Need a handhold - neighbour issues and selling house

[wawawawaterloo]

I'm planning on moving towards the end of the year. We have neighbours with incredibly messy and rubbish filled gardens and a previous (resolved) issue of their teens/early 20's kids being loud during the summer a few years ago.

I know I need to declare a dispute, but I don't believe anyone would buy it - I wouldn't? Landlords aren't buying locally at present, so I don't think that's an option, and I cant afford to part ex for a new build.

Do you think if we market for less than market value we'd sell? I'm thinking taking the hit and marketing at around 20-30K less just to get rid.

I will obviously talk to an EA, but at present I just need reassurance that doing something like that, at worst case, will work - as I just want to start again elsewhere.

I'm not asking if you'd buy it, as I know most (so please don't put that as it will make my anxiety worse) but it will appeal to someone relatively quickly wont it if it's under market value - or am I doomed to live here upset forever?

I would put it on at market price and see what happens. The market is slow at the moment anyway so be prepared to wait to sell - lots of people are not getting many viewings. Regarding the complaint - you say it's resolved so I don't think I'd be put off by something that happened in the past. Teenagers mature. The rubbish can be spotted, so people will make their own decisions on whether they will pay full asking price or not.

Someone will buy it for sure. People who buy might be worse than your neighbours as bad as it sounds. We had a similar concern around a noisy dog but then figured maybe it was noisy to us as it was just us two with a quiet lifestyle, whoever bought it might be having parties every weekend. So just be patient and someone will be interested. Good luck.

Market it at a market value but be prepared to knock off 20.000-30.000 £.

don’t market it below value because you’ll probably still be expected to decrease the price!

We had this. You have to declare it but think it's all about wording.

If you only complained to authorities about the loud music and that has been resolved you just need to frame it like that - complained about x, resolved quickly, no longer an issue now.

Then you just hope that they don't ask more info.

We had a similar issue, luckily ours was about next door renters so we managed to frame it in a positive light "Loud tenant text door, complained to council who put us in touch with the landlord, landlord evicted tenant and no problems since" - a slight white lie, there had been problems since with all the tenants but we just kept quiet and didn't complain about those.

They also had load of rubbish outside - we still sold the house above market price.

Lots of people aren't that bothered.

I loved this post. There is a bum for every seat, totally stealing this.

I’m hoping to sell my house at some point which I totally despise, someone should hopefully love it! A bungalow with lovely neighbours. Hope there are a few bums for that seat!!!!!

I think I would auction it too. I found weirdly that when my house was priced slightly too high, I didn’t get any cheeky offers, just no offers at all, so I’m not sure that market value with the issues you describe would work. Set a reserve on the auction. Given you are prepared to take a hit on it, I think you are in a good and realistic position for this to work.

You literally didn’t put that on your OP. You put ‘I know I need to raise a dispute’ - you didn’t write whether you had actually complained to the council. Which is why people were checking/talking about that. Should have made your OP clearer and it wouldn’t have derailed. Now you’re getting sniffy with people

This

I think that is what we will do if it gets loud over summer again.

I now sleep with white noise (for my anxiety), so even if they were loud in the evenings I wouldn't know - so therefore its resolved for me - even if it bothers the other neighbours who sleep with the windows open. I wont complain again under any circumstances. It literally doesn't bother my husband at all - i'm just really sensitive to noise apparently.

Teens being loud in the summer months wouldn’t bother me ( I’m assuming barbecue, drinks in the garden, music). The mess in the garden would but potential buyers will see this anyway and decide whether it’s something they can live next to. I wouldn’t market at less than the value.

Don't overthink it. Just stick it on the market at the correct value and see what happens.

Just a thought, how about selling it to a 'we buy any house' type company? They pay less than market value, so if you're thinking of putting it on the market for less than current value, this may be an option?

Fwiw, I've never enquired about disputes with neighbours the two times Ive bought a house. Its not a given that anyone would ask

Have just sold via Modern Auction - talk to EA that might be your easiest option - its quick as well

I'd be more suspicious of an under market value asking price for a property. If the dispute was a while ago and isn't ongoing even if you have to declare it (get guidance with time elapsed and having to declare and how to word etc) I don't think it'd be a huge issue for many people. The rubbish in the garden I wouldn't worry about either.

Councils are only allowed to legally keep it on record for six years if no action was taken sell it at market value. I wouldn’t personally declare it as it has been resolved.

I would make your house as attractive as possible. Neat, tidy, neutral clean decor. Then speak to an EA about an “offers over” price. Market it at your lowest acceptable price but offers over that.
Or market it 5k below going rate and know you’ll accept another 5-10k off that.
Use Get Agent to choose your agent.

In terms of the rubbish this could be an environmental health issue and the council , if they think it is, will request the neighbours to get it removed. I should say in my experience they will take your word for it as they’ve never bothered to visit to see for themselves ( we’ve had this issue twice )
Point out its such a state it could harbour rats.
They have to remove it or the council will do so at their cost. A messy garden alone of course is not under the councils remit.

Once the garden is sorted I would just market the property as normal and see how it goes.

When you fill in the TA6 form you have to declare any neighbour disputes that have been reported to the authorities. If you don’t do this, the buyer has up to six years to take action against you for non-disclosure. However, the buyer would need evidence that problem existed prior to exchanging contracts and that it affects the property value. So when completing the TA6 it’s important to note that the dispute was amicably resolved some time ago and that there have been no further causes for complaint.

It’s not six years from the date the action was taken. It’s that the buyer has six years from the date of sale to take action against the seller if the problem isn’t disclosed - resolved or not.

There is no harm in trying to sell. You could also look at a new build offering part exchange.

It’s not that buyers don’t ask, it’s the fact that it’s a legal requirement to disclose disputes on the TA6 property information form, so that in the event of any problem after they have moved in, the buyer can’t claim that they weren’t aware of past/existing disputes. The buyer has up to six years to take action against the seller if they become aware of something that hasn’t been disclosed.

Might be hard to sell (at least quickly). I wouldn't buy a cheap house which was cheap because of problem neighbours. Agree it's probably not a good idea to drop the price - this will just indicate even more that there is a problem. You want to minimise such indications.

You don't say if you now have good relations with them - if they are just lazy perhaps they would be happy if you organised to clear their gardens of the rubbish? Its a pain for you, but may help sell the house more easily and for a better price.

Depends what you mean by loud - nightly parties until 2 am = bad, sitting talking and moderate music until 10/11 on warm summer evenings at weekends is a ok. People can use their gardens, you can't expect silence, so I would be comfortable with the later scenario saying it's now resolved

Agree with this. If a past dispute is disclosed on the property information forms - even a resolved one - a low price would make me suspicious that there were still problems.