We're thinking of buying next door and knocking through..

spookycat_2

does anyone know of the legal implications of doing so? Presumably we will only have one door number then, but which one and what about sorting utilities if there are obviously 2 meters etc, water rates and council tax.
Has anyone done this before? What do we need to consider?

Doozergirl

You can choose which door number you use. Royal mail will just continue to post. We knocked through once into an old derelict shop that was part of our house but with a different door number. The only trouble we ever had was that TV licensing refused to acknowledge there was one house. They sent us warning letters for the entire time we lived there, despite numerous phone calls. I gave up in the end - shows they don't really know exactly who is supposed to have one but doesn't. They said it was my responsibility to contact Royal mail and get "number 54" wiped off the postal system. Yeahright.

Unless you rewire and replumb then you will be stuck with two sets of bills. If the house is set up for only one supply of each service then you can simply ask for them to be disconnected (Lord knows you'll carry on getting random bills until you get fed up and switch supplier).

I think with Council Tax it might just be a case of having an assessor out to prove it is one residence once you've knocked through.

Do be aware that once you knock through, the one house will be worth less than the two were as individual houses.

spookycat_2

Thanks for that Doozergirl. The two properties are worth about 110,000 each but yes are estimated to be worth 200,000 when converted to one living space, but we're not too bothered as we plan to live here for long while.
We can't afford to move up it's simply too expensive to buy a larger house, and we do love the house we have, this seems to be the ideal solution to our need for more space. I know we will have to have a solicitor change the deeds, but there doesn't seem to be much more info on the web about how to go about it all.

Doozergirl

You mightn't need to change the deeds. If you could get away with it as far as your own mortgage is concerned (I don't know ) I'd avoid doing it until you come to sell as you, or the person you sell to eventually might want to put it back to two houses?

PasturesNew

If you were changing 1 house into 2 flats, you'd need planning permission.

Is it required to make 2 houses into 1?

Then there's building regs too to check as building regs would apply.

It sounds a super idea. How handy! Good luck.

cattie

Have you checked with your mortgage lender that they will agree to this as many will not be in agreement to knocking through?

Strapped

A relative of mine did this, but they just put in an adjoining door rather than a full-on knock-through, so that the properties could be separated again when they were later sold (although they did actually both end up going to the same buyer, who wanted one as a holiday let). I think they paid CT on both though - with one property being nominally "empty" so 50% discount. Of course, this wouldn't really work if you want to take out kitchens etc. or knock living rooms together. Sorry.

PasturesNew

I think I'd be tempted to have it as a 3-bed and 1-bed to be honest. Self-contained annexe.

Handy for: visiting family/friends, older child/ren 'own pad', granny annexe, potential let/holiday let.

... ooh here we go. Complicating a simple first question!

spookycat_2

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Okay it'll be knocking 2 three bed houses together. They are handily joined in the right place (rooms-wise) so at first we might just knock through a hall cupboard into a dining room, and in the master bedroom through to a small bedroom to give a dressing area.
Our current mortgage provider will give us a mortgage for one property and wants a valuation on each of the separate properties and then one on the value of the finished one house iyswim.
The council tax is an issue because it would mean an extra 600 pounds per year we think.
I'm not entirely sure about planning permission tbh

Johnhowell

Spookycat,

The local authority should have a Street naming, house numbering officer to which you send in the details of the change you propose. They, NOT Royal Mail (note Doozergirl), with authorise the number change and send the data through to all other databases and then Royal Mail will use that house number.

TV Licence agency will use these updated databases so not to charge you twice for the now combined property.

Regards,
John

P.S. Land Registry do not change the title details from these databases, you will have to inform HMLR yourself of any address change.

david29dpo

I would recommend getting just one title number if you never intend selling as two houses.