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Property/DIY

Buying a house that has been burgled in the last 12 months

19 replies

holidaybug · 22/07/2013 20:17

And has had a car broken into too. Would this put you off?

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SwishSwoshSwoosh · 22/07/2013 20:22

Yes, it would potentially. Some houses/streets are more prone to this sort of problem.

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AgentProvocateur · 22/07/2013 20:24

Yes, but I'm not sure how I'd know. If I was the seller, I wouldn't admit that information.

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PoppyWearer · 22/07/2013 20:26

It depends on the neighbourhood - you can look up crime stats online.

Our house had a car theft before we bought it, but it was a complete one-off. It didn't put us off.

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holidaybug · 22/07/2013 20:39

I looked it up online and spoke to the local police. It is a good neighbourhood but this house has been targeted twice, the only one on the estate to have had any issues.

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PoppyWearer · 22/07/2013 21:06

Have the police seen any weaknesses in the security that the thieves have targeted?

Get a quote for an alarm system?

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ProphetOfDoom · 22/07/2013 21:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

holidaybug · 22/07/2013 21:27

It is on a corner plot and is accessible to the side, plus there is a pathway that runs behind the property. There are other houses on corner plots though.

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HissyCat · 22/07/2013 21:39

Had a house that had been burgled 6 months prior to us putting it up for sale. We didn't disclose it UNTILL as part of their solicitors enquiries they asked if we'd made any claims for insurance. We had, a figure above £20,000 - a substantial amount, that we couldn't (and wouldn't) not disclose. So the buyer found out that way.

He was jittery... But continued with the purchase as long as we left behind the top of the range CCTV system that we'd installed after the incident.

When we bought a house 2 months later we asked the vendors if they'd been burgled as part of our solicitors enquiries. They said no, tbh it wouldn't have put us off, but it would have made us put security changes as a priority (monitored burglar alarm/ new CCTV etc).

Tbh I personally think our old house was vulnerable to that sort of thing... Not overlooked, opposite forest land, large patio doors which aren't overlooked... Plus, we had issues with our post being pulled out of our letterbox when the postman hadn't pushed it in, car broken into (we didn't claim for that, so didn't disclose it) so buyer beware...

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RappyNash · 23/07/2013 08:55

Apparently 8mths or so after a burglary is prime time to be targeted again, because at this point the owners have usually replaced all their stolen valuables!

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flow4 · 23/07/2013 09:04

Is there a teenager living in the house currently? If so, it may be specifically personal, and once that teen has gone, you'd be no more at risk than the rest of the street.
(I speak from experience).

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CunningAtBothEnds · 23/07/2013 09:18

Thanks for this thread have just messaged my solicitor to get this asked as it hadnt even crosse my mind!

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tumbletumble · 23/07/2013 09:21

Agree with Poppy about installing an alarm system.

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specialsubject · 23/07/2013 11:28

I think you need to find out what happened. Was it an opportunist caused by a security lapse, or are they being targeted for a reason. And if the latter, can you change that reason.

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fussychica · 23/07/2013 14:18

The house across the road to us was broken into recently. Someone had probably seen the obituary and/or realised it was it was empty. There was nothing of any value left to take so they left empty handed and thankfully, for the deceased owners children, didn't make any mess other than the broken window used for entry. It's now SSTC so it's either not been divulged or not put the new buyers off.

I was quite interested in it myself but didn't see the burglary as an issue - thankfully we live in a low crime area.

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holidaybug · 23/07/2013 18:23

They tend to have an expensive car outside so that could explain the car theft and possibly increase the risk of a connected crime. Other than that and it is on the corner, I'm not sure.

I'm not that bothered about the financial risk - it is the emotional side. I was burgled years ago and didn't feel safe in the property after that. Had only popped out for an hour or two so I felt that I must have been watched by the burglar.

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ProphetOfDoom · 23/07/2013 18:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

holidaybug · 23/07/2013 20:26

I could but I'm not sure that knowing the details will help. It seems a bit pointless to formally ask the vendor if there has been a burglary unless that will lead us to pull out.

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breatheslowly · 23/07/2013 20:31

Does the house have an alarm? If not, could you install one? An alarm is mostly a deterrent - we have got one so that potential burglars choose to go elsewhere.

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holidaybug · 23/07/2013 20:52

Hi, yes it has one. I'm sure the security of the house could be improved though.