AIBU to pull out of house sale due to neighbour?

[Lalarara10]

AIBU to pull out of house purchase due to odd neighbour?

Ran into him once when viewing the property - he seemed a bit odd and made some funny comments but I felt he was harmless. House looks pretty run down (adjoining walls). A few other times when I drove by I saw him just hanging around outside the houses with his 3 dogs.

A second time I went back there was a funny smell coming from the house next door and some odd rubbish outside.

Today my parents went to take some pictures of the house for me and he came out of his house and accosted them. They couldn't get away for 20 minutes. He was saying racist things, he apparently stank, had stains and dribble all down his tshirt and seemed not with it. He was talking about us applying for joint planning permission together (??!!), talked about calling the police on another neighbour and seemed obsessed with the whole sale/time on the market of the house.

It might not sound like much but it has been enough for me to decide to pull out...I don't want to live looking out the window to check he's not out there before getting my kids into the car or rushing to get my keys out to get in the house quickly. He doesn't seem to have boundaries and I can imagine him poking his head over our fence all summer long. The fact we would share walls concerns me and we don't want to complicate our planning and were planning on fast tracking it as soon as possible. However, there is a part of me that is worried we're making a mistake pulling out?! Not sure what to do?!

I only got as far as three dogs. Run

Run like the wind. Did same when realised a prospective downstairs neighbour was an absolute scumbag drug dealer and never looked back.

And they’re hiding behind “but we didn’t live there, so weren’t sure” so will get out of it legally!

The poor next purchasers! 😢

Yes pull out!

I read through this wondering what the 10 people who said YABU had to say in defence of continuing the purchase, but they seem reluctant to explain their thinking!!

We had neighbours who were not even beside us, but they had two massive dogs which made it really unpleasant walking past their house. I was always afraid they’d escape (and I’m a dog owner, so not afraid of dogs - but these two were really aggressive). They also used to sit out drinking till all hours in summer and then they’d argue - we were ok as we weren’t that close but we could still hear them, so for the people on either side of them it was a nightmare. They’re gone now but they were for 10 years. So yeah - pull out, don’t hesitate!

Don't even give it a second thought.

Run for the hills and don't look back .

Don’t do it. Even just the three dogs thing would make me pull out. Having problem neighbours, especially if they’re next door, always adversely affects your mental health. No matter how convenient the location of the house or how affordable the mortgage is, do not buy this house.

The beneficiaries won’t have lived there but you can bet your last penny they’ve visited and know full well what he’s like.

Yikes - sounds like the beginning of a horror film!
No way would I buy - don’t be the person who goes down to the cellar because they hear odd noises 🤣

Sorry to your sellers, but get out of this deal now.

Pull out now. It’s tough on the sellers but you do what’s right for you. Also, be honest with the about your reason for doing so, I’d want to know personally.

Bad neighbours can make your life a misery. It’s just not worth the risk if you have other options.

Pull out! If I could go back in time I’d have scoped out the neighbours by me and would have probably done the same. With hindsight we think it’s why our seller sold up!

Glad to hear you have changed your mind about this house OP.
I couldn’t live next door to someone who sounds like they would be trying to engage you in unpleasant and unwanted conversation plus the smell in summer from rubbish or a garden where dog poo isn’t picked up.
I had a ground floor flat years ago with a front garden and all the local cats used it to shit in. It stank and every time I mowed the lawn it just spread cat shit everywhere.
I tried every anti cat garden spray out there but they would do it at night. I’d only been living there for 2 weeks when there was a raid on the next door flat by the police as there were dealers operating from there.
It’s a good job your parents were there to speak to the neighbour as you might not have realised until it was too late.

Pull out YESTERDAY. It is not worth it even if it was the most amazing house in the world at the most amazing price. Just don’t do it.

Run and don't look back!

It's lucky he showed up while you were still able to pull out of the sale. Imagine if you'd purchased the house and then met him!

Thanks all for the resounding agreement! Luckily we got a full refund for the survey which was due to take place on Thursday and from our solicitors too as we hadn’t done ID checks. So we’ve not lost a penny! Spoke to the EA on the phone but also put it in writing in an email.

Phew ….. that’s a result!

Well done and good luck with the house hunting.

Good luck with your new search. Every time my first check on a property would be on neighbours, as once you've had neighbours from hell, you never want to go through that again!!

Definitely pull out. My sister had an horrific experience with a terrible neighbour when she bought her first home. On reflection it was obvious thr previous owners had hidden this. It made her life a misery, she was always scurrying in to avoid them and they became malicious. She sold up within 2 years.
You have an early warning here, avoid the pain and expense. Something better will turn up.

@Lalarara10 Glad you pulled out without losing money. Did you tell the EA the real reason? The family selling it, really need to know, as this could put a LOT of potential buyers off. They aren't going to know unless someone tells them seeing as they are not living next door to him

Yes I did tell them - that’s why I wanted to put it in writing. It had also had two other ‘cash buyers’ pull out beforehand and I’m wondering if it was for the same reason maybe

Don’t buy. Run for the hills. Give yourself and your family a pat on the back for doing due diligence to uncover this person

So glad you’ve pulled out and and not had to pay. It sounds as though you’ve saved yourself a lot of trouble.

Pull out.
No ifs, buts or maybes.
He sounds like a recipe for a nervous breakdown.