Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum but I am hoping you can give me some advice. Me and my partner moved into our first home 9 months ago and we love it. We bought a 3 bed link-detached. It is a link detached in the fact that next door is connected by their single storey garage to our single story garage. We have nothing to the other side as we are on an end plot. Our adjoining neighbours have informed us that they plan to convert their garage into another bedroom. Is this likely to affect our house value, i.e. reclassify our home as a semi-detached. (I do realise that link-detached is a marketing tactic and not really a category). If this is likely to cause a problem with house value is there anything I can do? As far as I’m aware they won’t need planning permission to convert the garage. So it feels there is nothing I can do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
No. If your garage remains a garage, then you remain 'link detached' which as you say is a nonsense term anyway. Be a good neighbour and let them make their improvements.
Contact the planning department of your local council i think they will still need planning permission as that would be classed as a change of use which you can object too..
Depending on exactly what they intend to do may require a "Party Wall Agreement" and if it does, they must cover ALL of your costs. You may also want to go back to the original grant of planning permission and see what is in there as well as checking your deeds - there could be a covenant in there which prohibits conversion.
If the conversion does require PP, then the LPA would assess the works along with the loss of a parking space and the potential requirement for another under their policies. If it’s PD, then no policies will come into play. As a side note and with them carrying out the upgrade works their side, this would actually make it easier and cheaper should you want to convert yours in the future.
Conversely it could increase your house value as potential buyers would be able to see that the conversion is possible (and likely relatively in-expensive).
Thanks for everyone’s response! We’ll be keeping the garage as a garage because my partner is into his cars and motorbikes.
That will be interesting. The wall is likely too be a single or double skin brick with no cavity. When he starts working on his bikes late at night with engines running - they will try to complain, and if they do, remind them about the original "garage". What will they be doing to minimise potential fume migration?