New build home - Bin collection point

cllola

I have reserved a house, off plan. I have the lease plan through (shared ownership) and the bin collection point and seemingly the whole road in front of my property is within my boundary. I queried it with the solicitor and all that has happened is they've amended the lease to include a line about allowing access to put bins there on bin day. 

I realise it might be a deal breaker for some but this house is very wanted and probably won't be a deal breaker for us BUT is there anything I need to be aware of for now and the future?

eddddy

You might be responsible for maintenance and repair of those areas.  For example, if that part of road sinks, develops pot-holes, etc - it may be your responsibility to repair it.

Your lease might say that you can recover some costs from your neighbours - but it's still a hassle, especially if they refuse to pay.

Plus, I suppose it's slightly annoying to have loads of other peoples bins outside your front door / front window on collection day. Especially if they're smelly, and their owners put them out the day before and/or are slow to remove them. (Or wake you up at 6am putting out bins full of clanking bottles for recycling.)



You say that your solicitor 'ignored' your query about this. Is it a solicitor recommended by the developer / housing association?  If so, they might not be keen to say anything too negative about the lease, because it might upset the developer, and then the solicitor might not get recommended in future.  (Which is why it's often not a good idea to use a solicitor recommended by a developer.)

JReacher1

You don’t want the bin collection point outside your house. Would be a dealbreaker for me. They’ll stink and people will leave them there for over 24 hours. 

sheramber

Looking at that plan, if the brown area is the bin space it looks like it is only for you and you attached neighbour,

user1977

eddddy said:

You might be responsible for maintenance and repair of those areas.  For example, if that part of road sinks, develops pot-holes, etc - it may be your responsibility to repair it.

Your lease might say that you can recover some costs from your neighbours - but it's still a hassle, especially if they refuse to pay.

It would be immensely bizarre to build a new development and then hope that each resident maintains the bit of road outside their house. I expect the roads and all other communal areas (including the bin store) are going to be professionally managed, and therefore the fact you have title to the road is in practice irrelevant.

The "is there anything I should be aware of" question is though best directed at the solicitor who has read the lease, rather than us who are merely guessing.

Slithery

user1977 said:

It would be immensely bizarre to build a new development and then hope that each resident maintains the bit of road outside their house.

That wouldn't be unusual at all...

cllola

eddddy said:

You might be responsible for maintenance and repair of those areas.  For example, if that part of road sinks, develops pot-holes, etc - it may be your responsibility to repair it.

Your lease might say that you can recover some costs from your neighbours - but it's still a hassle, especially if they refuse to pay.

Plus, I suppose it's slightly annoying to have loads of other peoples bins outside your front door / front window on collection day. Especially if they're smelly, and their owners put them out the day before and/or are slow to remove them. (Or wake you up at 6am putting out bins full of clanking bottles for recycling.)



You say that your solicitor 'ignored' your query about this. Is it a solicitor recommended by the developer / housing association?  If so, they might not be keen to say anything too negative about the lease, because it might upset the developer, and then the solicitor might not get recommended in future.  (Which is why it's often not a good idea to use a solicitor recommended by a developer.)

thank you
The solicitor wasn't recommended by the developer no, I approached them independently. Although they are on the list of the mortgage lenders approved solicitors...and I used the mortgage broker who did the initial affordability check, so maybe in a round about way they are! 

I'll keep going back with questions, I'm confused about why the lease plan shows the boundary as extending all the way across the road. My understanding that the shared space would be maintained by all in the cul de sac.