A link detached house can be a real mystery. It’s not a detached or attached house. It’s more expensive than a semi-detached but less than a detached. It has the advantages of a detached house with the downsides of a semi-detached. How is that possible?
There are also problems that come along with buying and living in a link detached house, which is something that we’re about to explore…
So, what is a link detached house? How are they different to a detached house? Are they a detached or semi-detached house? We have the answers to all these questions and more!
If you have a specific question, this menu will help you find an answer:
- What is a link detached house?
- Is link detached, detached or semi?
- What is the difference between a detached and attached home?
- What are the problems with a link detached house?
- Is a link detached house a good idea?
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What is a link detached house?
A link detached house is a name given to a residential property which doesn’t share any common walls with another property but is ‘linked’ by a garage. Because the property is linked to another by the garage, a link detached house can’t be described as detached as this would be misleading.
Calling a link detached house, a semi-detached would also be misleading, as a link detached house doesn’t share any common walls and also looks on the ‘roadside’ to be detached.
The link between the two houses could be through the foundations rather than the garage, which is what gives a link detached house the ‘detached house look’ from the roadside.
Is link detached, detached or semi?
A link detached house has traits of both a detached and semi-detached house whilst being in neither category. Yes, we know how confusing that sounds…
A link detached house is sort of its own ‘category’ of property, with it enjoying the advantages of a detached house, such as less noise and no shared walls, but also still having a ‘link’ to another property, generally through the garage.
A detached house normally attracts a premium, with some detached houses being worth up to 20-25% more compared to a similar sized semi-detached house, depending on the area. A link detached house will also enjoy having more of a premium in comparison with a semi-detached house. However, the premium won’t be as much as what’s expected from a detached house. You could say a link detached house is a nice ‘bridge’ between a detached and semi-detached house.
What is the difference between a detached and attached home?
A detached house will sit on its own plot, which they are fully responsible for the upkeep of, and will have no shared walls. An attached house will have shared walls on one or both sides of the property. An attached house could also be one property which has been turned into two or more houses, so they all share the same building and land, meaning a shared responsibility for upkeep.
If one side of the property is attached this is known as a semi-detached, or end of terrace house. If both sides of the property are attached, this is known as a terraced house.
Generally speaking, a detached house will provide more privacy and floor space compared with an attached house.
Using these definitions, it’s easy to see why a link detached house can’t be put in either category. And why it could be a good ‘stepping stone’ from a semi-detached to a fully detached house.
What are the problems with a link detached house?
Although a link detached house will be less noisy than a semi-detached house, it will be noisier than a detached house. Some living in a link detached house may convert their garage, the link between the houses, into a kitchen or a living room. This results in more noise on the other side of the ‘link’ and is likely to travel more easily through to the other link detached house.
If you live in a link detached house and are struggling with the noise levels, you could invest in getting some soundproofing into your house. You can find out about the costs of soundproofing a house here.
Another problem you may face in a link detached house is if one party wants to extend. It’s often that people want to extend above the garage, meaning both parties will be affected by the extension. Both the agreement between the two parties and the building work should be carried out under The Party Wall etc Act 1996.
One thing to bear in mind when having an extension in a link detached house is the possible consequence on the value of the house. Whilst extending most houses generally adds value, extending a link detached house can actually decrease the value, as it looks to bring the two properties closer together.
This will of course depend on the quality of the extension and where the extension will be taking place, but it’s worth checking out what will happen to the value of your link detached house before approving any planning permission.
As a link detached house is normally linked by the garage, this can lead to a shared driveway, or confusion over who owns which drive. A shared driveway can lead to many issues, such as a neighbour constantly blocking you in, a neighbour damaging the driveway and not repairing it or a neighbour having different plans with the driveway. For example, you may want to put gates at the bottom of your shared driveway but your neighbour doesn’t.
If the shared driveway becomes an issue between you and your neighbour, it is possible to buy your neighbour’s ‘share’ of the drive. Buying your neighbour’s share of the driveway will mean you own the driveway outright and your neighbour can no longer use it. You must, however, pay your neighbour to compensate for the inconvenience, their loss of use and the potential loss in value of their property.
A link detached house also carries more risk of issues with neighbours. In a detached house, you don’t share much common ground with your neighbours and can ‘hide away’ in your house, if you want to. But with a link detached house, as there’s an element of shared area, whether that be garage walls or the drive, it’s important to get on with the neighbours to reduce risk of problems.
Is a link detached house a good idea?
So, after reading all this information you’re probably wondering ‘is a link detached house a good idea?’, a question which we’re about to answer…
Of course, this is arguably mainly down to opinion and will depend on what you’re looking for, but we can tell you the facts and what we think to help you make up your own mind!
Like we said earlier, a link detached house is a good bridge between a detached and semi-detached house. You’re able to enjoy some of the benefits of a detached house, for example less noise and your own plot of land whilst also having the downsides of a semi-detached house, a shared garage wall and less privacy from neighbours.
We know how important price is when it comes to buying a house, and whilst there isn’t a whole load of data available on average price of a link detached house, we have searched through Rightmove and OnTheMarket to help find you some price comparisons.
The reason you may struggle to find link detached data is because a lot of property websites list them as ‘detached’ and so it’s a real struggle to find information on purely link detached houses.
We found two properties in Chelmondiston, Ipswitch that are a 2–3-minute walk from each other, one being detached and one being link detached. Both are 3-bedroom houses, and in similar condition, with the link detached house actually having a bigger garden. We found they both have an asking price of £325,000. This would suggest in this area, a detached house may be the better investment.
We also found two 4 bedroom new-build houses in Bicester, Oxford that are a 10-minute walk from each other, one being detached and one being link detached. Due to both being new build they’re pretty much the same condition internally. The detached house is priced at £580,000 whereas the link detached house is priced at £439,950, 24% less than the detached house. This tells us, in this area, a link detached house seems to be a better deal.
Going much further north, we found two 3-bedroom properties in Ushaw Moor, Durham which are a 17-minute walk from each other (only a 3-minute drive), one detached and one link detached and both in a similar condition. The asking price of the detached house is £160,000 compared to the asking price of the link detached house at £129,950, approximately 19% less. These numbers suggest in this area, a link detached house is a better deal.
From these few examples, it may look as though overall a link detached house is a better idea than a detached house, but we suggest it will be different depending on the area. Our recommendation is it may be a good idea to do your research of the area first, looking at what you can get for your money and previous sold prices, before jumping into buying a detached or link detached house.
Well, that sums up everything you need to know about link detached houses and the potential problems you may face in owning one. Do you own a link detached house? Or have a story you want to share? Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
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Millie is a perfectionist with a passion for property and writing articles. You’ll find her researching the latest housing trends and the newest up and coming areas worth investing in. Read more about Millie here.
I live in a link-detached property. What can I do about loud noise coming from the party wall? This was a garage but has been converted to a living area.
Hi Connie,
Thank you for your question.
You could look at adding a further layer of insulation into the party wall. This will add a few extra centimetres of thickness into your wall – something to keep in mind as it will slightly reduce the size of your room. With it only being on one wall though, this shouldn’t be too noticeable.
Hope this helps! 🙂
We have a bungalow with a linked garage with our neighbours, however the garage and the main house is separated by external walls ie there is a passageway with only a open roof (you can see into rafters). Is this still a linked detached? or a semi-detached?
Hi Elizabeth,
Whilst we’re mainly a property news site, we’d like to try help where we can. If you could drop us an email on [email protected] we can have a better chat about it. 🙂
My neighbour is looking to make his linked garage into a teenagers bedroom. The room will be narrow anyway. Does this change the linked into a semi detatched and if my linked is valued now at £500k max, what will that do to my valuation if the conversion occurs?
Hi Jeremy,
Thank you for your question!
Whilst we’re mainly a property news site, we like to do our best to answer questions as best as we can.
We believe that your neighbour converting the garage to a bedroom would change the category of your house to be a semi-detached house, rather than a link detached.
As for the value of your house, it’s hard to give a straight answer of what the conversion of the garage will do to your house’s value. If the new bedroom is properly soundproofed, the level of noise shouldn’t be any more than when the link was a garage, which will be helpful when it comes to advertising your property to potential buyers.
Hope this helps! 🙂
We have a link-dechatched house, and we are thinking about converting our garage into a bathroom and utility room. Would that make ours and my neighbours house a semi-detached?
Hi,
Thanks for your question!
If you are to convert your garage to ‘accommodation’, then this will technically mean your and your neighbours house is now classed as ‘semi-detached’.
Hope this helps 🙂
What right does an ‘affected’ neighbour have if you’re potentially devaluing their house by making it semi-detached?
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for your question!
The only right an affected neighbour really has is to comment how they feel once the plans have been entered to get planning permission. However, even if they do this, there are no guarantees it would stop planning permission from getting granted.
Hope this helps! 🙂