Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Help we've moved but seller has not disclosed neighbour dispute

110 replies

wondermum1 · 03/06/2014 20:53

Hi, Feeling sick as I write this, been up for nights and think am going to go towards a breakdown. Finally bought a great house in a good area and refurbished it (£50k worth of refurb), house does genuinely look beautiful. Next door house is in a complete state and since we've been here (6 months) no one has cut or tended to garden, grass now waist high and apparently (according to neighbour otherside) now rats. Despite notes through neighbours door even offering to pay for a gardener getting negative response. Turns out she has been a nuisance neighbour for over 20 years and everyone "hates" her. When we saw the house, previous owner was apparently dealing with garden to make it look more attractive as state of house was preventing sale. When we saw it, the neighbouring house looked "ok" not great but passable and we were told was owned by an old lady who had 2 carers (not true, no old lady just two women). Am at wits end, do I sue previous owner? If I do and I sell my house do I need to disclose as well? How do I deal with the neighbour? I'm so desperate want to put house straight on market but husband says we can't do that. ;((((((( HELP!

OP posts:
Iamfree · 03/06/2014 21:35

No no win no fee and your home insurance (if you have legal cover) will not cover it because if you read the small print there is an exclusion for anything to do with the house purchase.

I say you send an email to a couple of proper litigation solicitors, see what they say and then decide. It will make you feel empowered and in charge, while I am sure you feel helpless now.

burnishedsilver · 03/06/2014 21:42

Any chance they're squatting rather than renting?

RCheshire · 03/06/2014 21:59

How did you determine they were cutting the grass to mislead you about the neighbour rather than helping out? (I used to cut neighbour's grass)

OddBoots · 03/06/2014 22:02

I'm sure I've read threads on here that mention people mowing/tidying a neighbour's garden to help the sale of their home, it's never seemed like a big deal, certainly not something I would expect to have declared as a dispute.

sanfairyanne · 03/06/2014 22:07

So the grass is long and there is an old car on the drive? Not exactly 'nuisance' just a bit scruffy
Wont the old neighbours just say they were helping out by mowing? I would. I do that for neighbours here - out of kindness not because i hate them

sanfairyanne · 03/06/2014 22:09

Also beware other neighbours - people are often snobby about tenants
If they are abusive, taking drugs, stealing, then that is a problem
Long grass? Not so much

Linskibinski · 03/06/2014 22:25

Just speak to the environmental health department if it is as bad as you say they will write to the tenants and if things don't improve they will follow up with home visit. Cost to you, nil. One single solicitors letter will be minimal cost certainly not a grand! Just ring a firm and ask how much they charge for a standard letter. As nuisance neighbours go it could be worse, much worse! I do sympathise though and I hope it gets sorted soon. Thanks

SwedishEdith · 03/06/2014 22:36

Have you ever actually spoken to them rather than just putting notes through the door? I presume they leave the house sometimes

LadyWithLapdog · 03/06/2014 22:53

I think you're you're v wound up after speaking with the other neighbour. Surely, tall grass, invisible rats and scruffy car is not enough to make you hate your dream house? Also, how would suing the previous owner get thd grass cut?

Pipbin · 03/06/2014 23:28

I don't wish to be rude but did you not notice the state of the garden when you viewed the house?
I understand that you are annoyed by spending a load of money and getting messy neighbours is annoying, but if they are just messy then it's not so bad really.

JamJimJam · 03/06/2014 23:47

Ok, their grass is overgrown, there might be vermin and there's an untaxed car on their drive.

Sleepless nights and heading for a breakdown over this? Is it really worth the anxiety?

MabelSideswipe · 03/06/2014 23:59

Have you actually seen a rat because there we have rats in the park adjacent to our garden and they are not shy. If they are really there you will see them. But you can't complain about imaginary rats.

fillie · 04/06/2014 00:11

I'm not sure you have to disclose disputes with neighbours. I'm pretty sure you only have to declare and sign regarding any boundary disputes with neighbours. I could be wrong though. Have a look at your paperwork from the move.

agnesgrey · 04/06/2014 01:09

Wondermum ,

I know you are looking at the legal type issues , but just a thought .

Moving is stressful. You have clearly spent a considerable amount of money to buy this house and have spent more to make it smart and your home. It is natural that you will be worried / stressed at this time , especially when next door was not as you thought . Things will feel raw at the moment . I know . I have done it .

My advice would be to concentrate on any real practical things (like vermin or whether you want a hedge ) then investigate the solicitor angle , or indeed the "kept nicely clause' but try to enjoy your house . I speak as one who wanted to chuck away thousands to move immediately because of a few minor points , they all got fixed & I cried when we eventually moved 12 years later. When you invest in a house , if it is emotional as well as financial , it can be a wee bit of a roller coaster. Don't do anything hasty but take some PP's good advice about practical things you can do .

GrendelsMinim · 04/06/2014 06:55

I think AgnesGray has a very good point - we all feel very raw and vulnerable when it seems like our home is being threatened, and sometimes we can overreact.

I think that your idea about getting EH to check if there really are any rats (may just be your other neighbours imagination) and putting up a smart hedge between your garden and next door may be the way to go.

LtEveDallas · 04/06/2014 07:12

I'm confused.

How do you know that the vehicle is not under SORN? There is no outward sign.

How do you know that the house is mortgage free? Personal finances are just that, personal.

How do you know that there are rats? You've never seen them, you've never seen the dumping of rubbish. BTW we had rats - not because we are nightmare neighbours but because we 1) fed the birds and 2) their lairs were flooded so they became more bold.

How do you know that your seller was in a dispute? Only your neighbours told you that, again you have no proof.

Are you 100% sure that this is not just prejudice and snobbery from your home owning neighbours against the renting ladies? This is an actual occurance, home owners "jealous" that people can rent what they have worked hard to buy. Especially if they learn that any form of housing benefit is being paid. You say yourself but we saved for years to move to a notoriously good area and I didn't really want to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to live next to a dump! which makes me think that YOU are one of those.

As for sleepless nights over waist high grass, well words fail me tbh. Do you have anxiety issues because, seriously, that is really over the top. I wonder if a chat with a doc may help a little?

You are in a detached house, in a nice area with other neighbours you talk to and seem to like - that's a bonus. Your immediate neighbours are scruffy, but that should not be impinging on you, ignore it and please stop pushing notes through the door.

LadyintheRadiator · 04/06/2014 07:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TalisaMaegyr · 04/06/2014 07:24

I genuinely don't understand what you're making a fuss about Confused

Onesleeptillwembley · 04/06/2014 07:28

Only sounds like one nightmare neighbour here.

Gemma77 · 04/06/2014 07:31

Mmmmm - You want to sue the previous owners for not mentioning the state of the garden yet you are worrying about whether you will have to declare it if you move should you complaint?

Sounds like the previous owners thought the same as you... they decided that the garden wasn't worth making an issue of that would need to be declared.

MaryWestmacott · 04/06/2014 07:32

Op, in the nicest possible way, I think you have for yourself in a state over nothing!

You live in london, there's rats in most areas. The grass is long, the previous owner cut it, if the tenants won't and you are upset about living next to an unmowed lawn, can you offer to do the same?

Have you seen them throw rubbish, have they made noise late at night? Have they shouted abuse at you or generally done anything that is a problem?

Offer to cut their grass, contact the landlord about the grass, get environmental health about the rats. Report the car, but as others have said, it might be declared as off the road, there's no way for you to know.

wowfudge · 04/06/2014 07:37

OP - please take a minute and think about things before you escalate the situation. Have you met these 'nuisance' neighbours? If they are two ladies living together is there some prejudice from other neighbours at work here I wonder?

Speak to your neighbours and offer to cut the grass for them if that makes you happy. Don't interfere over the car fgs, just put a hedge up, but do let them know that is what you intend to do and say it is to soften things or brighten things up.

We viewed our house when everywhere was covered in snow. We didn't know the garden was poorly maintained apart from the tenants moving the grass and next door's garden is a wilderness left to go back to nature.

When we moved in lots of things which should have been left had been taken and there was stacks of crap left in the cellar, garage and garden. Our solicitor actually advised us not to expend effort pursuing the vendor who was broke anyway.

Instead we hired and filled a skip and used our energies to sort the house out.

Our neighbours with the wilderness garden are lovely people and perfect neighbours - you wouldn't know they were there but for occasional Radio 4 on in the front garden when he's tinkering with his car.

Seriously, do not cause a dispute of your own. Cultivate the tenant neighbours and if you find them really objectionable then contact the landlord.

BeyondBurma · 04/06/2014 07:39

I do think you are over reacting too tbh.

You can't control your neighbours, plant some fast growing shrubs so that at least you can't see their garden.

Rats different of course.

I'd go and chat to them, often helps if you find to your surprise that you get on ok with them.

BeyondBurma · 04/06/2014 07:41

x-posts with wowfudge Smile your neighbours sound lovely.

WhosLookingAfterCourtney · 04/06/2014 07:42

LtEve has it I think.