WIBU to not tell prospective tenants about the neighbours?

[vvviola]

We're moving out of this house at the start of January so with Christmas and everything, the landlord has already listed the house and will be showing it soon.

The thing is, our neighbours are a nightmare. Over the summer they regularly have loud parties, play drums with the windows/doors open at all times of the day and night and do generally irritating things like rev motorbike engines at 6am and clean out boat engines at 10pm. The swearing and shouting last summer got so bad that we couldn't let the kids out in the back garden when the neighbours were home.

It's made worse by their balcony (where they do the most yelling from) being right by our bedroom window and NZ houses being generally uninsulated and without double glazing plus DH is very sensitive to low bass noises so he's on edge the second they start playing music even if I can't hear it until I go up to bed.

The thing is, I don't know whether to mention it to new tenants. I know we wouldn't have taken the house if we'd known. But equally I know DH is extra sensitive and grumpy about it, so maybe it wouldn't bother someone else that much.
BUT: it's not the reason we are moving, and we've been here 2 years without going completely insane.

I'm still a bit sensitive from having our previous landlady yell at me in front of the kids for "being obstructive" over the sale of the house (we only agreed to one full day of viewings every weekend for a month - having to be out of the house all day; I suggested to the estate agent for one midweek viewing that he might like to tell the people that we had suspected chicken pox in case they wanted to come another time when we were out, and with the exception of one occasion when it didn't suit, I agreed to every last minute, midweek viewing). So I'm a bit reluctant to say anything that might discourage people from renting the house.

So would we be totally unreasonable not to say anything unless directly asked?

Personally I'd tell them. I hate noise pollution, and would feel bad new tenants had no idea that they were moving next to what you have called a "nightmare".

Just tell them the truth - don't over or understate it. That's my advice.

I would just tell them the truth - in the way BadLad says.

I would really, really appreciate you telling me if I were buying a house!!

I would tell them if they asked, but probably not volunteer the information unless they had a tiny baby or something.

Unless you have some reason to have a grudge against your LL, I don't think you should tell them. Having loud neighbours is a hazard of living in the same place as other people, it's just a risk that everyone takes when they move. If your ll has been good, I can't see why you'd want to make things difficult for them.

If you're asked outright then there's no need to lie, but I wouldn't go out of my way to tell, so YANBU.

I hate noisy neighbours so if I were a prospective tenant I'd want to know. It'd probably put me off moving in tbh, and I'd be gutted if I didn't know and was stuck there for months.

I think as long as you're honest about it it's ok. Most people will probably ask what the neighbours are like anyway, so just tell them!

I'd tell them, and mention it to the estate agent, at least that's what we did when we left our last tenancy.

That way if a prospective tenant asks then the Agents cannot lie about it.

As a tenant I would really, really appreciate some one telling me this. It's tough though because either you help the future tenants by letting them know, thus possibly prolonging how long the house is vacant for, or you help the landlord by keeping quiet, possibly leaving tenants to move into a house that seriously affects their quality of life but which they might be unable to afford to move back out of.

Just wear ear defenders when you open the door, take them off and say 'Ooh, it appears to have stopped today' and then let them in. No need to say anything else.

What's the legal situation in NZ? Are you obliged to tell them?

Please do tell them. We lived with a nightmare neighbour and it really spoiled our enjoyment of our house. When we moved, we went to look round a new house and the tenant was brutally honest in telling us that the old woman next door was horrible to his young children, after seeing we had 10mo DD with us and we said we were looking for a long term home. I was so appreciative because if we had moved in there we would have only had to spend more money moving again.

Definitely say something. We are currently living with nightmare neighbours and I wish someone had told us!

Put the number for noise control on a big note on the fridge!

You must tell them and also the estate agents. Moving house is so expensive. We have been forced to move twice because of LL selling our home and each time has cost at least 1000£ plus overall upscale of rent. I would be looking for compensation for non disclosure of unsociable behaviour!!

Best look at this from a legal standpoint, could you be liable if the landlord can't rent the place because of what you say?

I would tell them, why wouldn't you? It's not your job to protect your landlord's "investment".

It's not ops job to make life easier for prospective tenants either.

I think say something generic like 'the neighbours can be a bit noisy' and let them take the bait if they want.

It does depend on the individual. A friend once stayed over in a flat we were living in and said that the noise of people walking upstairs had kept her awake most of the night.

We had lived there four years at that point and never been bothered - yet she had often complained to me about noisy upstairs neighbours.

Likewise, we lived with six dogs next door at one point (terrace) but rapidly tuned out the regular bouts of barking.

Will you be there for the viewings? I would just arrange to be out and leave it to the agents.

I would be honest - I was with all the people that came to view the house were were leaving (not neighbours, but about parking issues, and the repair of the house. I included the great stuff about the place too, as none of the downsides were why we were leaving)

Yes, tell them. I bet you wish someone had told you.

I would tell them. I might not if I were desperately trying to sell my own house, but you are already moving out.

I would feel horribly duped if I moved into a new house only to be plagues with nightmare neighbours.

If you're in NZ, you're heading into summer now? so just have the window open when they do viewings and if they hear the noise, they hear it.

If you need a reference from your landlord at all, you need to keep on their good side, so can't be seen to be "sabotaging" the letting process by regaling viewers with tales of the crap neighbours, but the viewers will want to know. With windows open, the viewers can find out about the neighbours as they view and if your landlord gets arsey because a viewer comments on them, point our you just happened to have the window open because it's hot.

I'd be VERY grateful for your honesty if you told me.