Has anyone ever bought a property on a private road? We have recently had an offer accepted on a house along a road that appears to be in high demand, which we were initially thrilled about. We were told that the road had been adopted (not by the seller I should add. They have not been there during viewings) but have since spoken to someone from the council who has said that they wouldn't touch it with a barge pole as it is effectively a dirt track. The person who told us it had been adopted just agreed with us when we told them that the council said it was private!

We are unsure what to do now. The house itself is wonderful, but we have spoken to several people who have said that living on a private road can be hugely problematic when it comes to road maintenance, drain problems, etc.

Any advice?

I would want a solicitor to investigate.

A friend of mine lives on a private road and that is definitely a dirt track. Full of potholes etc. I hate driving my car to it but it doesn't seem to bother her. It doesn't make sense to me as the house she has is recently built and is very  smart and then you come outside and  find a mud track. She has recently had it on the market but the road did seem to put people off. She had a couple of offers that were a lot lower than she was hoping for so it seems to affect the value of her property at least.

I do know there is an issue with the drains at my friends house too due to the person who in effect owns part of the road not letting the builders who built the houses dig on his part of the road but I can't remember exactly what the issue is. I should  have paid more attention when she was telling me but didn't think I would need to know :)

Can you talk to the neighbours  of the property and find out if they have had problems with anything? What is the condition of the road actually like? I think that if repairs need to be done then all residents have to agree them and contribute to the cost. If some dont want things to be done then I think it can prevent the people who do want things done getting them done. definitely get your solicitor to check everything out thoroughly

it wouldn't bother me at all living on a private road,  I have a few friends who do and it did not influence their decision.

Yes you and the other residents are responsible for  the upkeep, but the level of the upkeep is down  to you (all)    its like everything else when buying a house,   you are never going to get everything you want, there is always a compromise, you have to decide is this one to far to make.

Yes we live at the end of an up adopted road and have never had any problems .

All we do say for example need to have a skip I the road email the owners and say the amount of time it will be there and they are fine . We also park on the road with no issues.so long as you don't cause an obstruction you are fine .

It's the upkeep part that can be a problem if some people are happy with a potholed dirt track and others would like it to be surfaced properly as my friends found, who live in the house she was brought up in which they extended when her mother died.

Just like you are thinking now, bear in mind that should you buy this house and ever want to sell, it WILL put some buyers off. My husband's mother lived on an adopted road and it did indeed put a lot of buyers off, even though it was a well maintained road without any problems.

Also find out what happens if it snows as you won't get the council snow plows clearing it. We live at the very end of a council road, with only 3 properties on. You can tell where the private road starts as it is dreadful with lots of pot holes. With only 3 of us in half a mile, the council never clears snow for us. Had it not been for the farm a mile down on the private part clearing the entire lane, we'd be totally snowed in at times. In fact it has happened at times when my husband has needed to leave for work at 5 am and the farmer hasn't cleared snow as early as that.

I'd have to agree with Goldmali - you may be able to live with an unadopted road BUT for sure, when it comes to selling, this could be enough to limit your market.    I'd certainly need to get a good solicitor on the job in terms of what you are liable for in the event the potholes become bottomless (sinkhold anybody!!).

As always, it's any deviation from the norm (buying a thatched property could be another thing to put some off) that could affect the resale value or how long it takes to sell - I had a friend who bought and converted a lovely property to include a boarding kennel.   She unexpectedly lost her husband and had to sell ..... it took forever to sell because the market was so limited - and she didn't get anything near what she might, without the conversation.

My late sister recently bought a property on a private (concreted) road with an odd situation.   The first of the three properties granted access to the other two across her frontage, and likewise my sister had to grant access across their frontage to the final of the 3 properties.   All well and good unless there was a falling out!!!

That's true MamaBas. Our last property was at the end of a cul de sac where we owned the drive but had to give access to the end property. That was all well and good but they had visitors coming and going all day and used our drive to reverse in our lawn always had tyre marks in (unfortunately all open plan) and the neighbours weren't even civil about it.

My concerns about living on an unadopted road (there's one behind us with massive potholes) is as mentioned before, the upkeep if some parties can't/won't contribute, extra wear and tear on vehicles. I'm sure if it was a long road I'd always worry about not being able to drive anywhere fast if you had an emergency (e.g vets).
Perhaps any problems would show up on the searches.

I live up a dirt track and it is full of potholes, terrible for car suspension and sits off another private road.  I love the peace and quiet BUT there is a farm at the end of the road and the farmer clears snow off the path in winter every morning so I feel that I have the best of both worlds - the privacy but it is maintained by the farmer.

I live on a private road - the council will never adopt it because it will never conform to regulations - not wide enough for street lights, pavements etc - besides the council won't want to take on the expense!!  When we built our house - over 30 years ago the road was little more than a dirt track.  We had to build a cess pit because there was no drainage - no gas either.  My husband organised the residents and got the road surfaced - most of them owned the bit in front of their houses - though we didn't - the local farmer gave permission to tarmac his bit but he didn't want to contribute.  We started a fund for maintenance but one resident dropped out and so the fund was forgotten about.  There are some cracks on the road now - some day it will have to be repaired - not for a long time yet - then everyone will have to get together to chip in again.  No-one is worrying about that.  Most folk see to the odd pot hole outside their own property and cut back hedges.   Have you spoken to any other residents - neighbours?  Your solicitor will advise you on your rights - we have the right to go to the end of the lane to turn vehicles. 

I live on a private road - the council will never adopt it because it will never conform to regulations - not wide enough for street lights, pavements etc - besides the council won't want to take on the expense!!  When we built our house - over 30 years ago the road was little more than a dirt track.  We had to build a cess pit because there was no drainage - no gas either.

Bit off topic perhaps but didn't know there were any such regulations. You virtually described the lane I live on. Wide enough for one car, certainly no pavement, not streetlights for over a mile, and no gas and we have our own septic tank -BUT it is still a council owned road. It ends half a mile away from us but up to that point it is council owned.

I think it is different if a council adopts a private road - I think they are obliged then to ensure that it is of the correct width and to provide a pavement.  When we got planning on the plot next door to our old house - one of the conditions put on us was that we were supposed to give extra width to the road - enough for 2 cars to pass and provide a pavement.  This would have lead to no frontage to our new property and space for everyone to park along in front - it was ridiculous because no other house along here has that - it would have looked dreadful.  We took it to appeal and won.  We have provided passing spaces and a wide enough road for cars to pass pedestrians safely and have been able to plant a hedge to replace the one that we had to remove.  It is a private road so cars are not supposed to park in front of our houses - for most of the houses along here - the frontage is their car parking space.  That is one problem we do have.  - Not us now - because we have provided plenty of off road parking and help out our neighbours if they have visitors.  But some folk ignore the sign saying private road - residents parking only and just leave their cars without asking.  Not too often thankfully.

Only just got back to this, but thank you for all the replies!

We've decided to let the solicitor do their thing with the searches etc, and are also getting a full structural survey done as the property is old (1870s) with a cellar, so if any problems show up with that side of it it may well be a no-no anyway.

The "road" is a dirt track. No pavements, and just 2 street lights that I can see (would the residents have paid for these privately then, anyone know?). Lots of potholes that have been patched up with stones and gravel. I think there are about 35ish properties in total, varying widely in age and size. I went back there and walked up and down the road the other day. Doesn't seem that it will be very easy to turn a car around in (we'll have a driveway but have got two cars so one will have to be parked on the road infront of the boundary wall - looks like lots of people there have to do that). It means you'd only be able to drive forwards though (unless you fancied reversing all the way along the road!) and it looks like one end of the road gets rather clogged up with parked cars. Wish I could pick the house up and plonk it down somewhere else as the road situation is really quite off-putting.

Someone I spoke to suggested the residents there might not have broadband, but according to rightmove they have. I hadn't even thought of things like that!

> Someone I spoke to suggested the residents there might not have broadband, but according to rightmove they have.

Yes - get confirmation that they are actually getting broadband and what speed - do not go by the BT website etc !!!

You can't beat talking to the neighbours!  Walk down on a nice sunny evening or weekend and engage anyone out gardening or walking their dogs - you may learn a lot!  

I am looking at moving too and one house i am looking at has an electric pylon just outside about 20ft from the house. does anyone have any experience of this and know if it is likeley to cause problems?

Go and find out if the buzzing noise they often make will drive you mad!

I agree, that buzzing noise would drive the sanest person demented.

Aside from that, I asked my oh what he thought about living close to a pylon as he has worked in electronics for many years and his reaction was immediate. Absolutely not. His worry would be the radiation coming off from the high voltage wires. I'm sure many people will step forward and say they have lived for years under pylons and they are fine, but he said knowing what he knew he wouldn't even consider it.

smithy my sil has the pylon wirs going over the corner of their house the pylon itself is in the copse area behind them yes when its wet it does buzz but it depends how sensitive you are. I have sat in the garden many times and have no bother with it in fact don't even notice it. As for adverse health the journey is very much out with that. Sil son has ME properly diagnosed and she believes the pylon may have something to do with it or at least make it worst but no one really knows .
SO I guess that bit is done to individual beliefs and thinking. The rest of the family are fine as are the people in the road and as I said the noises from it isn't a bother

It's worth taking into account that resale may well be more difficult because of proximity to a pylon. I wouldn't buy a house near one ..

Nor me. I sometimes used to walk the dogs near pylons and the buzzing was very noticeable, and in damp weather I actually felt 'tingly' walking under them. I certainly wouldn't want to live with that all the time.

I too would not buy a house in close proximity to a pylon - not the easiest of houses to sell and the buzzing noise drives me barmy. One of my woodland walks takes me beneath a pylon and in the wet or damp the noise is awful.

agree Ridgelover

Regarding the pylon, I could live with it but I would not want the dogs to have to.  I used to ride my horse on a big open moss and near the pylon on damp days he was even dafter than normal, the hum definitely upset him.

Interesting article in my local paper about a lady who gets an electric shock every time she cycles under a pylon - have a look at the reply from the power company http://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/iwade-cyclist-shocker-18407/