Scum bag neighbours....
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Westy Pre-Lit

Original Poster:

5,088 posts

226 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
My parents can no longer manage the home they live in due to ill health and are desperate to move to a more suitable location which they have found. The price they they want to sell for is right for the market as others have sold in the area for the same price and are not in as good condition and require work. Basically the area and property is ideal for the retired.

Nearly everyone who comes to view the property loves the place and some have even asked and got round to doing deals over the furniture etc

That is until one issue pops up time and time and time again and the deal falls through.

What is it........THE fkING NIEGHBOURS!!!!

Basically the place next door is an absolute hole a pig wouldn't live in. The father lives with his girlfriend a few miles away, while the son, a moron of epic proportion who is in his 30's, basically treats it like a squat. There is also 'previous' with the neighbours as well which would take to long to explain.

The house looks like it's about to collapse due to no maintenance, vehicles are dumped on the lawn and left to rot, everything is over grown and just basically looks like a rubbish tip.

They have tried writing letters to the owner and getting the council involved. Unfortunately they say the problem isn't bad enough even though nobody in their right mind would want to live next to it.

As far as my parents are concerned, their once pride and joy is now worthless due to the utter SCUM neighbours next door.

Is there anything else they can do as the situation is rather desperate as I said earlier due to ill health ? They can't afford an expensive legal fight.

I know some will say live and let live and they have a right to live like pigs, but when it effects everything you have lived and worked hard for......well writing this is even making me want to do things I will probably regret.


Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Wednesday 28th July 07:48

jesta1865

3,453 posts

232 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
get them to the gp's they tell how the stress of living next door to the scummers is making them stressed and depressed etc, and the council will have to do something once the pct are involved. it may not be instant, but wheels start moving once the pct is involved as then the local council don't want a lawsuit from family if one of the parents was to take their own life. make sure they mention suicide.

then the council will get off their fat backsides and do the work we pay them for.

and yes i do see the irony of my post when i have defended the public sector in the past (i work in it) but this brings back bad memories for me.

oh and they also need to mention the rats they have spotted next door as well.

Westy Pre-Lit

Original Poster:

5,088 posts

226 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Thank you, some good ideas there.

I can't reply until this evening but any suggestions are gratefully received. smile

cjs

11,466 posts

274 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Who owns the house? Are the occupants renting? Are they working or on the social?

Westy Pre-Lit

Original Poster:

5,088 posts

226 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
The father owns the house and the son just lives there. Not sure if he's paying anything tbh.

The son has lost his job again.

YarisSi

1,538 posts

267 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Contact the council they can force the owner to repair the house and bring it up to a suitable standard. I think they will even give him funds to do it although that may require him to rent it through them or sell up and repay within two years.

cjs

11,466 posts

274 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Westy Pre-Lit said:
The father owns the house and the son just lives there. Not sure if he's paying anything tbh.

The son has lost his job again.
So that makes things difficult.

Are you on talking terms with the Father (owner)? Can you reason with him? Maybe you can offer to help pay to get the garden tidied? Explain you are trying to sell and it is putting off potential buyers. If not I cannot see what else can be done in the short term, unless it is an environmental health issue?

The trouble is your parents will have to declare any neighbour disputes or issues with potential buyers, making things 'official' may be a bad move.

I feel for you and your parents, thank god I'm blessed with decent neighbours.

cjs

11,466 posts

274 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Can you afford to buy your parents a new property? Are you the only child? Maybe they can gift you the current house, you can rent it out and buy them a new home using the rental income?

Eventually the neighbours will move or die.

Soir

2,277 posts

262 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
maywb offer the neighbour (son) some cash to tidy up the front - pay on the basis once the house is sold

be honest with him. sounds like a bum - maybe tempted for few quid?

FourWheelDrift

91,818 posts

307 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Soir said:
maywb offer the neighbour (son) some cash to tidy up the front - pay on the basis once the house is sold

be honest with him. sounds like a bum - maybe tempted for few quid?
nono I bet they won't see him again until he returns with bags of Tesco Value lager.

mk1fan

10,838 posts

248 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Why not sell the house to a Landlord instead of a 'family'?

TBH unfortunately the neighbour is going to lower the value of your parents house regardless of it's condition and you have no right to dictate how they - the neighour - choose to use the property. It is the flip side to our (generally as a Nation), frankly ridiculous, obsession with property and landownership being a cash cow.

Try looking at the situation with complete honesty.

What do you NEED from the sale?
In reality, is selling the property for say £5k less still/really going to be a loss?
If your parent's health is in decline is it really time to start 'preaching' (for that is how it will be perceved) to a neighbour your parent's wish to leave behind?
You say that the price is right but it clearly isn't, else it would have sold, perhaps you need to target a different buyer?
What does the Estate Agent suggest?

Jasandjules

71,928 posts

252 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Silly question, but could your parents let the house out and use that rental income for their needs?

Murph7355

40,859 posts

279 months

Wednesday 28th July 2010
quotequote all
Being blunt, if the house next door is such a ste hole, I cannot imagine anyone would be doing deals on furniture, making sensible offers etc. It sounds like it *may* be being used as an excuse...

I doubt you'll get anyone to act on it unless it's properly run down, and this is very subjective of course.

Perhaps your best bet would be to canvass a few of the neighbours (couple each side and across the road) and see what their view is. Then perhaps contact the father, noting the collective view (assuming the others agree). If he does nothing, contact the council.

Can't see it being a quick thing to resolve though, so perhaps looking at the price etc would be quicker...

Jasandjules

71,928 posts

252 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
Murph7355 said:
Being blunt, if the house next door is such a ste hole, I cannot imagine anyone would be doing deals on furniture, making sensible offers etc. It sounds like it *may* be being used as an excuse...
Oh I don't know about that - after all, if I was looking at a house which I liked BUT the neighbour's house looked like a wreck I'd be thinking - they will be chav scum neighbours who will have a dog that barks all night long, they will play music all night long and we'll have their rubbish stinking out our garden etc etc.

Soooo, I'd look at another house instead. Having bad neighbours can make a house not worth living in.

mk1fan

10,838 posts

248 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
So you wouldn't start getting into discussions about offers and question about furniture then would you?

Jasandjules

71,928 posts

252 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
mk1fan said:
So you wouldn't start getting into discussions about offers and question about furniture then would you?
ME? No. But I've had people looking at our houses before now spending an hour asking the world's collection of questions and sounding as interested as you could possibly consider. Then they tell the agent they are not interested. But then I have sold a house (at the asking price) to a couple who came in, didn't go upstairs, didn't look in the garage and asked about 2 questions and then left, the entire viewing lasting 5 mins tops.....

mrmaggit

10,146 posts

271 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
Jasandjules said:
mk1fan said:
So you wouldn't start getting into discussions about offers and question about furniture then would you?
ME? No. But I've had people looking at our houses before now spending an hour asking the world's collection of questions and sounding as interested as you could possibly consider. Then they tell the agent they are not interested. But then I have sold a house (at the asking price) to a couple who came in, didn't go upstairs, didn't look in the garage and asked about 2 questions and then left, the entire viewing lasting 5 mins tops.....
Bit like me then. The last two houses I've bought to live in have taken less than 5 minutes to view. In fact, make that three.

Magog

2,653 posts

212 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
mrmaggit said:
Jasandjules said:
mk1fan said:
So you wouldn't start getting into discussions about offers and question about furniture then would you?
ME? No. But I've had people looking at our houses before now spending an hour asking the world's collection of questions and sounding as interested as you could possibly consider. Then they tell the agent they are not interested. But then I have sold a house (at the asking price) to a couple who came in, didn't go upstairs, didn't look in the garage and asked about 2 questions and then left, the entire viewing lasting 5 mins tops.....
Bit like me then. The last two houses I've bought to live in have taken less than 5 minutes to view. In fact, make that three.
You bought a house in the midst of writing your post, that's impressive.

Westy Pre-Lit

Original Poster:

5,088 posts

226 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
Thanks for the good replies guys.

As Jasandjules say's about noise etc, he has knocked the nail squarely on it's head. As said before there have been many issues with the neighbours and those have been the exact problems i.e. Music being played till silly o'clock in the morning, screaming and shouting etc etc etc.

It all came to a head a few years back when my mum finally snapped at 3.00am unable to sleep due to the noise, went out in the garden and put a brick through their back window. She then proceeded to spray the garden hose inside the house soaking them and putting the music system out of action. hehe The police were called at the time, who they had a good laugh with about it, but had to pay for the window which my mum agreed to. If you knew my mum you wouldn't have thought she'd have it in her so I was quite surprised at the time. yikes

This then resulted in mediation sessions between them and although the noise etc has now stopped, they are basically people you can't deal with and just utter fkwit scum.

As it stands they received a letter from the council yesterday saying they can't go any further with the matter. Personally I wouldn't let them get away with it but my parents have decided they have now had enough of it all.

Having taken some of the advice given on this thread, they have today taken the house off the market as it's causing them too much stress which quite frankly they don't need atm. If things get better for them they may try to sort things out later. Personally i'd rather them stay where they are to be honest anyway, as apart from the mess etc the neighbours are no longer any bother at all, or so they tell me. Unfortunately anybody who takes one look at the place wouldn't see it that way.

The renting ideas seem feasible as well so will look further into that...thank you.


Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Thursday 29th July 18:40

mk1fan

10,838 posts

248 months

Thursday 29th July 2010
quotequote all
Jasandjules said:
mk1fan said:
So you wouldn't start getting into discussions about offers and question about furniture then would you?
ME? No.
It's more a comment about you not reading a post fully. If you didn't like a property then you wouldn't go away and start negotiations about buying it - as the OP has stated people have done.

You look around and say I'm not buying that because the neighbouring house is a tip/wreck/probably a terrible neighbour/grief. Show me the next one.