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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Who can i ring to get my parents neighbours to move their shitty caravan?

92 replies

VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:39

Not really an AIBU but traffic is high here so...

My folks have been trying to sell their house for 18 months, the next door neighbours have a dirty old caravan parked in their garden, nearly every viewing they have had has told the estate agents that the house is lovely but they are put off by the state of the neighbours front garden/caravan (it really is bad and can be seen on google maps)

is there something legally my dad can do to get them to shift it?

OP posts:
floweryroyalweddingbouquet · 28/04/2011 11:44

I can't imagine so for a minute assuming it's in the neighbours' own private garden. I assume your parents have asked nicely and been refused? Could they offer to pay for it to be housed in a storage facility until the house is sold?

usualsuspect · 28/04/2011 11:46

Its in their garden so I shouldn't imagine its illegal

Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:48

im sure its not illegal to have a caravan in your own garden, but it is stopping my parents house from being sold

my parents cannot afford for it to be stored

there is a pic on my profile of it

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 28/04/2011 11:49

Could they go halves on one of those big covers to go over a caravan?

Bathsheba · 28/04/2011 11:49

Check the deeds of your parents house - we live ina fairly newish development and our deeds specifically say that we cannot use our drive/garden etc for caravans.

Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:49

yep my dad has asked him to move it/clean it, my dad even cuts the grass so it doesnt look so bad, as neighbour never ever cuts the grass

OP posts:
Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:51

thanks bathshea i will tell him to check that

OP posts:
Bathsheba · 28/04/2011 11:51

Sorry, I meant that no-one on our dvelopment can use their drives for caravans etc....

Flisspaps · 28/04/2011 11:51

It doesn't look that bad in the photo.

Fimbo · 28/04/2011 11:52

I was about to post the same thing as Bathsheba. But how would anyone uphold it? Someone on our estate has already put a caravan on their drive and you are not supposed to put sky dishes on the front of properties either but that hasn't stopped anyone doing it.

bubblecoral · 28/04/2011 11:52

Ok, it is quite an eyesore.

Do the Estate Agents have any advice? Surely they wuld know if there was anything that could be done?

Otherwise, depending on how desparate they are to sell, they could drop the asking price. Presumably neither they or the EA want that to happen though. It may end up working out to be a cheaper option to find the money to get the caravan stored.

Fimbo · 28/04/2011 11:53

TBH I agree with Flisspaps it doesn't look that bad, although it does need a good scrub, perhaps your dad could do that?

Flisspaps · 28/04/2011 11:53

I was expecting this [cwink]

MollieO · 28/04/2011 11:53

Could you or your parents offer to clean the outside of it?

MollieO · 28/04/2011 11:54

Flisspaps where did you get that photo of my home? Grin

frgr · 28/04/2011 11:54

It's not that bad (not enough to put me off buying a house next door) , not unless there are normally broken kids toys, nappies and a dog guarding the pile alongside it too! Is that picture really what it looks like, or is google maps just showing it on a good (in relative terms) day?

floweryroyalweddingbouquet · 28/04/2011 11:56

I realise finding the money upfront might be a problem, but if that's the reason they are not selling their house, or the reason they will need to drop the price in order to sell their house, then it's probably going to save them huge amounts in the long run if they can scrape the money together.

Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:56

its might not look that bad to you but it is putting people off, last people who came to view, drove staright past when thy saw it, then told the estate agent that the caravan put them off the viewing

my parents dont even live in the house, they have retired and moved but they are still paying the mortgage on it, they have even tried letting it out but no one is interested

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 28/04/2011 11:57

I think possibly bit the bullet and ask the neihgbours if you can go around and clean the caravan, explain that you have now had three four lot sof feed back abut the hosue and the caravan is number one negative.

Dress this up in a shot sarnie , your wonderful cna't understand peoples objections to caravans etc but can we clean it up, your so very kind blah bla

You can get soem good stuff to clean up caravans

Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 11:58

my dad has already cleaned it once but now lives a 100 miles away, they are desperate to sell and have already dropped the asking price by 25K

OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 28/04/2011 12:00

my only other suggestion is illegal.... Shock and your not going to like that one where you work Grin

bubblecoral · 28/04/2011 12:00

How long has the house be on the market? Are you absolutely sure that there is nothing else putting people off?

Sometime potential buyers would use something as simple as a caravan as easy feedback if whatever else thay had to say could offend.

Original poster
VinegarTits · 28/04/2011 12:00

My dad has already tried most of what you are suggesting

im hoping there is something he can do legally, like call the council/environmental health/anybody!

OP posts:
katz · 28/04/2011 12:01

the caravan doesn't look that bad, i wonder if viewers are using this as an easy excuse. it looks like its on a separate drive bit to the house. Does it cause a shadow? does it block a view? granted its not pretty. Are viewers concerned someone is living in it.

I know when we were viewing we had a list of stock answers for why a house was not right.

ShimmeryPixie · 28/04/2011 12:01

That doesn't look anywhere near manky enough to stop a house sale. Are Is the EA sure the viewers aren't just using it as an excuse for something else?

As a warning - I've known of a few people who tried to get their neighbours caravans moved. It never worked but did prove expensive for some and created a lot of bad feeling.