happy.

Say you order a new washing machine or fridge that needs to come in the back door, you can’t arrange delivery without sorting out with your neighbour that they’ll be around to let you in. If you’re out at at a garden centre and see a lovely bench on sale that would be just right for your new garden,you could get it home and find it has to stay in your car or on the street until your neighbour comes home from their weekend away!

The easiest and most respectful thing would have been to give everybody who needs access and has a right to access a key. The fact that they didn’t tells me they like having the power and being gatekeepers and that we would fall out pretty soon over me not taking that lying down!

circuit

Would you give your neighbour your house keys and knock on their door to get them each time you wanted to get in?

I'm exaggerating, but having been in a similar situation I would suggest that you don't touch this arrangement with a bargepole. This is a classic neighbour dispute waiting to happen. At the end of the day, nobody will give a hoot what the deeds say unless you have problems and have to involve a solicitor to enforce them. This is not just expensive but would need to be declared when selling as well since you would have a documented dispute.

Emergency access is important as is loading, disabled access, etc. What happens if someone blocks off the other end as well?

Assuming this access is shared, you should not have to ask for access to and from your own house (even if you have an alternative route). I'm very surprised that this has been allowed to happen.

pretamang

It doesn't sound too bad to me, you still have access from the other end.



What's the parking like? Where I live now I would happily give up back access at one end if it freed up an additional parking space on the street.

ReadingTim

What your solicitor tells you might accurately reflect the legal position, but that is almost completely irrelevant to what happens on a daily basis, and unfortunately it is wishful thinking to believe "the law" can force people to behave otherwise.

Nice as they may be, I don't think No.6 will take the gates down and relinquish 'their' parking space with the phrase "it's a fair cop, guv" upon sight of your title deeds. You might get them to give you a copy of the key, or replace it with a combination lock which you all know the code to, but that's the best you'll get.

Ultimately, you need to get comfortable with the position, what it is now, and how it could develop, and base your decision to proceed (or not) on that - your solicitor won't make that decision for you.

AnotherJoe

I think no 6 sound like a bunch of chancers and if you are looking at no 5, which i presume is next door, i think you've been given a heads up on their likely behaviour, and I'd walk away.
Sure you could move in and then enforce your rights, create a stink and have at least nos 4 and 6 hate you but that doesn't sound like a plan either.
Thats why its niggling you.

Mojisola

YoungBlueEyes wrote: »

I've (nearly) bought a terrace house. It's a row of 6, and I'm buying the fifth one. There is a pathway from the pavement at the side of no 1 that then runs across the back of the houses and out again at no 6 where it meets the pavement again.

So it sounds like a good thing - no-one wandering round, a bit more security, I wouldn't have to worry about leaving my back door or windows open, or strangers wandering through when I'm only in my dressing gown and hanging out the washing etc.

Unless the pathway is also blocked off at No 1 with locked gates, your security and privacy are an illusion. What's to stop someone coming in from that end?