How much do i offer my neighbour?

Id like to buy a small section of my neighbours back garden, it measures 18ft X 18ft, i only want it to extend our lawn, it has no access rights, and i dont want to build on it. any idea what the going rate is?

 

not sure but would you not have to run this past your solicitor and the same for the neighbour.

 

Actually, it's worth whatever the vendor wants for it, if you're the only buyer.

Do they want to sell?
I'd be a bit offended if someone asked for a chunk of my garden.

It could reduce the value of the whole property by more than a fair amount for the land in question.

 

Over here in America to do that would involve 1. both parties in agreement. 2. Both properties to be rezoned and that is $$$$$, then the prorated purchase price of that part of the property. And the person initiating that need would have to pay for all of that.

 

Dont know what the going rate is, but any deal between you and your neighbours for the piece of ground would require to be Legalised through a Solicitor. your neighbours will have title Deed's as you will have with all the plans of both properties, and both parties will require to have the plans altered. my friend purchased a piece of ground from a neighbour by word of mouth. the neighbour moved and my friend was left in the sh** . music .

 

That's a hard one, Ant.
As others have said - does your neighbour want to sell the ground and it would all have to be done legally.
I think your neighbours solicitor would advise them not to sell.
The ground might have little monetary value as such, but might have an overall impact on their property.
In my last house we had a lot of ground.
We sold a very small bit of ground which ran along the front of our neighbours house to them. We never used it as it was right in front of their house. They were lovely people and we had no qualms.
They built a great big deck on it.
It wasn't problematic as they rarely used it, but we could see what the problems could be if they sold and different type of people moved in - big parties out there every weekend maybe ?
If I was your neighbour I would keep the ground or be looking for a price that wrecked the value of my property.
Just my thoughts.

 

If your neighbour has actually said they would be willing to sell, ask a couple of local estate agents what they would value it at, also what sort of impact they think the reduction would have on your neighbours property!
Although you don't want to build on it...the extra area might have implications such as allowing you to extend your existing dwelling etc., you might be able to agree to a clause whereby you agree not to build on the land. (Or you agree to your neighbour being elligible to a %age of any uplift in value should you extend your property in the future etc. Then get an idea from a conveyancer/solicitor about costs for preparing altered title deeds etc. If you are just assuming your neighbour would be willing to sell because they have a neglected area, but you find they don't want to sell, offer to pay an annual rent?

 

This is interesting as I want to buy one row of the orange orchards on two sides of my property. That involves six mature trees. I want to remove five of them and replace with lemon, lime, grapefruit and two tangerines. It would also give us addional parking outside of my tropical/sub-tropical garden.

I shall have to approach the guy and ask him how much he wants as boundaries have to be moved (which are dry stone walls here).

 

Firstly, you'd need to find both a surveyor and a solicitor. The surveyor will be needed to draw up a plan of the land to be transferred so the Land Register can be updated and the title plan of your property and that of your neighbour can be amended, then you'll need a solicitor to actually do the transfer and to get everything sorted with the Land Registry. All this could cost you as much as the bit of land itself.

Instead of buying - how about a 'gentleman's agreement'? - he/they allow you to extend your lawn for the period you both own your respective houses?

I have a similar arrangement with my neighbour. 5' of my front garden (to one side of the path) has, by informal convention, been regarded as 'his' as it adjoins his lawn. He mows it, feeds it, weeds it and pretty much regards it as his own however, if he wanted to pave it, dig a border or do anything else he'd be obliged to ask us, whilst we, of course, can do anything we like with it. Frankly, the lawns are huge and we're more than happy for him to do that extra 5'!

 

As John says, you won't know until you ask. They may just say no. There are a multitude of issues that need to be taken into account, covenants on the deeds, impact on resale value, is it leasehold or freehold property-that would determine who it is that actually owns the land the property is on-the list goes on and on and you will probably find it isn't worth it.


Ask first then sink your teeth into it later.

 

How much should you offer them? First rule is to offer them less than you are actually willing to pay for it.