Buying semi-detached - should I be concerned about who my neighbours will be?

ChasingtheWelshdream

From a messy neighbour’s perspective.

Our garden is shabby and our front garden is full of building materials, kids bikes and recycling bins. We have nowhere to store these whilst we are having work done to the back of our house, and no point maintaining the garden whilst workmen are traipsing through. It has taken months and will take many more until we are at a point to spruce up the front.

Passers by would not realise this and so I do worry about the impression we must give. Then again, if someone wants to judge without delving deeper, that says more about them than me.

We are actually very house proud but have been slowly renovating whilst working and bringing up a family. Needs must and I would hope future neighbours would be accommodating, not judgemental. 

musehead

Is Japanese Knotweed a concern in your area? In the area I'm looking it's quite prevalent, and one of the reasons I'm avoiding buying next to a house with an overgrown/neglected garden is that knotweed could appear there and become a major problem very quickly. I would also worry that buying a semi or terrace next to a very neglected property could affect my property - leaky roof allowing damp to seep down etc.

AdrianC

No matter who lives there now, and how they keep the place, you have no idea who will live there this time next year.

Some of the most houseproud are some of the worst neighbours.

Octothorpe

If it's just the garden I wouldn't worry, unless it's a literal dumping ground which could attract vermin. 

If it's also the actual house, that would concern me. Speaking from experience, it is very stressful having to ask your attached neighbour to do routine maintenance when it's affecting your house and having no control over that. We had to badger our neighbours to clear their gutters as it was affecting ours during heavy rainfall. To the point of offering to do it ourselves or pay someone to do it. We've had to pay out to repair all the fenceline on their side after already repairing the part we were responsible for. They don't clear the shared drive, so we have to keep the weeds off ours when they head in our direction from theirs. They don't ever unblock the shared drive drain, we always have to. We had to repair the guttering on their side as water was directly hitting our house due to it being broken.

But, they are lovely people! However that doesn't reduce the frustration. 

Few more weeks and we are moving to a detached so that we can fully control the maintenance and upkeep of our home!!!