Do I pull out of house purchase.?

[Highfivemum]

Purchasing a new property for our ever increasing family brood. Love the property, location and we have had an offer accepted on it. All going well until this morning when I was chatting ( within distance ) to a friend, Just general lockdown chitchat. She knew our house was on the market and asked how it was all going. I said we had accepted and offer and had placed one on another house. I then told her where it was. She didn’t say much but made her excuse and left rather quickly. She has just called me to say that she has to tell me as she thinks I should know but she knows the people selling the house we are after through a work collegue and they are moving as hey have the neighbours from hell !!!! The house is detached and is near the end of a cul de sac. The so called neighbours from hell are next door and she says that it has involved Police in the past. Apparently it has been going on for years. Loud parties. Damaging their property. Etc. It is the first we have heard. Nothing has been disclosed by the sellers. Not even in the form where it asks is there any issues. I would have thought police being involved would be an issue !!! What would you do ? I have called solicitor who isn’t in work but at home and not available. We are due to exchange by the end of the week and I don’t know the best way forward. I know there are two sides to every story etc. The sellers came across lovely though. Very quiet and in their 60’s. They said they were downsizing. Can we check somewhere of any incidents at the property ?

Remind the estate agents that the sellers are breaking the law of they fail to disclose relevant disputes with neighbours and that if the buyers pull out or the chain collapses it will not be your fault but the sellers and if the estate agents bad some knowledge about this, they should in good faith, have ensured that all parties were honest.

We’re living in an idyllic house that we absolutely love, it’s perfect

The neighbours are controlling arseholes. The previous owner was bossed about for years, but of course he’s the kind to just take it so there were no complaints

We don’t get told how to live our lives, they were saying no vans, no deliveries, pay for small diggers etc etc, placing cones to stop us using part of the drive, logs on edges repeatedly repositioned to clip our sodding wheels, pinning up signs, making width restrictions...

We lobbed all of the logs and have spent over a year battling them with solicitors. This lot in the house next to yours sound rough. You won’t be able to batter them into submission.

Our neighbours are old so not about to get physical- even if they do Try threaten people doing work for us - we can at least ignore them and tell them to piss off.

They think everyone should do as they’re told. Tough luck on that one.

Would these vile people have stopped us buying this house? No. Do I wish these awful old people could just fuck off and die? Every single day. Eventually they will. That’s what keeps me going.

You have received information that you need to pass onto your solicitor

They will remind your vendors of the law and the information they have and ask them again to disclose

Can you call local police station? You’re not asking any names or personal info, but you might be able to ask about reports or antisocial behaviour in the road? Is that a possibility?

First I would double check your friend has the right house/occupants, and who was the guilty party. (Maybe its the sellers!) Then I'd ask the sellers if you could come round to check something, tell them face to face you've heard on the grapevine that there's a neighbour conflict issue.
If it's true, and the neighbours still live next door, I'd pull out on the grounds the sellers failed to disclose.

Agree with all PPs, need to raise with solicitor

If it went back years though, spark of hope it may have been when older teenage kids lived there and had wild parties that no longer do...?

Also - being pragmatic, there are never any guarantees of neighbours when you move house. Good or awful can easily move out or in after you do!

Def don't exchange before you have answers though

I would pull out. Your friend has nothing to gain so I'm sure is telling the truth.

I would pull out in a heartbeat.

Just a word of caution - it doesn't mention anywhere in your post that the sellers themselves had a dispute with the NFH. Someone else may have called the police; their property may have been damaged, but they didn't do anything about it; OP says that the sellers are lovely, quiet and in their 60s and they might have been too intimidated to do anything. Even if they did say something, there's no requirement to disclose it. There's no requirement to disclose anything if they themselves don't have a dispute with them.

However - I would certainly pull out.

@MzHz
They sound exactly like my neighbours. Every time we have something done to the house they moan and grumble and constantly shout insults over the fence. They are old and don't get out. She has 8 siblings, doesn't see any of them and apparently one tried to hit her. I wonder why. They are hellish

I would definitely pull out op, it feels to me like this just was not meant to be!

Why would t you have done some major research before choosing the house?! I'd have been driving up there at different times, checking local Facebook groups, speaking to neighbours etc etc. If it is true then I wouldn't bother but feel sorry for the others in the chain BUT this is your life and I couldn't cope with that shit.

I would pull out. I have had bad neighbours and it is just an awful life. Not a chance I would do it again.

I would run for the hills - we had bad neighbours and it made our life a misery for 5 years. It's never going to be your dream house with neighbours like that. I wouldn't lose the chain though -especially now - I would go into rental

she recalls them trying to sell a few years ago but pulled out due to ill health

Possibly, yes, or maybe a previous chain collapsed because those buyers also discovered something unwelcome
Interesting that your friend said parties (plural), though no doubt you'll be told it was "just the once" ... and I don't know if solicitors are able to check with the police either (?)
In any case I suspect you'll struggle to get to bottom of this, and in the end it may come down to whether you want to risk major problems or not

I know what I'd be doing ...

Remember the post about the water running up hill In to the garden.
Both parties would have called the other the neighbour from hell.
But really it was the old couple. I'd go and knock on your soon to be maybe neighbours and say hello.

It could be true and definitely get your solicitor to check. But you would have noticed broken stuff surely in the garden? I'd drive along at night and see what's going on. If it's bad neighbours, pull out. It's a bit dodgy that the agents have suddenly come up with 'the buyers will pull out' when you asked about this.

Another viewpoint, but has your friend been looking to move? Could she have wanted that house and missed out because you got it? Hopefully that's not the case.

I think it's awful that anyone would sell a house knowing people have put life savings into it only to lump them with neighbours from hell.
I know it must be hard for the sellers also but I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd done that to another family.

Fucking run.

I would definitely not be going ahead until this was confirmed through the solicitors. If your buyer pulls out so be it, but they will have put a lot of time and effort in to get to this stage too so I expect the Friday deadline is just a scare tactic.

The estate agent will be short with you, it'll be a bloody nightmare for them if you pull out but that's not your fault. Don't let them bully you into making an absolutely massive mistake just because it's late in the day.

I would do some digging incase your friend has the wrong house but if she's sure it's the right place I wouldn't buy it.

I have spoken to solictor. He referred to the paperwork where the where the question asks on disputes. They have put none. He is going to speak to their solictor and get back to me. Another wait. Good news is he agreed with me tobact with caution.

Definitely check this out, raise with solicitor etc. I too know someone who is moving to get away from the "horrible neighbours" but the full facts are that the horrible person is the seller, who is deeply unpleasant and the neighbours are normal.

I've had awful neighbours and it is MISERY, honestly complete misery. Well done for finding out and getting hold of your solicitor. Hope it works out. And of course your agent is going to be pushy, he wants the sale to go through. Stand firm.