Surprisingly, owning a riverfront property in the UK doesn’t guarantee the ability to use or fish in the stretch of water outside your home. For that, you’ll need fishing rights.
What Are Fishing Rights Worth?
River properties that include the fishing rights, or riparian rights, earn sellers sizeable perks. Just being on the water already places these homes in such a rare, desirable position that their value can be 10% to 20% higher than similar nearby landlocked estates, said Ben Horne, Head of Country Buying. But with fishing rights, the sales price can increase by several thousand pounds.
Purchasing Riverfront Property
Buying a riverfront estate along one of the UK’s popular rivers, especially with the fishing rights attached, requires patience, and typically, at least £2.5 million, according to Ben.
“They are rare in the marketplace, there just aren’t many houses with river frontage in the context of country houses. They usually sell privately with only a few viewings taking place,” added Ben.
One of Middleton’s clients, Sean O’Brien, spent a year searching for his ideal river home with fishing rights before buying a period mill house in November 2021 along the river Kennet near Hungerford for £3.625 million, after being the first to view it.
“Since we purchased over two years ago, we’ve kept an eye on the market and so far nothing has emerged that would have been suitable, so we were lucky to find it so quickly,” Sean said in a statement provided by Middleton Advisors.
Anglers looking to own a slice of England’s chalk streams typically pay the highest prices and face the stiffest competition when property becomes available. These unique, clear waterways attract international attention from fly fishermen looking to stalk trout or grayling as they can largely only be found here. (England holds 85%of the world’s chalk streams).
Some buyers won’t even consider estates without fishing rights, Ben said.
“Many of these buyers are wealthy people who have dreamt of owning a riverfront home for many years. It is a deep desire of theirs, and they’re willing to wait for the right home and pay more for one with fishing rights included,” Ben added.
Other Waterfront Issues
Another issue with riparian rights comes not from the fish, but the control and flow of water. “You may have sluice gates [locks] to control the water flow, but without the authority to operate those gates,” Ben said. This means another person can decide how much water can enter your section of the river, potentially hindering your fishing ability.
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