A houseboat is just that! It is simply a house that is floating on water. A true house boat is more like a mobile home set on a floating base. There are many people who like to live in a house next to a river and there are many people to actually live on water in a canal boat, cabin cruiser or a luxury yacht or even an industrial boat like a steel barge converted into a luxury house boat. There have even been massive old oil tankers being converted into houseboats. Take a look at this web site to get an idea of the possibilities: Apollo Duck: Houseboats. Just picture, if you will the romatic notion of living on water, on an picturesque canal having sweet dreams as you fall asleep with the boat swaying gently.

In reality, although boats themselves are mobile, house boats rarlely move. The reason for this is that there are a number of regulations in the UK to overcome. To live in the canal system in the UK, you need a houseboat certificate and it is very hard to obtain one since there are few areas suitable for house boats. You may stand a better chance with the countrys river systems and coastal regions. Many old industrial docks have been converted into marinas and yacht basins and you need to obtain a residential mooring for one of these locations. To obtain a mooring there are two pieces of legislation you need to overcome: 1, a license from the appropriate waterway authority and 2, planning permission. Planning permission would be automatic if you are mooring in an established marina but if you are considering the river at the bottom of your garden, you will have to apply for proper planning permission.

There is a huge variance in mooring fees around the country, with attractive areas like Regents Canal in London having demand greatly oustripping supply. The price of a mooring license can be about £800 a year to about £8,000 on the Regents Canal in London. If the idea of living on a houseboat appeals to you, there are two main points to consider: 1, ensure you can get a place to put your boat and 2, obtain a good quality boat that will last a long time - always have it surveyed.