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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

WIBU to not tell prospective tenants about the neighbours?

33 replies

vvviola · 19/11/2014 06:27

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?

OP posts:
specialsubject · 19/11/2014 12:15

I hope that there is some kind of environmental health agency in NZ that can deal with these neanderthals.

as anywhere, just because one landlady was bad doesn't mean they all are. But this is not your problem, you are leaving anyway and this is not affected by whether someone moves in or not.

be honest if asked.

vvviola · 19/11/2014 15:00

Aargh! Just had a very long post swallowed by my phone.

Summary was : environmental health haven't been much use so far.

I understand most people would prefer to know, and I don't think we'd be liable for either telling or not telling. But landlord has a big deposit of ours that they could tie up for a while if they were being difficult.

I'm now leaning towards telling the truth (the neighbours have the occasional party and they are right by the bedroom window) if asked about the neighbours or noise levels. I'll leave the windows open too, although it's so cold and miserable here at the moment I don't think I'd get away with the "it's hot" excuse summer has gone AWOL

Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
Kakaka · 20/11/2014 05:54

It probably won't be an issue Vvv. When we moved out of our first NZ rental I was worried about what to say. We moved cos the house was freezing and the agent shit.

The agent arranged an appointment with me to show a set of tenants round. All went fine. Agent arrives, shows them round, they all leave.

Then ten mins later another couple show up. The agent had advertised an open home on trademe without asking or even telling me. I let the couple in, although I was working at home and it really wasn't convenient. They asked me if it was a cold house and I said yes. It was also pretty clear I was pissed off at the agent for being such a tosser. They leave. Ten mins later THEY COME BACK and ask to have another look. I'm pretty sure they took the house in spite of knowing was cold and that the agent would advertise an open home with telling the tenant!

When I rang the agent she pretended this was normal practice. Fucker.

vvviola · 22/11/2014 20:59

Seems like you might be right Kakaka!

Agent arrived (late) having not given us much notice (luckily DH was home all day), showed someone around. DH made a bit of a comment about neighbours, it was ignored. All the guy wanted was to make sure the garage was big enough for his car and motorbikes he may give the neighbours a run for their money

DH got the impression he was following the agent back to the office to sign a contract.

Great for us - we won't have 6 weeks of having to keep the house "viewing ready" while trying to pack and sort things.

OP posts:
Kakaka · 24/11/2014 07:27

That's a win-win-win Vvv! No guilt, old neighbours might get annoyed and you don't have to do endless open homes!

How are you feeling about the move back to the UK?

Andrewofgg · 24/11/2014 08:39

Tell the agents. Don't tell viewers unless they ask, in which case do tell them.

Andrewofgg · 24/11/2014 08:40

Sorry did not RTFT. Congratulations and Wine in your new home. Neighbours are SOB's problem now!

MaybeDoctor · 24/11/2014 08:43

I think you did what you could. And by the time he is revving his engines, he will hardly be able to hear the neighbours...Pity the folk on the other side!

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