House on a Private road

lm1981

There is a house I really like which is on a private road or 4 houses.

how can I find out how things like service charge , drainage , pipes and utilities are supplied and what implications living on a private road may have? Thanks

comeandgo

Ask the owner?

khanji17

Depends on the area/city you are planning to buy in? How many other houses share the street? You can share the link if you want

princeofpounds

Depends what kind of private road it is. Obviously asking owner/EA is the best first step - the information you get may not be legally technically accurate but they can probably give you a sense of how it works. You should also download the deeds for the property, which will probably discuss things like easements and provisions for maintenance. 

The road may be owned by the frontagers, or it may be owned by a separate legal entity which could in turn be owned by the frontagers or by a third party (usually the developer). Maintenance may be formalised into a service charge arrangement of some kind, or it may be ad-hoc. 

greatcrested

A few options:

If you have £3 and 5 minutes spare, start by downloading the property Title from the Land Registry.

Do  'map enquiry' (same link) and see if the road is registered - if so, another £6 for that Title & Plan.

Speak to the owner.

Knock on the neighbours' doors.

Wait for your conveyancer to check as part of the process