House viewings - neighbour refuses to take down flag

[KayleighhMum]

Our house is up for sale and we have viewings commencing from tomorrow - 7 in total lined up over the course of the week.

Our neighbour hung a large England flag from his top window on Friday and it has remained up. DH saw him outside the front on Saturday and politely asked if he could take it down before Tuesday. He basically laughed and said if any prospective new neighbour dislikes the flag then they won’t be the sort of person he’d want living next to him. It remains up now.

I am concerned this would be off putting, but speaking to my mum earlier she thinks I am over thinking things and it wouldn’t make a difference if someone likes the house.

Do you think we should try and ask again or would you assume it shouldn’t put people off? We are semi detached so it will definitely be noticed.

No prior issues with this neighbour who has always been friendly etc.

So bit left field here but do you know him at all ? Let’s face it it’s either 1. He’s feeling patriotic - and possibly supporting some particular event/ game 2. He’s part of the current trend with the overtones that he’s hoping it will deter a certain demographic. I’d say the timing is suspect - however, if you think he genuinely has no mal intent/ is open to purchasers from all backgrounds/ creeds then ( and only if/ then) I would take this thread to show him the responses, explain you are worried people will view the flag differently to his intent- thus lowering the value of your home and say you are very happy to discuss a financial incentive to postpone flag hoisting. I think it would be hard to check his true intentions without inflaming matters so I’d tread v carefully, and also obviously if it is because he only wants white purchasers you don’t want to lure some poor unsuspecting purchaser who may be constantly in conflict with their neighbour. However there is a chance it’s just poor timing and he may see your point of view. Only you know whether this is worth a gamble.

Yes, a few weeks ago, now it's due to the racist call

I don't disagree that there's a lot of bad actors in Pride Month unfortunately, if people wanted to do complaint in good faith tbey wouldn't use soldiers to justify it

And I don't disagree that yes, people should defend their culture and way of life, but it's pretty clear a lot of people is doing it out of open racism

Unfortunately a lot of bigots ruin actual valid criticism, we can disagree all we want but we should never ally ourselves to bigots, because their entire reason to complain is hate first and foremost, they taint any good movement

I'm not a Hamas supporter or am anti-semite I'm just horrified by the murder of innocent people in Gaza.

Nice strawman, better keep it away from any fire sources :v

What you said doesn't invalidate that racists are making a flag call right now

It would 100% put me off, I have ruled out areas that have a lot of flags and I’m white British.
It screams chavtastic neighbourhood at best, at worst Reform stronghold. Neither appeals!

So if he takes it down, and your house sells to someone who doesn't appreciate an English flag, what's going to happen when he puts it up again?
we have a flag pole attached to our house. I have several flags that get flown throughout the year. mostly it's a Canadian flag, but we have flown a Ukrainian flag, Welsh flag, among others. none of my neighbours have ever complained or asked me to take them down. Now if it was something offensive, I could see asking but even then I probably wouldn't ask.

Is it a nice one on a flag pole or is it a cheap and tacky one that makes the area look unwelcoming and tacky? If the later I would not make an offer, because you know exactly the type of person you are going to end up with as a neighbour. If it’s the first it wouldn’t bother me.

>(particularly ethnic minority prospective buyers).

Is there any other sort?

No particular objection. Just realism in my corner of London.

I don’t know how you could get them to take it down but I don’t think you’re being dramatic. I would 100% be put off buying the house if I knew the neighbours were hateful racists

Personally I love seeing any of the UK flags flown on houses as long as the house and garden is well kept then I wouldn’t give it a second thought. From what I’ve observed it’s usually quite house proud people who do it and they take care of their gardens etc so it would be a plus from my perspective

Hahaha yeah that’s the reason for the flag.

You can’t get out much then. Mostly it’s cheap-looking flags hanging limply from motorway bridges. Hope the twats that put them up take them down when they start to rot. They won’t do that, obviously.

Of course it is, definitely no relation to racists calling for it right? wink wink

Yes it's not like that where I've seen them. It's cheap flags half way up lampposts tied with cable ties.

She might get to sell the house though before the unlucky buyer realises they’re going to be having uncomfortable conversations about how ‘boat people should all be thrown back into the sea’ over the garden fence.

It's an English flag, in England. Its fine.
If you ask again, he'll never take it down.

Thankfully my neighbourhood isn’t very racist. Not a flag to be seen! It’s multicultural here though - bet the flags are thickest in the places where there are 99% white faces anyway.

Indeed, England has won a lot of sporting events lately - men and women’s team winning the cricket, women’s team one the UEFA European cup in football. The list may go on (am not a sports fan, but DH is rabidly sporty), so in many respects the St George flag being flown may have nothing to do with racism and everything to do with a rare period of sporting victories.

Right, it's all because of sports...

YABU. You can’t control him having a flag in his window.

You’ll probably find that the majority of these flag shaggers wavers are not at all interested in women’s rugby or football. Cos it’s a man’s sport innit.

It would put me off totally because my partner is Indian and we have twins. Unfortunately the racists of the country have made the England flag a symbol of hate and it’s disgusting. But he’s refused so there’s not much you can do. I think it will put a lot of people off though.

Well one of our neighbours, who is very house proud with a lovely garden and is a lovely old man to boot proudly flies the union flag. How on earth could this annoy so many people!? The mind boggles. Get a life springs to mind.

"How on earth could this annoy so many people!?"
Cause racists are tainting the flag

"Get a life springs to mind."
Don't be racist springs to mind when it comes to why a lot of people are flying the flag

Sadly there has been a recent upsurge in this type of thing - I saw another post today about England flags being painted on roundabouts. He sounds like an absolute twat but as he’s doing nothing illegal there’s nothing you can do - except maybe put a big rainbow flag and a Ukraine flag outside your own house and see how he likes that! Seriously though, good luck with your house sale. Sounds like you are getting out at the right time anyway if that’s the way your neighbourhood is heading!