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.

He's made it clear that he doesn't want to remove his flag, so you'll only be wasting your time if you ask again. For every person who could potentially be put off by the flag, surely there will be someone who doesn't notice, doesn't care, or possibly likes it.

Besides, it seems rather sneaky to try to hide the fact that your neighbour flies a flag, whatever his reasons. You're better off being honest, meaning letting potential buyers see the area as it is.

It is what it is, but if viewers ask, I guess you just shrug and say, Oh, Keith's a big rugby fan - Friday was the start of the rugby World Cup conveniently.

It would definitely put me off OP. But as half of Mumsnet now seem to be Reform voters maybe half the prospective buyers will be flag waving, Reform voters too.

I would assume it would put a lot of people off. I also think you have no right to ask him more than once.

Tbh yes it would put me off, I’d think the neighbours were loud obnoxious people and I’d be keen for quiet neighbours and a quiet life, it may not be true but that’s the impression it gives.

No it’s not, it’s intent that causes the issue.

The current intent is more than questionable for some.

He could have put it up for a sporting event? I don't know, obviously. I just think it's incredibly sad that we've come to a point that our national flag is now deemed to be a symbol of racism and anybody displaying one is now racist by default.
I would imagine that people who have served in the armed forces, and may have a flag displayed, will be furious that they are now classed as racist for doing so.
People are angry at what is happening in this country, whether they are right or wrong to be angry is debatable, obviously, but to accuse everybody who has a flag up as racist is unfair.
I've seen England flags up in windows fairly locally that have been there since the World Cup in 2002 - I'm only judgmental about the fact they've left them up so long!

Definitely wouldn't want to live next to that

How do you know your neighbours aren't though or their political leanings? Do you send questionnaires out to make sure they agree with you?

It would put me off the house, I doubt I could over look it. But it's his house, he can do what he likes. Making a fuss is unlikely to help.

It would put me off and I wouldn’t make an offer as I would assume that the neighbours could well be racist thugs. I wouldn’t buy a house in my road at the moment either as someone has seen fit to drape the roundabout at the top of the road with plastic Union Jack bunting and tie three England flags to the lampposts….

Just because I’m not black or brown it doesn’t mean I want to be living next door to someone who is putting up one of these flags in response to the fascist groups encouraging people to. The same way they are encouraging the protests and telling people that people seeking refuge are somehow the problem.
I don’t want to live next door to a racist and in my opinion, ignorant person.
Who knows who else he might hate. I have a diverse group of friends.

Virtue signalling

There IS a world cup on right now!

So because people want to fly flags they vote reform? I didn't realise that was a criteria of buying one.

You selling your house is not his problem, if he takes it down it'll only go up again, are you going to ask him to tidy up his front garden and hide the bins too .

No I just wouldn’t buy the house, why would I spend thousands on something that I might not like.

I mean I do have a choice, my choice is no thank you to that one.

Its risk sssessing and whilst I don’t know that the non flag flyer is not a racist, imo it’s less likely.

I’d rather it was flying proud on a flagpole than hung out of a window, but it wouldn’t put me off in the slightest. Also, being picky, I’d prefer a Union Jack rather than the St George’s flag.

Im sorry OP but yes this would put me off. There's not much you can do though unfortunately.

There is, but I’d bet quite a lot of money that the intersecting bit of the Venn diagram between “would currently put up an England flag” and “constantly spouts on about how women’s sport is by its nature inferior to the men’s version” is fairly large.

Would just like to point out it is the women's rugby world cup. Ha just seen poster above also pointed this out

Chances of neighbour being that into it is low, but still a possibility.

It is what it is at the end of the day. Can't change neighbours mind and you've asked nicely, you'll either sell it or won't either way round flag or no flag

Well you can’t make him take it down so you’re stuck with it.
I would be judgey about it if I were viewing your house though!

Personally I wouldn't want to live next door to a judgemental snob like you so it would be a win win situation.

It would definitely put me off - so far I haven’t seen any of this sort of thing in my area, thankfully, and if I was moving and I saw the neighbourhood bedecked with England flags right now it would tell me it wasn’t the sort of neighbourhood I would want to move to.

All this crap about patriotism is just that - the people who put these things up know exactly what they are doing and it isn’t patriotic - it is at best passive aggressive petty nationalism. I expect that once the summer is over most will calm right down and the flags will disappear.

I don’t think it is worth raising with the neighbour though. Firstly you want to avoid neighbour disputes jf you are selling, and from the initial reaction I guess it would only escalate the situation and before you know it you’ll have Farage football shirts in the window and flags on the lampposts and then nobody with any sense would want to move in.

I’d let these blowhards blow themselves out and it will quickly pass.