Declaring nuisance neighbours when moving house

[Singingbunny]

Would you be concerned to move into a new home to find out that the previous family had issues with the family next door?
Issues like complaining about noise, arguments and passive aggressive tit-for-tat behaviour. (Neighbour to previous occupants)
If you hadn’t be told prior to moving in would you assume the neighbour is the issue and they didn’t want to lose the sale/tenancy by being honest with you? Or that it was a private issue between them and doesn’t automatically mean you too will have issues with the neighbour?
Im trying to think realistically and rationally before contacting anyone about this.
thank u

i think you legally have to declare any formal action taken against neighbours? and if I knew about it, it would definitely put me off.

I'd run a mile, as we've got PITA neighbours and I'd be moving to escape them.

I've not reported the noise nuisance for this very reason.

Honestly it could be either way.
I had horrible neighbours who tried to say we were noisy and god knows what else but were proved wrong and none of the other neighbours liked them.
They moved I'm sure they didn't declare anything.

But obviously there will be people with genuinely nuisance neighbours who don't declare it either.

So I can see both possibilities

You only have to declare it if a formal action has been taken e.g. via complaint to council, police, etc.
I'd run a mile!

But obviously there will be people with genuinely nuisance neighbours who don't declare it either.

We didn't declare, just got the hell out asap.

Yes absolutely correct.

Sometimes it can just be particular neighbours who have a problem with another particular neighbour and not an issue with new neighbours.

@FlyingCherub what is a PITA neighbour?

You only need to declare if any formal actions taken ie complaints made, you don’t need to declare if you just don’t get on and wind each other up.

to be honest, I knew the folks we bought from didn’t get on with the neighbours, thought it was a personality clash, as what I knew I thought was all so petty, I was wrong, they are awful human beings. Complain about everything, report you anonymously, want to know what’s going on and what you’re doing, utter c u next Tuesdays.

I moved out of a small 2 bed rental property not long ago. Total PITA neighbours on both sides. One older couple yelling, banging frequently including middle of the night and others could hear them half way down the street. Other side hostile passive aggressive and did that barked, howled all day. In contrast I think we were near perfect tenants. The agency would have none of it and even got aggressive with us when we tried to discuss it. I pity anyone moving in or buying that house, likely noone will tell them in advance.

Our neighbours complained to the police about us, no action was taken, so as it wasn’t us.making the complaint I assume we wouldn’t need to declare it?

For those who didn’t tell new owners/tenants, did you feel guilty? Did they ever contact you asking why you lied?
I can see why people keep it quiet as you’d never escape otherwise. I’m a worrier and don’t want any implications coming back on me.
I once made the mistake of thinking an old neighbour just hated the previous tenants and would be fine with us as we’re a quiet family, I was wrong we were bullied and harassed for years. Luckily being private rented I didn’t need to say.

We have a neighbour from hell - to the extent that they physically assaulted their next door neighbour and it went to court. When the next door neighbour sold she didn't state this on the paperwork. She later received a legal letter from the new occupier (who actually got on ok with the neighbour from hell) threatening to sue her. She had a solicitor look at it and they said you only have to state if there is a dispute over the boundary - anything else is a personal issue. A letter went back to the purchaser and that was the end of it. The reality is that not everyone gets on - I wouldn't mention it if I moved now.

You're not lying if no formal complaint has been made, as that is what you have to declare. In some ways it's a shame you do because I know several people that have felt they can't take formal actions against neighbours who really deserve it, because it might come back on them if they sell before said awful neighbours do.

Thanks for all replies, I’m just not sure what to do/say. I don’t want to lose our new house but morally I know it’s wrong to withhold information particularly as neighbour will slag me off to new tenants and they’ll all know my new address.

For those who didn’t tell new owners/tenants, did you feel guilty? Did they ever contact you asking why you lied?

No and No to answer those questions.

Pain in the arse.

Really interesting because a couple of people have said this including one policeman I believe.
But of course the majority of people like here say you have to declare

Me too. We spenk 5k on sound proofing instead as they're self centered ass hats who don't deserve to breathe let alone be alive but hey ho.
Much better once we soundproofed but I'll forever be angry they they never made an effort (even though I offered to pay and the work would have been minimal on their side whereas our side was much more awkward)

I'm super sensitive to noise though.

Next house will definitely be detached

But yes, if I were to take formal action, ie. Complain via council or legal etc, you ought to declare it. When selling a house, on the form you fill in, it does ask about disputes or similar, so if you say no, but later it comes to light, you can be sued. Not sure about tenancy though.
In all liklihood, if you buy a house, the surveys and legal checks should technically bring things like that to light too if they're good. And again, if a seller lied on the form, can be sued.

For those who didn’t tell new owners/tenants, did you feel guilty? Did they ever contact you asking why you lied?

No way to do that. As a tenant you don't get given new tenant details after you leave, they don't get yours. In my case a gap of several months while the place re decorated so not one out and one in. I could knock on the door but I've moved on. It's the landlord and agency who should inform them, their responsibility (but of course they won't).

Ours wasn’t a boundary issue, a woman who lives on our road, not an immediate neighbour, inexplicably decided that DH had tried to run her over in my car ….. DH was arrested for common assault but released pretty quickly due to no evidence and no witnesses. In total madness! Would I need to declare that?

Legally and morally you should declare it. It’s absolutely not fair to inflict the same misery on the new buyers.

Oh dear my neighbours have caused a boundary issue, doesn't bother me as this is my forever house but they are stuffed if they go to sell cos they will have to pay for a surveyor to declare the big day since they removed the bricks that marked it. Going to cost them alot of money in the long run.

I'll have the popcorn ready for that day

It’s social housing so not illegal to not declare and we know the new tenants. But I guess I’m worried it’ll come back on me somehow as I bare face lied that next door are lovely and we’ve never had issues 😣

Well outright lying and saying they were lovely is an awful thing to do. That person will be moving in thinking they are getting lovely neighbours! They might have opted not to move in without you saying that.
Why didn’t you just say you don’t see them much or you really don’t know them?

I did say I barely see them but times we have spoken they’ve been lovely. I left it at that. Thing is the neighbour has a problem with me specifically so I don’t know if it would extend to the new family. I could tell them and lose the chance of ever moving house when they could be happy here and have no issues. Believe me I feel guilty but I need to think of my family too we have had a shit time in this house and we need to get out.