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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask wether itvwukd put you off buying a house if it was rented next door (attatched) and it had history of high turnover?

42 replies

ginorwine · 27/11/2016 22:05

Sorry to do second post about moving house issues.
We had planned to buy a house and now have a number of doubts about doing so.
My dh had planned this as out final move and wanted peace and quiet . Lovely garden etc and all done up . Im not as keen on atea.
Anyway since he has discovered that it is trntrd next door he is not keen especially has apparently had a high number of changes i tenants . ( I wdnt be concerned if it was longer term )
What would your concerns be , if any ?
Thanks .

OP posts:
MissVictoria · 27/11/2016 22:24

I'm bit torn on this one as our next door neighbour rents out, and we can have a new one every 6 - 12 months. The problem for us is the type of family he rents to. I think he's one of the few local landlords who accepts housing benefit, kids and pets. The past 5 years we've had some hellish neighbours. Screaming kids slamming about all day, screaming parents arguing and swearing, babies whose parents employ the "see if it cries itself back to sleep" and wait 20 minutes before seeing to it at 3am EVERY day so it's woken up and kept us awake. We also had one who decided to back yard breed their dogs who never shut up barking, and also had a fish tank with a very loud filter right up against out joining bedroom wall, like trying to sleep next to a pylon, loud electric buzzing none stop. The current renters are VERY loud, not shouting, no pets or kids, but in the early hours they seem to be crashing up and down the stairs in what sounds like steel toe caps and same in the kitchen. They have visitors at all hours who hammer on the door and slam it.
We get very little peace, and a lot of disturbed sleep.

LunaLoveg00d · 27/11/2016 22:28

Yes it would put me off. No I would not make an offer on a house where neighbouring houses were rented as tenants can change frequently and can be a nightmare. We have been the situation of being one of 4 owner occupiers in a street of 15 and it was HELL, couldn't get out quick enough.

dingdongdigeridoo · 27/11/2016 22:41

If you live next door to a terrible neighbour who is a tenant, you have the option of complaining to the LL and maybe getting them kicked out.

If they own the place, you are fucked. There was a thread a few days ago about a woman living next door to a man who had two massive dogs shitting all over the lawn and making noise all day. The advice for her was to move, because he owned the place and there was hardly she could report him to.

LucieLucie · 27/11/2016 22:45

Speak to the other neighbours and locals if you can.

Find out how long the current homeowner has lived in the house you are potentially buying.

Yes it would put me off, hugely but may be worth finding out more in case it's absolutely fine.

Allthewaves · 27/11/2016 22:48

Buying next to rental would put me off

Yoarchie · 27/11/2016 22:57

The turnover would put me off yes. I know a rental house that's had a high turnover and it is because there's mice and the place although it actually looks okay it's actually in quite shit condition.

On the other hand it could be that the landlord is fussy and evicts tenants for the most minor infringements.

Or is it in an area where Housebuying is difficult with chains and so people generally rent for a few months whilst trying to purchase?

You could knock on the tenants door and ask them if they like living there whether there are any problems and in doing this you would find out a bit about them.

Original poster
ginorwine · 28/11/2016 07:57

Lucie
The current owner has only been there two years done it up to sell on ? 0r maybe done it up but doesn't like neigbour sit ? I'm not sure how to find out ? I wonder if I cd find out who landlord is for next door ...

OP posts:
Mommawoo · 28/11/2016 08:53

We are currently in emergency accommodation provided by the council. Its a private house rented out to the council for homeless families waiting to get council housing.

When we first arrived all the neighbours were wary of us and never said hello. We eventually found out its because they have been through hell with constantly changing tenants that have no respect for those around them. The family before us actually got into several physical fights with neighbours who dared to complain about them and the day they left the children smashed the neighbours porch window with a brick.

We have no idea who the landlord is as all complaints are dealt with by the council who sound pretty useless.

stumblymonkey · 28/11/2016 09:04

I'd be tempted to try and speak to the neighbour's the other side of the rented house.

We rent and are very nice (promise!), as are most renters but I guess it depends on the area and who the tenants tend to be. A high turnover suggests potentially not very settled types but on the plus side you wouldn't be next to ones you didn't like for long.

Definitely have a 'nosy round'....maybe go down there a couple of times and see what's going on, try and chat to neighbour's, etc.

What sort of state is the rented house in...that's another tell tale sign of the potential for issues. If it's well maintained and garden is kept relatively tidy might be okay, if it looks poorly maintained and overgrown I'd have more concerns.

Sosidges · 28/11/2016 09:09

I would avoid it. Our neighbour died and his son let the property. I would move away if I could afford it.

emmanuelcant · 28/11/2016 09:15

I wouldn't want to buy the house or, at least, it would be a big note in the 'cons' list when deciding.

If we assume that 1 in every 250 people is a wanker. With a high turnover of renters, you're more likely to encounter them. If a buyer is there for 5+ years, you're far less likely to have one living next to you.

In my experience (I own 4 BTL properties), renters are less likely to care about the property and their neighbours.

dingdongdigeridoo makes a very good point.

I've always knocked on doors introducing myself and being friendly / nosey before buying anywhere either as an investment or as a home. It's nice to do and gives you a feel for the locals and locality.

DiegeticMuch · 28/11/2016 09:22

I'm a landlord and have never had problem tenants. I was a renter in various places with friends when I was a young graduate, and we received no complaints from neighbours. The majority of tenants are fine but of course, there are wronguns about. Only you know your appetite for risk though.

heron98 · 28/11/2016 09:22

It wouldn't put me off but then most of my street is student housing and they have new tenants every year. I don't really care.

dowhatnow · 28/11/2016 09:23

It depends on the type of tenant attracted to that type of house. We have a couple whose gardens back on to ours but the huge rent, area and size of house means they are let to professional families who have never caused any trouble.

mumtomaxwell · 28/11/2016 09:24

We live next door to a private rental, and this is the 3rd house we've bought with a rented one next door. We hadn't had any problems so it didn't put us off.

When we bought our house there was a young family there, but about a year ago they moved out and new tennants moved in. They were awful and several of the neighbours complained to the landlord about noise and antisocial behaviour. Thankfully he gave them notice and now they've gone. If the landlord is a good one they'll solve any problems which could be a benefit. We've got lovely new neighbours now Smile

GertrudeBelle · 28/11/2016 09:30

Massively.

And that means that it will affect resale value and timescales too.

AvonCallingBarksdale · 28/11/2016 09:35

If I was going to be attached to said house then no, no way. If it was detached I'd be mire likely to consider it.

BadKnee · 28/11/2016 09:40

You can get shit neighbours wherever you are. It might put me off, yes, it would depend on overall area. As others have said , high rental turnover means more likely to encounter anti-social neighbours but on the other hand they are less likely to stay forever and it is easier to remove them if they are shits!!

AntiHop · 28/11/2016 09:53

MissVictoria your neighbours sound like a nightmare but YABVVU for equating housing benefit and bad behaviour.

RachelRagged · 28/11/2016 09:59

MissVictoria your neighbours sound like a nightmare but YABVVU for equating housing benefit and bad behaviour.

Agreed AntiHop

winterisnigh · 28/11/2016 10:01

NO

DO NOT DO IT.

Myself and my neighbour all fell foul of this. First lodgers were great, then we descended into sheer un livable hell for years. Another owner a few doors down said " when we were looking to buy the guy next door was a long standing tenant and he was Scottish like us, we thought - perfect, of course he moved out and moved on within weeks then we got neighbours from hell"

Op I couldn't stress enough what a nightmare you could be buying into and the wheels to help you are slow, noise diaries, EH, all of course means it will be on your record so should you then want to escape you have to declare this. Its a loose loose situation.

Don't do it.

winterisnigh · 28/11/2016 10:03

As others have said , high rental turnover means more likely to encounter anti-social neighbours but on the other hand they are less likely to stay forever and it is easier to remove them if they are shits!!

Not true and its almost worse if its a high turnover because you might be lucky enough to beg, plead and persuade the current lot to be social at least, but then they leave and more come in and behave in same hideous way. So you start all over again and you cant move people on. As said wheels are slow. They may not even be on tenancy agreements either - its a murky twilight world of sheer chaos.

DrQuinzel · 28/11/2016 10:10

Wow this thread is eye opening.

No wonder it took our neighbours over a year to acknowledge our presence, being young rental scum with not only a child but a dog as well

Class warfare still alive and well on MN.

Laiste · 28/11/2016 10:16

As i type this, this thread is right above the one about why young people can't afford to buy a home. More than once it's been said that it will have to be accepted that owning your own home just wont be the norm in the near future.

Then i read about no one wanting to risk buying a house next door to one which is rented out. How is this all going to pan out?

The village i live in (big houses, mainly older couples) has huge signs up all over the place asking for support for the [insert name of village] Campaign Against The (affordable) New Housing Build a few miles up the lane because it will be visible for miles. I mean how disgusting for them to be able to see affordable houses with families living in them Hmm And yes, they all look down their noses at the families who rent in the village too.

I'd like to go to one of their church hall rallies against the new houses and ask exactly where they think people are meant to live in the future? They don't want people renting and they don't want new houses built. What about their own grandchildren, and great grand children in a few years? They wont all want to squeeze together and live in granny's house even if it has got 5 bedrooms and room for a pony.

JackShit · 28/11/2016 11:09

You bunch of bloody snobs Angry