To buy a dream house with a crazy neighbour next door?

[Friedeggs9876]

Would you buy the house of your dreams if there was an ongoing issue with the neighbour? The house is in the cotswolds, lovely garden in a beautiful area with great community, schools and shops. The only issue is that the house apparently has a neighbour that has harassed the owners in the past, instances like putting up notices around their property boundary about “around the clock 24hr surveillance” and “trespassers will be prosecuted” I’ve heard the neighbour also seems to think the owners are Russian spies and working with Putin. Would this be enough to put you off buying an otherwise lovely home?

Are they detached houses? Is there a physical boundary between your houses and gardens?

But crazy neighbours could move in next door to your Less nice house, and the crazy neighbours from the dream house could move out.

Is it your dream house forever house with a lovely discount because of the nutter?
Do you truly believe no other house could make you that happy?

It sounds like OP could live there & shrug the neighbour off, but might have the same trouble selling in future as current seller is having. So there's that to consider.

What à terrible thing to say, why would anyone think that's a good idea.

While this is true, having been in the situation where I've had neighbours harass me for years in truly awful ways (police involved), there is no way you should move next to a neighbour like that if you know they're there and put yourself in that position.

"... instances like putting up notices around their property boundary about “around the clock 24hr surveillance” and “trespassers will be prosecuted” I’ve heard the neighbour also seems to think the owners are Russian spies and working with Putin..."

Is there a problem with notices saying around the clock 24 hr surveillance and trespassers will be prosecuted?

If you're talking about a semi-detached house then those notices might be over the top, but if both properties have large acreage, then may be not.

So does the neighbour think your vendors are Russian spies? He should be happy they're selling then...

Dream House + Crazy Neighbour =
Nightmare

Hmm. Tricky. They might be fine with you. But I would be concerned about their mental health taking a further nose dive and becoming a target of dangerous actions.

Don’t do it. Honestly there will be another house (even though tonight you don’t believe it).

No. We live in a detached house with a large garden. We have a nightmare neighbour who has become increasingly intrusive over the years. he does things like shouts at us over the fence. Shoits at our visitors and gardener. Sends abusive letters through our door. We have had legal advice etc. It's hell. I have the most beautiful lawn and garden and I have not stepped foot in my own garden for coming up to 2 years now because I can't predict what he will do.

No.

I suggest.... No.

Just out of curiosity (having had ex neighbours harass us awfully for years) what was the legal advice? What did they say?

That doesn't sound as bad as someone holding late night parties (like ours) on a regular basis. But it could indicate someone with serious mental health issues....

I'd be investigating it very thoroughly first.

Absolutely not.
I want a quiet,simple life with no drama forced on me.

They said he had technically passed the legal threshold for harassment some time ago. But none of the incidences taken separately amounted to much and we had no physical proof of the abuse. Due to this I don't go out to my car or the letterbox without setting my phone to record. They suggested a cease and desist letter but that police would not all that interested unless there was physical threat. The guy is very very cunning and sly and used to work with the police so he knows how to sort of slide between the cracks of the one thing that you would say 'that's it. That is the bit you can get him on'.

So we have an ever-expanding file of his behaviour and the notes he shoves through our door and written accounts from our gardeners and we are waiting for the proverbial last straw.

Unless they are very old and you are very young - see where I'm going - it could be the house of your dreams in the future.
Otherwise a big fat no. It would ruin any enjoyment you had about the move.

No. Sounds unhinged. Ticking time bomb.

Not with this. Was going to ask if the neighbour keeps to themselves, so could be screened off behind a hedge. But no way with this. It will quickly become a nightmare.

That is really interesting

I never went to a solicitor. Having read up around it I felt like it would be wasted money for me. . This kind of consolidates what I thought. (I did pursue with police and had CCTV though so was taking action).

The neighbour would soon stop it being your dream house.

No, never, please don’t buy it.

No chance

Definitely not. I bet the current owners are fingers crossed that you'll be stupid enough to go ahead with it so they can escape.

I don’t know how to put this delicately, but if they are elderly, it might not be a long term issue.
The problem with this type of crazy is they can snap and do physical harm. A bit of random shouting wouldn’t put me off though.

Avoid at all costs...nightmare waiting to happen.

Don't do it. We moved to a lovely farm holding, semi rural, peaceful until 3 years ago. Farmhouse was sold and they own the main court area and access road and they aren't nice people. Illegally running a business so now it feels like everyone is surrounding an industrial estate car mechanics. One of our neighbours confronted him, all hell broke loose, we offered to mediate, all the other neighbours got annoyed at us offering to mediate then the angry neighbours fell out with us too anyway as i felt forced to "side" with others. They all complained to police, I didn't and I felt it a step too far but now I feel stuck in a simmering rage pot from all sides. I'm anxious all the time when I go outside. It's ridiculous.

Not in a million years.
Please never underestimate just how much a nutty neighbour can effect every area of your life. You may think you will ignore/rise above it, but trust me that won’t happen. I am talking from experience.