Property with no partition wall in roof void space with the property next door - buy or avoid?

31claremont

I have an offer accepted on a 1 bed property that has been on the market for over 12 months. The property has no partition wall in the roof void space, so in effect, the property next door could gain access via the roof void and the roof hatch- the estate agents have been coy in giving me details about what the main feedback has been from viewers as to why the property has been on the market for over 12 months and I am not sure if it is because it is  bed or because the void space. It is in a area considered 'desirable' and the intention is to make it into a 2 bed by converting the existing bathroom to a bedroom and building new shower room. My offer is £8k below the initial asking price of £99K. I am concerned about the fact it has been on the market for so long and if I needed to sell, if I would find it difficult. what do people think - buy or avoid? I am single working parent in my 40's so have very limited opportunity to improve my income if the property turns out to be resold at a loss. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated to help me decide, as it is getting a bit stressful now....thank you, 

Slithery

Meh, thousands of terraced properties in this country have no partitions in the void.

If it worries you that much it's a cheap job to DIY once you are the owner.

TadleyBaggie

Put a lock on the your side of the trap door.

31claremont

Thank you so much for your comments, they are super helpful. Personally, I do not think the person next door will try to gain access and whilst I live there it wouldn't worry me too much. Some people have mentioned fire safety issues, but my main worry is the resale of the property if I find myself in a position where I need to sell?! I do not have a great deal of knowledge or experience with property selling or building and am worrying I am buying a property that more knowledgeable people know is a loss and to stay away from.

flashg67

Can you gain access to get a quote? Mortgage wise it may be fine but the insurance may not like it. I'd suspect it won't b expensive to sort out, especially if you're having  a builder in for other works

davidmcn

31claremont said:

Thank you so much for your comments, they are super helpful. Personally, I do not think the person next door will try to gain access and whilst I live there it wouldn't worry me too much. Some people have mentioned fire safety issues, but my main worry is the resale of the property if I find myself in a position where I need to sell?! I do not have a great deal of knowledge or experience with property selling or building and am worrying I am buying a property that more knowledgeable people know is a loss and to stay away from.

More knowledgeable people will know that the lack of a firewall isn't unusual, a big problem, or difficult to sort out if anybody wanted to bother.

If you want to find the reason for why it's spent so long on the market, this isn't it.

davidmcn

flashg67 said:

the insurance may not like it.

I've never seen an insurer ask the question. I'd expect it's one of the construction-related risks they take on when covering properties of a relevant type/age.

Mutton_Geoff

It's a cheap enough job to stud/fireboard or lightweight block it up. I wouldn't give it a second thought and I doubt many buyers would have looked into this at all, so the reason for it still being on the market must be something else.

Owain_Moneysaver

It would concern me, but as said it's not usually a particularly difficult job to put a compartment wall up.
It may be too late if you've already had your offer accepted, but can you get a competent builder to take a look?

MCI

This is the situation with our new (old) house, it was flagged up in the survey along with some other things. A builder went around to look at all of it and it isn't a very expensive fix. I wouldn't worry about it, you can fix it if you like. I think lots of terraces have this situation.

Skiddaw1

A friend of ours once lived in a terrace with that arrangement. For some nights after moving in he could hear odd noises and to cut a long story short, discovered that the previous occupant (who had a whole heap of issues, poor man) had taken to squatting in the shared roof space. He was creeping down through the loft door to scavenge for food during the day when the house was empty. So probably a good call to get the fix done sooner rather than later!