Would you tell your neighbour that you have sold your house?

[MinnieMountain]

Our neighbours have sold their house, but not told us. We're civil with them rather than friendly but I still find it odd.

They didn't have a sign up, I found out from looking at house prices in our area on Rightmove.

I saw them last week as I needed a chat about having their tree trimmed. Asked how they are generally- no mention of it.

Yes i would have found it strange.

We didn’t tell our neighbours before we sold, but we had a sign. I didn’t consider it their business as we would have sold anyway so made no difference

Our opposite neighbours just moved out one day… we weren’t close, but exchanged pleasantries and I’d only seen them to have a short chat about how the baby was doing the day before!

They obviously have no obligation to let anyone know, I just think it’s strange that they wouldn’t mention it.

Our WhatsApp group for my immediate neighbours was busy that day!

Exactly, of course there's no obligation but they've been there at least 14 years (before us) and I know they tried to sell a few years ago so it's a big change for them.

Only if they asked (we had a sign up). I suppose that some of our neighbours will just have seen the moving van one day and us disappear to our new house!

No , none of your business .

Maybe if I happen to see them I wouldn't knock on their door to tell them

My mum's neighbour did this. No board outside but one day, people kept turning up in regular intervals to go inside. I looked on Rightmove and sure enough it was for sale. They hadn't mentioned it to any of the neighbours they regularly chatted to. Same when it sold and when they actually moved. No mention, just the van turning up. They did leave note cards through some doors, saying 'thanks for being a lovely neighbour', but still found it odd that they never mentioned it once during conversations. It's a small cul-de-sac, so everyone knew everyone kind of set up.

Sales can fall through all of the time - it’s likely it doesn’t even register as something important to tell you, especially as you’re not really friendly. I’d tell our neighbours as we get along and spend time together but that’s a different situation.

When I was about ten, way before the internet came along, neighbours of ours did this. It was a tiny cul de sac too, so they must have gone to some trouble to keep the sale secret. They subsequently got divorced.

We’re hopefully moving, but it’s taking forever as we’re in a chain and it’s not a done deal yet so haven’t told the neighbours on one side. Will tell them when we exchange and have a date agreed.

Nope, no one else’s business.

Next-door-but-one didn't tell us or anyone else in the cul-de-sac of seven houses that it was even on the market . First anyone knew was the Sold sign going up. That was two months ago and still no information.

I would but in the course of normal conversation. I wouldn't make a specific point of telling them.

Bit odd that they didn't mention...but who knows why? Up to them.

It is strange.

I didnt tell my neighbours because they were arseholes and I thought they'd interfere with the sale. They were always overstepping and doing strange things - controlling / territorial stuff.

I haven’t said anything to my neighbours when I’ve moved house.

The For Sale then Sold board will have been a clue.

Would only mention it if I was in the habit of chatting to a neighbour, then I would mention it in passing.

I’ve never told neighbours before a move. Some people like to keep a sale low key and that’s their business. Often people choose not to have a sign up.

We didn’t tell the neighbour on one side. We’d been there fourteen years. We had to complain to them a number of times about their builders and in the last two years we pretty much stopped talking

They had no idea as we didn’t have a sign up . One day we just got a van and left

I spotted one of neighbours' places on Rightmove - it went under offer quickly so disappeared from active listings and still they didn't say anything. In the end, when their packers arrived, I went and knocked to say goodbye. They said they hadn't wanted to jinx the sale. Sad though, nice people, and yes a bit odd as relationships were pretty cordial.

Yes, but we are fortunate to get on well with all ours so it would be a bit strange not to mention it. Last time one of them moved we knew they were planning to for a couple of years beforehand (it was when they retired).

No probably not.

My neighbours knocked on our door to let us know they had put their house on the market. In the course of them living there for about 8 years, probably was the third or fourth conversation we had with them.

Possible they don’t actually own the house and it’s sold from one landlord to another.

Or maybe owned by an ex partner and they have finally bought them out.

All sorts of reasons a house may sell without wanting to tell people.

We are moving after renting for 10 years. Most people on the street assume we own the house as have been here longer then most and no reason to have told them otherwise. We asked to buy the property first so ours would have shown as ‘sold’ without being for sale. It didn’t so now we have bought elsewhere. We haven’t been round and knocked on each neighbours door but have told a couple of neighbours if we happened to see them in the street.

Yes unless the relationship is very poor. It just seems a matter of courtesy. Most people will have some low level contact with neighbours even if they’re not friendly so it seems like the normal thing to do to mention that you’re on the move and there will be removals and new people on x date.

I’d want to say goodbye to the neighbours on our right and also those opposite who are lovely. The ones to the left, we don’t speak after some tension over some scaffolding and boundaries so we wouldn’t say anything to them.

I don’t think it is odd. We have never had estate agent boards up. We did tell immediate neighbours as it was a semi and we wanted them to know we had sold to a nice family.

The previous owners of our current house didn’t tell anyone they were moving. We bought it within hours of it being on Rightmove so it didn’t have a board up (no time lol). The window cleaner turned up a few days after we moved in, let himself round the back as usual. I’m not sure which of us was more surprised!