Link-detached mis-advertised as detached

RS2OOO

It seems common to see link-detached houses advertised as detached.

For me personally I find it annoying because side access to a rear garden is an important feature for me and you don't get this in link-detached houses (without having to move car / clear garage each time you need to carry stuff through.

But whilst its very common and can be very annoying, it probably has no grounds for price reduction.

Tiglet2

RS2OOO said:

It seems common to see link-detached houses advertised as detached.

For me personally I find it annoying because side access to a rear garden is an important feature for me and you don't get this in link-detached houses (without having to move car / clear garage each time you need to carry stuff through.

But whilst its very common and can be very annoying, it probably has no grounds for price reduction.

Not true in all cases.  My link-detached house was attached to my next door neighbour by the garage, but the other side was completely detached and had a path running from front to back.

propertyhunter

gingercordial said:

The house we bought was advertised as detached in the EA's ad.  It's a semi, which is blindingly obvious given there's another house stuck on the side, which was clear in the photos, floorplan, Google Maps etc, let alone on viewing.  I'm sure this was a simple mistake, wrong box ticked on Rightmove or similar, I don't attribute anything sinister to it.  I am not sure why what the advert says is really an issue once you've viewed.  You need to assess based on what's on the ground, so to speak.

If it might scupper your plans for extending, and that's a must for you, the next step could be to ask a builder/architect what they think - do they agree with the surveyor, could there be another way?  Don't assume the neighbour would allow their garage to be knocked down, some (most?) may not want the hassle and change even if you are paying!  If it can't be done I would walk away, not down value because - if demolition of both garages is the only way - I would have to assume the neighbour will say no so it will be a case of it not happening rather than additional costs.

(Personally if a neighbour wanted to destroy and replace my garage, it would take a significant upgrade plus a hefty additional payment for me to agree to building works not under my control, the mess and noise, having to work out where to store all my stuff for however long, and possibly needing to inform my mortgage lender.  And most likely I'd still say sorry, no, because I just wouldn't want to deal with all of the above.)

Everyone is really coming up with some really considered responses. Thanks so much. I really like to hear these because it makes me more informed. 

@gingercordial I agree with these sentiments wholeheartedly. I would want the neighbour to pay. Maybe my question to them would be if they ever had thought about separating the houses, since then its a mutual decision. This is quite likely as they just moved in themselves from a probate purchase. 

edgex

It's one of the utterly meaningless terms used by EAs, with no actual definition.

Where I grew up is a semi-detached house. The other house is then attached to their neighbours via the garages. It's like that for a block of 6 houses.
So what are they? Semi-link-detached?
If two of them built over-garage extensions, do they become a terrace?

GaleSF63

propertyhunter said:

I suppose I'm only raising this as a point on this forum because of the EA's behaviour in changing the listing, like it was a bad thing that materially affected value. They know the market best and have an interest in making it seem detached. 

You said that they altered the listing after you pointed out it was link-detached. I don't think there is anything to read into that - and it would be just as easy to criticise them if they didn't alter it - eg "they now knew that it was link-detached but they didn't bother to alter the listing".

Abbafan1972

Lol, our house when we bought it in 1995, EA had it advertised in the details as Semi-detached.  It is clearly an end-terraced. 

It's exactly the same as the house on the right of this photo, in a block of 4.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.5362792,-1.9016075,3a,75y,240.26h,93.58t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1scyw4NIPlzL2QmASv0qPG3A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

jrawle

The Land Registry's "Property Type Classification Guide" may be of interest to anyone who hasn't seen it before:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662877/Annex-B-Property-type-classification-HM-Land_Registry.pdf

It's only really used when classifying properties for the "price paid" statistics that they release. However, I noticed all the link-detached houses in my street were listed as semis in the figures, so I e-mailed them, and they changed it! All the houses are now listed as detached.

In fact, in the street, some houses are linked by the two garages in between, while others are completely detached. It just depends on the lie of the land, etc. There doesn't really seem to be any difference in price or Council Tax band. All houses have access to the back on the other side. In contrast, I know people who live in a truly detached house, but is right up to the boundary with the neighbour's sideway running past the living room wall. Lots of noise when kids run along there / lawnmowers or bikes pushed along, etc. If the "link" includes your own garage, I'd say don't worry about it. It's a different matter if the neighbour's garage is attached to your house, though, as you don't know what they might do in there.