to think that I can 'buy' good neighbours

[uis]

Ok so I think I am probably BU but let me set context. I also appreciate this thread might grate on a lot of people given the difficulties in getting on the property ladder but I post this with the humblest of intentions and appreciate how fortunate I am.

So I've been on MN for a long time and read a lot of neighbour dispute threads. Most of the nuisance neighbours seem to be druggies, on benefits and out of work or just not right in the head. We live in a detached house and had a set of bad neighbours who were renting (loud music in the garden, parking issues, drugs and we suspected dealing as well). Through us and neighbours persistently complaining to the landlord and development company, things improved after a few months and they moved out after 12 months anyway.

We're currently in the process of selling and have reserved a detached house in another new build development much further away. The houses around us are all detached and around the £600 - 680k mark and it got me thinking - we were worried about getting dodgy neighbours again but sort of assumed that being at this price range, we'd avoid really bad nuisance neighbours or that we'd get neighbours who would probably be more reasonable about things.

Is this a really bad assumption? Does anyone have any horror stories about neighbours despite living in a nice affluent area or area with relatively high house prices? I know minor parking disputes are fairly commonplace regardless of where you are but any major issues anyone has experienced? I guess had we not had issues ourselves, we might never had considered it. Thanks in advance for any responses!

The more money people have, the more entitled they seem to be. We moved away from a council estate with a neighbour who pounded dance music to a quieter, semi rural location with hardly any neighbours. One of our neighbours also pounds dance music loudly whenever they feel like it, along with revving engines and using heavy machinery. When they have parties they can afford to get DJs, so the noise is ridiculous. Our life is also being made a misery by the supposedly nice and respectable neighbour our house is attached to.

Money can’t buy you good neighbours but it can buy you a house with a bigger garden and driveway, to help put a bit of distance between you.

Our old house was ex-council, mixed in with council, and it was the quietest place to live - the reason for this was that one neighbour (who we believe was a drug dealer) HATED noise, and would aggressively confront anyone who made any. He was unpleasant so we avoided him, but he kept everyone in line.

Some new neighbours moved in (early 20s) and had a loud house party to celebrate - he soon put a stop to that!

So while a bad neighbour in some ways, he made it a very peaceful place to live!

My friend has just completed a fabulous renovation in a wealthy area, creating her dream family home, but has had to sell up before even moving in due to a nightmare neighbour.

So it’s a lottery. But, it helps if you can afford to not live on a crammed estate and have more room.

However, be wary of too much space in a rural area. If you’re surrounded by fields you’re more likely to get travellers. Ironically, due to the discrimination their community faces, they are often allowed to stay on land where others wouldn’t be allowed to, to meet local targets to create suitable pitches. However, if you get antisocial travellers move in (not that they all are), they are the worst neighbours you could have.

At our old house, the next door neighbour sold his large garden for building plots, 4 of them.

They were bought by a lottery winning scrubber for his entire family.

I can't begin to tell you of the nightmare they were.

I live in the nicest area in my town with lots of old retired people. Very quiet but also incredibly nosy busybodies. Not long after moving in I had a neighbour chapping my door and rudely demanding to know what I’m going to do with the garden! Fell out with my neighbour pretty quickly!!

Very difficult to find good neighbours! I just keep myself to myself, try avoid problems that way.

Where you do have an advantage over people with less money is that if you end up with nightmare neighbours, you have the option to move. It isn't cheap or convenient, but you will not be completely stuck.

I have friends without money who simply don't have the option of escaping from their neighbours. One is in a council house: no one wants to exchange with her because the area is so undesirable. Another is with a private landlord and can barely afford her existing rent, which is less than the going rate. Not only are other properties impossible for her to afford, but no sensible landlord would take her on because it's obvious she'd struggle to pay the rent.

Remember that you're rolling the dice with respect to your neighbours, but if you lose, you can roll again, which is a luxury many people don't have.

My mother lives in a portion of a lovely old Tudor house, next door which is a little smaller and with less land recently sold for £850k. The bigger house on the other side has a complete nightmare of a man living there! Always claiming poverty when he has to cough up his share for works done, then buggering off to his second home in France so he can't be contacted. He's tried moving the boundaries several times, even though his garden is massive, bought a puppy then didn't train it so it bites everyone...

I'm afraid that more expensive houses just mean more expensive issues with nightmare neighbours.

But if you're buying a new build you'll probably be too busy with all the snagging issues to worry about the neighbours anyway.

We traded a neighbour who I think was dealing, a street full of cars in the road. For a nice small street all have double drives, no private rents (people bid for this estate) the only issue we get a newly passed teenagers that can't park. Parents often run out to shift their kids cars and I know which house I love and which I'm glad we sold

I think good neighbours are worth their weight in gold so understand your concerns. I am a private let tenant in an ex council house & my neighbours are great. Polite, friendly & look out for eachother but don't intrude. However about 3minutes up the road they built a new estate with an average price of around £750k, part of the deal was they would include homes for social rent. My friend was lucky enough to be given one due to her son's disabilities and said it has been a nightmare, there has been a stabbing, parties all day & issues with alcoholism etc. Basically the houses were all allocated to homeless people and families (or those with a medical need) which is obviously right but most of the time those people come with their own social issues (not always) and they are struggling to adjust their lifestyles. If I had paid that money for my house and ended up amongst stabbings and fighting I would be upset.

All the new build estates around here are mixed private and housing association. You wouldn't be able to tell if one was private or social housing by looking at the properties. Prices start at about £800k. Like most areas you get good and bad owners, just like you get good and bad tenants.

some PP are acting as if I've said 'If I buy an expensive house does that mean I won't have bad neighbours'. I've not said that at all

Do you want to re read your title OP?

Judging by the replies on this thread, it seems as if everyone who lives in an affluent area has loud, drunken, drug dealing neighbours, and everyone who lives on a council estate has considerate, welcoming neighbours who never cause a bit of bother.

In real life, I suspect that this is very far from the truth.

No one can guarantee good neighbours but in reality, more expensive properties are less likely to have inconsiderate neighbours, despite the inverted snobbery replies.

Clearly you've never seen Midsomer Murders.

I cannot understand this faux wide eye outrage at the OP's question. Yes, wealth is generally correlated with a pleasant living environment people create around themselves. Surely ending up with aloof stuck up neighbours is a somewhat different flavour of "bad" compared to burglaries, stabbings, open drug taking etc.?

One of the richest people I know (actually knew, thankfully) would be one of the worst people possible to live next to. In the two different houses they lived when I knew them, they had mass fallings out with multiple neighbours (and many other people). They’ve now moved to a third house next door to a friend of a friend and have had the police called on them multiple times because they are so awful. The second house is on the market for over £1m in a very cheap part of the UK and they’ve bought a very expensive new build that they are currently living in. Money makes no difference to who your neighbours are.

I dont think OP is being snobbish - wouldn't we all opt for quiet neighbours if there was a way to guarantee it? But sadly I have to confirm that in my experience it's largely down to luck, and money doesn't buy peace and quiet. Also - look at Jimmy Page and Robbie Williams!

This is such a ridiculous stealth bragging post. Shit neighbours are everywhere as are good ones. Luck of the draw.

I sold a house in a sought after area because the neighbours were vile. All of them were entitled people who thought that as they could afford the posh area that they were something special.

I now live on a new build estate and all my neighbours are lovely.

Not sure why so many people are getting their knickers in a twist. The OP is simply asking a reasonable question based on fairly common stereotypes or generalisations.

OP you've asked for examples of bad neighbours in more expensive properties and you have them. To be fair, most seem to be from more expensive properties and it looks like you might get different types of nuisance.

I think to answer your original point - yes as a wide generalisation and for a couple of reasons others have noted, you probably are more likely to have nicer neighbours if you buy a more expensive property. I also think, as a wide generalisation, that people are likely to be less confrontational and more understanding. Whilst wealthier people might feel more entitled, I would also expect more of them to have greater social awareness.

Just to clarify for the vultures, no one is going 'oh all poor people are scummy and bad neighbours'. If you have some social agenda then go post a separate thread about it.

I live in a terrible area where the houses are worth70 k (large victorian terraces , lancashire Mill Town) both sides are lovely and quiet despite one side having 3 generations aged 3 to 80s and I rent as well. It doesnt matter where you live, what your house is worth bad neighbours there will be.

I fully intend to buy good neighbours by purchasing the house next door I think that’s literally the only way it’s within your control.

I’d love op’s assumptions to be untrue but my lives experience sadly backs it up. First house was very cheap, neighbours were drug dealers, police raids were monthly (next door) and car regularly vandalised. Moved to a small new estate with no social housing and neighbours were all non offensive people (due to small size of land social housing was built on a separate piece of land a few minutes walk away - lots of issues and police constantly called).

A very good friend just bought her first home on a new estate and was so happy but the flats next door are HA one bed flats that they’ve housed ex criminals and homeless people in. She has lived in her nice home for 4 months and there’s been fights and 2 stabbings. The HA has provided the owned homes with fire retardant letter boxes due to threats from the HA residents.

obviously the majority of ha tenants are perfectly nice people but the level of issues ime is different to non ha. But it’s hard to talk about because lived experiences are shouted down as being snobbish.

The houses here are that price bracket (terraced town houses, you pay more for detached!), I have nice neighbours but I know there's issues with second homes owners here on our development who come to party - the high end sports cars arrive 9pm ish on Fridays and leave around 5pm on Sundays, weekends are noisy in places (doesn't affect me as our block is full time residents who are nice!) Problem neighbours come at any price level

I live in a ground floor flat in one of the crappier areas in Birmingham. My neighbours are fantastic and quiet.

I live in a siilar area and have neighbours that are a pita. Big hourse, four teenage children - all of which have a mini cooper and french bulldog each. Not enough driveway parking for them and the two adult's cars so mini coopers arriving/leaving all times of day and night and all being parked badly on the streets.

Dog are walked occasionally but not trained so bark their heads off at everything and anything.

Parents go away regularly and the kids always have mates round for parties.

Still, they have a For Sale up so all is not lost