New neighbours

[Spacebound]

Hi everyone,

The house nextdoor has just been bought about 6 weeks ago and they seem to be doing a lot of building/decoration work on it and the garden but aren't living there yet. I think they are going to rent it out.

Do they have any sort of responsibility to inform us if they are going to rent it out or would it just be a case of common courtesy?

Thanks!

But you don't know that they are planning to rent it out. You think they might be. I suggest you untwist your knickers in the meantime.

Well breakfastatsquiffanys, "upsetting the neighbours or trashing the property" I think that's my point proven is it not!!

Uh no.... Not really

Renters usually take better care of properties than owners do. The properties we rented out we had an agency manage, inspections took place and both properties were left in better condition than when we rented them out, folks are scared to lose their deposits or be unable to rent in future.

No I'm pretty sure they don't have to inform you of what their plans are. But it is good neighbour relations for the landlord to tell you if there are any issues to call them. I have renters on one side of me and they are wonderful, keep the house up really nice and I hope they never move!
On the other side I have owners who are somewhat annoying and testing our patience, so you never know what you will get.

I understand your fears but I think it you can't judge people upon whether they rent or own.

I don't rent, I own my own property. The properties either side of me are rented out. In an ideal world you would have a bit of continuity because sometimes the nature of rentals are that they are short term and you lose a sense of community.

However, saying that, all the tenants have been perfectly pleasant.

I would not expect the owners of the properties to inform me about anything.

I would really hate to live next to you. You clearly think you are a cut above. May I remind you that you and I are in the enviable position of owning a property - a lot of professionals and young families have been priced out of the property market and yet you are sitting there judging all and sundry like Hyacinth Bucket. Bet you are never away from your window, peeking at the neighbours.

Rentals do of course have one clear advantage, they allow you to move away from annoyances far more rapidly than if you were the owner. If I was renting next to you I expect I would be glad about that.

You are not a better person, you are discourteous, smug and ignorant. I bet it is not just me that is hoping that you get some robust personalities to live next door to!

I rented for years and years before we bought our house.

I was a model tenant.

Wouldn't want you for a neighbour.

You know people earning millions of pounds a year rent OP, it's not just for nasty poor people.

You sound delightful. Never lived in rented - so you never went away to university? Never loved with friends? What a most frightful close minded boring life you must have.

It's a lot harder to get rid of an unpleasant neighbour who owns than a bad neighbour who rents...

Just wow OP. How ignorant.

In our last house one of the houses opposite was let for about six years. Neither sets of tenants caused any trouble to us as neighbours. The house next door was bought by a family who owned a large number of vans and caused endless parking problems and were raided by the Police at least three times because of a little sideline they had.
I think you are making a sweeping generalisation OP.

You think you are the better person??? Wow.....just wow. No way!!!!

We have a HMO/student house renters from hell next door -they really do take the piss on a regular basis. BUT I would still rather them than the risk of people buying it as their "forever home" who turn out to be wankers and who I can do nothing about. At least with the partying students I can complain to their landlord and to the University (which I did do with last year's bunch). If someone bought it who loved playing metal at 3am or had a dog which barked all day or whatever, complaining would be much much harder.

Gosh. How odd an attitude you have. Homeownership is at its lowest amongst the younger working generation so there are millions of perfectly ordinary people who rent.

I now own my own house but rented for over a decade. You sound very much like a neighbour we had, wouldn't deign to speak to us (or even my lovely mom!) until she found out what me and my Dh did for a living then suddenly we got Christmas cards and attempts to come in for tea!! So snobby.

YANBU OP. I would want to know if my new neighbours might turn out to be tenants as opposed to homeowners. However you don't have any rights to be told although it would be courteous. Neighbours are a lottery I'm afraid but I would be more wary of tenants who may not have the long term commitment to the property that a homeowner would. Obviously if they were all bloody marvellous tenants like those on here you would have nothing to worry about.

OP, you will, quite rightly, get your arse handed to you on a plate.

What an appalling attitude to have.

I feel sorry for any neighbours you have whether they're renters or owners.

If they intend to rent the property out as a HMO then they are supposed to register as such with the local council. If they fail to do so then the landlord can be fined.

Neighbours are a lottery I'm afraid but I would be more wary of tenants who may not have the long term commitment to the property that a homeowner would

Yup, cos homeowners are known to be committed to their properties, and to behave impecably. Every single one of them.

Is your real name Hyacinth Bucket OP?

OP Regardless of whether you have a right to know, surely the question is why do you want to know?

Will you make less effort to get to know them?
Will you watch the house more for some reason?
Do you think the house won't be maintained (either by tenant or by landlord?)

I can't see that knowing it's going to be renters or not makes one iota of difference to how you live your life.

Tbf, I can't imagine buying somewhere and not knocking on neighbours' doors/dropping a card through introducing myself and explaining that works will be happening for x period of time, whether that house was a btl or not. It's just the polite thing to do.

redfairy it's actually in the interests of a landlord to maintain a property these days with new landlord & tenant legislation and much more competition in the rental market. Homeowners can let their houses / gardens deteriorate like anyone else!!

Apparently politeness is in short supply on OP'S street.

I own my house, no mortgage so completely mine. Last time I rented was 46 years ago. I think your attitude is awful. People will be living in the house, none of your business if they own it or rent it.

Did you think they would ask your permission and if you said no they would just let it sit there empty? Let you vet the prospective tenants? I can't see what you would gain or why you would expect them to tell you.