HELP - Half-house? Freehold or Share of Freehold?

[eviehfarleigh]

Would love some advice from the East Dulwich community!

We are looking to buy in the area, and we have seen a lovely 'half-'house' (definition by the Estate Agent!) - but should it be Freehold or Share of Freehold? This one is freehold, but our solicitor has said technically due to the shared hallway it is a flat, and it should be a 'Share of Freehold' (as freehold flats propose numerous issues for insurers/vendors)

ANY ADVICE/THOUGHTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. Google does not bring up anything (!)

[Toldyouso]

Hi there. Welcome to the area. Your solicitor is not correct. We used to live in a half house. Each house has its own separate freehold title. There is no single freehold title covering the two adjoining properties for you to have a share of. It is not like a double fronted house that has been divided into two vertical flats. Whilst the property may look like a double fronted house it is not legally. It is two separate freehold houses next to each other just like adjacent terraced or semi detached houses. The only difference is that there is a single entrance into the road, but that is just the same as two houses having a single lane or driveway up to them. That issue is dealt with by rights of way over the shared hallway. Your freehold title will grant a right of way to your neighbour over your half of the hallway and their freehold title will grant you a right of way over their half of the hallway. All this should be very clear from the title deeds - where the Land Registry will have been very clear that what you are buying is a freehold property. I hope that helps.

[Angelina]

You?d need to look at the title deeds etc. have you spoken to the land registry?

[SpringTime]

It's almost certainly a conventional freehold with a shared entrance. Find a better solicitor.

[keano77]

The OP hasn?t given much of a description of the property.

On the basis that there is a shared pathway to the house I would want to know if the services running from the road to the individual properties are also separately supplied to each house. If not, and they separate at a junction, where is that junction if something goes wrong and it needs digging up to repair? Do pipes, cables for one house run under the other?s plot and if there is a problem who pays and makes good?

Is it clear who owns what part of the roof? Is the attic space clearly divided by a barrier or is it one space straddling both houses?

My point is there might be so many covenants regarding joint liability for repair etc it could in fact be a share of freehold legally speaking.

Your solicitor will point all this out.

[indiepanda]

I live in a half house and it as Toldyouso describes.

To keano77s point, my house shares a water supply with my neighbours so we have one stopcock in my house and they need a spare key in case of water emergencies when I am not around. It's fine as they are lovely neighbours and I am happy for them to have it, but if I had bad neighbours then it could be an issue. It also means at times we suffer from low water pressure - e.g. if they flush the toilet while I am in the shower I can find the water dropping to a trickle. And water metering isn't an option.

Other utilities are separately supplied and metered, although there was a still an issue wirh wiring for my electric meter running through their side so I can't have a smart meter without someone having to knock holes in their wall to install.

I would definitely ask questions about this sort of thing before committing. I would be worried if my neighbours announced thet were moving, I might not be as lucky agsin.