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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU moving into house with a cat in no-cats neighbourhood

308 replies

museumsandgalleries666 · 19/04/2021 18:42

Asking for a friend :-)
Buying a house (freehold) in a newly-built (20 years old) neighbourhood and have received a letter from the resident's association advising no cats are allowed.
AIBU to continue my purchase and move in anyway? Do the Res Assoc have any legal right to stop anyone owning a cat?
Looking for advice as nearing completion and purchase chain will be affected.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
flippertygibbit · 19/04/2021 19:08

I wouldn't touch that house with a bargepole and if you say bye bye to your cat!

osbertthesyrianhamster · 19/04/2021 19:08

Wouldn't want to live in such a restrictive place.

Hereforthedramaz · 19/04/2021 19:09

It could be a restrictive covenant on the houses on the estate, not a typical one but you often see no satellite dishes on houses or no caravans or boats in the front garden.

But as people have said regardless of whether there is an actual covenant or not on the house, it sounds like a nightmare area and people to live around and interact with so I'd give it a miss and find somewhere without the ott interaction!

Timper · 19/04/2021 19:11

Absolutely not, I imagine no cats is part of a very long list of ridiculous rules. Sounds like a horrible place to live with horrid neighbours.

EveryDayIsADuvetDay · 19/04/2021 19:11

Yes, get your solicitor to check - but would you really want to live surrounded by a bunch of weirdos?

For years I yearned to live in the Barbican - then I discovered quite recently from a friend that lives there that no pets are allowed. Problem solved.

Febo24 · 19/04/2021 19:12

Yikes! Blessed be the fruit. They'll be instructing you on when you are allowed to have kids next.

LittleOwl153 · 19/04/2021 19:13

Are you buying freehold or leasehold? If its freehold I doubt they have any say. If its leasehold however you need to check you lease!

UhtredRagnarson · 19/04/2021 19:14

I’d pull out and run a mile. It won’t just be cats they have rules about. They’ll be a nightmare to live with.

Bimblybomeyelash · 19/04/2021 19:14

Random. Do the neighbourhood association actually have any sort of power/control like the ones in the states? Or they just overconfident busybodies?

britnay · 19/04/2021 19:15

How do they stop cats coming in from the neighbourhood? Cats can roam for miles. :S

OldWivesTale · 19/04/2021 19:16

God, do you really want these people as your neighbours?

Dacquoise · 19/04/2021 19:16

I would be very interested to see job the residents association would enforce this if it was breached. Force your friend to sell up and leave, don't think so. Even the rental market are moving towards no prohibition on pet owners.

However, I would be keeping a close eye on any furry friend I moved in to a cat unfriendly neighbourhood.

Jaxhog · 19/04/2021 19:16

I wouldn't. If nothing else, she'll likely be ostracised by her neighbours and be putting her cat in danger.

And who wants to live somewhere where your neighbours dictate what you can and can't do?

Dacquoise · 19/04/2021 19:16

How not job!

Soubriquet · 19/04/2021 19:16

I can’t see how they can stop you legally but I wouldn’t because I would be worried about them doing something to my cat.

OldWivesTale · 19/04/2021 19:17

Sorry, does SHE really want these people as neighbours? 😁

17bluebirds · 19/04/2021 19:17

The Residents association is probably just a couple of retired, bored people with too much time on thier hands.
I wonder of the rest of the residents even know they have made this rule.
And as a pp asked, how do they know who is buying the house and your contact details?

Moonpeg · 19/04/2021 19:18

Part of me would say, don’t listen to them and move in as it’s a bit cheeky them dictating what pets you can have, but on the other hand, do you want a feud with your neighbours? We had a battle with our next door neighbour and it’s been hellish ever since. I want to move now.

emilyfrost · 19/04/2021 19:19

YABU. Your choice of animal shouldn’t impact on anyone else.

You have two choices, which should be your only choices wherever you live:

• keep the cat indoors
• catproof your garden so it can’t get out

Squeejit · 19/04/2021 19:19

A world without cats. What a depressing place to live. I’d pull out anyway, and find somewhere my mogs would feel welcome.

SymphonyofShadows · 19/04/2021 19:20

This sounds like bollocks

Onedropbeat · 19/04/2021 19:21

How can that even be enforceable?

Even if it wasn’t, it would make me pull out because I wouldn’t want such awful neighbours as that

DurhamDurham · 19/04/2021 19:23

I'd be having seconds thoughts. The 'perfect' village in Hot Fuzz comes to mind.....'for the greater good' ShockGrin

TheBullfinch · 19/04/2021 19:24

My deeds say ' no livestock to be kept'.

My neighbours have chickens and someone down the lane has a goat.

Having said that though, who'd want to live on a cat-less estate?

Ideasplease322 · 19/04/2021 19:25

How odd. I have never heard of anything like this in the uk. I know Australia has increasingly strict controls on pet cats.

I have a cat and wouldn’t risk her safety in a neighbourhood like this. And it all seems a bit stepford for my liking, are there rules on the length of your grass and colour of your front door?