New Build Coach House - yes or no

Section62

ILL1977 said:

I do think things have changed and the freeholder is protected as to what the leaseholder is allowed to do in their garage. I also know only my garage would be plumbed and have electricity so no worries about that. 

What if the garage owner wants to keep and charge an EV in there - as we all will need to be thinking about in less than 8 years time.

Will the lease prohibit the installation of a power supply, or is it just a case that one isn't being provided by the developer?

In my view having a reasonable quantity of road fuel (or a pile of cardboad) stored in a garage is less of a concern than having an EV with chunky batteries and an equally chunky power supply running unattended. And projecting forward, will lease terms and/or covenants which prevent charging of EV's be deemed unlawful in the not too distant future?

J_C is right that acting quickly will be important if the garage is used contrary to the lease.  The problem is how you would find out what is going on behind that closed door - as it is unlikely the lease would give you the right to make frequent unannounced inspections.

In response to the original question it would always be a 'no' from me.  I simply wouldn't put myself in a position where I was sleeping above an uninhabited space I don't have direct control over, and in which anything could be stored or operating (regardless of what a bit of paper says).

ILL1977

knightstyle said:

DD rented one a few years ago but soon ended the tenancy as it was all electric and always cold due to poorly insulated floor and cold garages and an open space under it.
Plus if you have or are planning young children think about getting them and shopping up those stairs all the time.

Thank you! I’m hoping that time and evolved engineering has solved the problem of the cold underfloor. Also, no kids for me… I’m too old, ha ha. This is purely a step onto the housing ladder but I need to ensure I’m not making a massive mistake 

ILL1977

Section62 said:

ILL1977 said:

I do think things have changed and the freeholder is protected as to what the leaseholder is allowed to do in their garage. I also know only my garage would be plumbed and have electricity so no worries about that. 

What if the garage owner wants to keep and charge an EV in there - as we all will need to be thinking about in less than 8 years time.

Will the lease prohibit the installation of a power supply, or is it just a case that one isn't being provided by the developer?

In my view having a reasonable quantity of road fuel (or a pile of cardboad) stored in a garage is less of a concern than having an EV with chunky batteries and an equally chunky power supply running unattended. And projecting forward, will lease terms and/or covenants which prevent charging of EV's be deemed unlawful in the not too distant future?

J_C is right that acting quickly will be important if the garage is used contrary to the lease.  The problem is how you would find out what is going on behind that closed door - as it is unlikely the lease would give you the right to make frequent unannounced inspections.

In response to the original question it would always be a 'no' from me.  I simply wouldn't put myself in a position where I was sleeping above an uninhabited space I don't have direct control over, and in which anything could be stored or operating (regardless of what a bit of paper says).

Yes. That is a concern. I would hope the leaseholder wouldn’t be so brazen as to contravene the leasehold agreement. And I’m not opposed to a bit of confrontation if needed - especially if it could harm me or cost me money the long run. 

From what I’ve read, the leasehold garage doesn’t have electricity or water because it would be difficult to meter them individually but I really have no idea and would need to speak to the developer. 

It’s a landmine of unknowns, that’s for sure! 

Section62

ILL1977 said:

Yes. That is a concern. I would hope the leaseholder wouldn’t be so brazen as to contravene the leasehold agreement. And I’m not opposed to a bit of confrontation if needed - especially if it could harm me or cost me money the long run. 

Unfortunately covenants and the provisions in leases are breached all the time.  Flip the situation and imagine a post on this forum from a newbie who has just purchased a new build with a leased detached garage in a coach house building.  The freeholder has complained about the moving boxes stored in the garage ("it's only while we get sorted") and the petrol lawnmower ("in the garage until we get our shed"). What's more, the freeholder is "harassing us" trying to peek into the garage every time we open the door, and demanding we let them inspect our possessions to make sure we are complying with the lease.

...there will be a queue of posters lining up to tell the newbie all about the loopholes they can use to their advantage, and plenty of advice to tell the freeholder to "[choice of expletive] off".

Owning a building that other people use is complex, and there are rules governing your interaction with them. It needs a lot of research to do it properly and safely.

ILL1977 said:

From what I’ve read, the leasehold garage doesn’t have electricity or water because it would be difficult to meter them individually but I really have no idea and would need to speak to the developer. 

The garage would need a separate supply. There's a cost attached to adding each new supply. I would guess the developer has done a calculation which shows the cost of adding electricity to the garage exceeds the premium they could make on the house that will use it.

The eventual user of the garage may well do the calculation using different parameters.  Being able to charge an EV is a gamechanger compared to the traditional needs of a light and maybe a socket to plug a vacuum cleaner into.  A time is coming where properties with EV charging facilities will fetch a premium over those without.

Do you know which house will have the garage, or is that not yet decided?

ILL1977

Do you know which house will have the garage, or is that not yet decided?

Sorry, I don’t know how to use the quotes function 🤪

Unfortunately not, this is a new build and won’t be ready until March. I’m going to get a MiP and then pay a deposit to reserve the property. But I’d like to get this stuff ironed out before I pay the £1k reservation fee because it’s a lot of money.

Section62

ILL1977 said:

Unfortunately not, this is a new build and won’t be ready until March. I’m going to get a MiP and then pay a deposit to reserve the property. But I’d like to get this stuff ironed out before I pay the £1k reservation fee because it’s a lot of money.

If it is allocated to a particular property then the development plan should show this, if not the developer would know.

The actual use of the garage might vary depending on whether the property is (e.g.) a 1 bed flat, a 4 bed family home, an affordable home, a retirement flat, etc.

That's one of the unknowns it would be useful for you to iron out as much as you can in advance.

BonaDea

@ILL1977
Did you buy the coach house?  How's it been?  Anything that somebody in a similar position should watch out for?