AIBU if I disclose to the Estate Agents what is living in the house's roof?

[PropertyQuestions]

A house in our road has gone up for sale after the resident very sadly passed. I've seen bats going in and out of the roof at dusk for at least the last 6 years.

The resident knew about them (I used to chat to them and pointed them out) but they had dementia and lived alone so I doubt the people selling are aware of their presence.

WIBU if I let the estate agents selling this house know that there are bats in the roof so they can let prospective buyers know / so they can check a bat survey has been done?

The property is in a bad state so would generally be the type that would need to be gutted from the ground up to bring it up to modern standards, something that is hard to do if bats are present as they are protected. I worry for the bats coming to harm as well as for anyone buying the house with plans to renovate without knowing about them.

YABU - stay out of it
YANBU - let estate agents know

Respectfully Not your circus so I'd stay out of it.

Maybe ask these people?:
https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/bats-and-the-law

A survey would presumably pick this up?

Just stay out of it.

I would mind my own beeswax.

Yeah im team keep your nose out of this. Its up to people to do their own checks on houses and you arent directly linked to this property or have any business saying anything.

It should be picked up on a survey.

Nothing to do with you.

I own a house with a large and thriving bat colony in it. We renovated it too (carefully, and with all permissions in place.) We take great care of our wildlife and it is unbelievably annoying when a completely unrelated do-gooder pokes their nose in to highlight what they think we should be doing. And people do ‘flag up’ so much unnecessary shit we are already on top of, when it’s really none of their business.

Depends.
If they dont know about them ..find out and realise all the associated problems there's a good chance they will cull the colony and hope not to get found out.
So if you want them to survive..report the colony. Not to the estate agents though.
Phone the national bat helpline.

this, get advice there.

Yes, I agree with PP, report the colony to Bat Conservation.

IME, if developers know they (and newts etc) are there, they will do everyting in their power to make sure they are gone before any surveys.

No member of the public has any responsibility, or interest in wildlife conservation?

@665theneighborofthebeast and @Lightslit the bats being unlawfully culled or their home destroyed either on purpose or by ignorance is what I am most worried about. It is a thriving colony.

I haven't seen any bats since our neighbour's thatched roof got repaired....I kind of wish I'd said something at the time.....

As well as the bats, I feel sorry for whoever buys the house. They could end up buying a home they can’t live in. I would tell the estate agent.

Edit to clarify - the people may end up with a home they can’t live in. I believe the bats are protected.

I'm amazed at all the posters saying mind your own business. Report the bats and if it's already a known colony, great.
If it's not, provisions can be made for it's protection.
It's the correct thing to do surely.

chances are the estate agent knows or will have seen it. Any survey would pick up on it too

The estate agent won't care, they won't do anything. The point at which you would step in is when it is bought and if it is being renovated, the purchaser will just need to put bat boxes up and undertake works outside of certain times.

@Alwaysoneoddsock that is how I feel too. Both the bats and buyers who won’t know unless it gets disclosed early.

YANBU. I would definitely want to know if I was the buyer!

I tried very unsuccessfully to point out to the estate agents of a house next to mine where there were issues. They passed the info to the buyers solicitor proving that the seller had not disclosed info they were aware of. Buyers solicitor did not want to know! Buyer beware!

The estate agents are paid by the vendor. It is NOT in their interest to report the bat colony.
Thats like reporting small children in red capes taking breakfast to grandma to a colony of wolves....

I never said that! Equally though a house being on the market and the sale isnt any of your business.

But if the bats are wouldn't it be wrong to do nothing?