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Original poster

Something odd about this neighbour and empty house?

38 replies

Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 17:14

Hi
I'm not sure if anyone can throw any light on this and I suspect some people might say I need to get a life!
This may get a bit long but I'll do my best to condense as much as I can.

Twenty years ago, my then H and I bought a house. There was an elderly lady next door who had lived there all her life. Her parents died, house is hers as there is no other family.

It became obvious that she had mental health issues. She was like a little girl really at 80+. Her neighbour (other side) was a man in his 50's, also alone and they were friends. Laughing and chatting in the garden etc. He also had some mental health issues - dressing up in women's clothing and running around the street. (I know this sounds made up, but I swear it's not!) They had lived there so long that the other neighbours just let them carry on afaik.

Fast forward a few years. 50 + neighbour goes into a care home, no family, house is empty. A man arrived at her house and started doing diy etc. No carpet downstairs but he's sanding the floorboards upstairs where she didn't sleep. Things like that. She had a fall and badly hurt her leg and came to us saying that she didn't know what to do as it was very painful. Diy man's wife is a nurse and she used to call there to 'help' with him. I tried to get a doctor to call but she wouldn't let him in!

Diy man was still calling on her and had a key to 50+ neighbours house for some reason. We (H and I) were a bit baffled so did a land registry search (I know, not my business!) His son's gf (a solicitor) was now the owner and had bought the house for £38,000 ish. (At this time, it would have been worth £90,000 ish.)

80+ neighbour died and her house is still empty with no ownership on land registry. I looked recently on Land Registry and blow me, the diy man and his wife have bought it for an unknown sum. (I might be wrong about that but they own it.)

Please wise people on here, why would anyone still live in their same house when the one you bought for a song is better, bigger for almost 12-14 years you own one that is now worth £230,000? Why?

I'm sorry if I sound mad but it's just that I met a woman walking the dog who lives in that street now and finds it very odd too. Diy man goes there every few days apparently and she wondered who he was.

Thank you for reading. Sorry if this is not clear but it has really helped me to type it out. I hope someone can come up with some idea of what he might be doing. Please?

OP posts:
bilbodog · 03/09/2018 17:54

Is diy man a builder who is going to knock down both houses and develop the whole plot?

Or

Has he some how managed to obtain ownership of both houses fraudulently and going to rennovate them and sell for a profit?

Stormzyandme · 03/09/2018 17:55

Its sounds very fishy to me.

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:00

Well, I believe he has obtained ownership fraudulently, but what can I do?

I know I should just leave it go - the houses are not mine - but I think it's just so dishonest.

OP posts:
Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:04

He isn't a builder, more of a diyer. He couldn't knock them down because it's a row of 13 terraced houses.

I can't help feeling that he's biding his time until people move, lose interest. That type of thing. Someone did mention, when I lived there, that 80+ lady had a niece somewhere.

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 03/09/2018 18:09

It does sound odd. Assuming the DIY man has a home he's currently living in, that means he has three houses and no income from rental. It does make you wonder how he bought them, given (presumably) they weren't on the open market.

You could always ask a local estate agent.

wowfudge · 03/09/2018 18:29

Who registered the old lady's death? They have to put their relationship with the deceased down and if it was DIY man or his wife are they related to her? That's if it wasn't a doctor. Presumably the sale of the male neighbour's house was agreed with him whilst he was in the home - do you know for certain that the purchaser is their son's gf?

Why don't you ask the guy what his plans for the old lady's house are? Sounds to me as though he may be renovating it to flip it.

Age Concern can probably provide some advice if you think there has been some sort of elder abuse and the Land Registry forms will have to have been completed in order to register the property to DIY Man. Maybe the niece is involved somewhere in all this?

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:39

How can I find out who registered her death? You say renovating it to flip it - 15 years? Male neighbour wasn't in a position to agree anything as he was so ill.

I'll try Age Concern but it's so long ago, they'll probably think I'm potty!
It's just so wrong

OP posts:
Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:40

Diy man wouldn't speak to me. H had 'words' when we were living there!

OP posts:
Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:42

Gf and diy's son lived there at one time (man's house) but not for long.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 03/09/2018 18:51

Maybe they have obtained ownership of the old lady's house via adverse possession? Hence the length of time they've had it without it being registered to them with the Land Registry and no purchase sum being noted? You can apply for copies of other documents related to the Title Register so may be able to find out more. Is the niece still alive?

You can get copies of birth, marriage and death certificates from the General Register Office for £10 per certificate.

wowfudge · 03/09/2018 18:54

Tbh there are various other things that would come into play if the old lady died without a will (the house would go to the Crown eventually and would be sold) but lots of info is in the public domain. Maybe the niece transferred it to them?

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 18:55

Will have to google adverse possession!

OP posts:
wowfudge · 03/09/2018 18:56

Just realised you don't even live there anymore - crikey there could be all sorts you and the other current neighbour just don't know. It's hearsay that they only go there every few days, etc.

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 19:03

Having read the adverse possession information, I'm going to ask a solicitor if they can help with this. If anyone should have her house, it should be her church - not him! Squatters rights? No wonder he's there every day or so! Cheeky

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Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 19:05

Funnily enough (or not so funny for me), he is now my neighbour in my current house. Him and his wife ignore me as I do them.

OP posts:
OftenHangry · 03/09/2018 19:11

Immediately rung the bells.
There is a scam like that. One example
news.met.police.uk/news/four-men-sentenced-for-defrauding-elderly-lady-of-her-north-london-home-310887

Basically they target old people especially ones with mh issues and tell them "Oooh love, you really gotta get that works done. This is dangerous and the house won't stand much longer" and then they tell them some RIDICULOUS price and come to an agreement of 'well pay with your house, we will let you live here'
Disgusting.

OftenHangry · 03/09/2018 19:14

Don't speak to a solicitor. Speak to Action Fraud

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 21:24

Thank you for the information. Do you think Action Fraud will take me seriously?

I've just remembered 80 + lady asking my then H if he could explain what was in an envelope. It was a bank account/investment thing with over £28,000 in it. Wonder what happened to that?

OP posts:
Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 21:37

OftenHangry - how did it come to light about what those people had done?

OP posts:
OftenHangry · 03/09/2018 21:49

I don't know the details.
Certainly try. They should take you seriously. Don't let them fob you off! Poor lady and most likely her neighbour were obviously scammed out of their houses. Makes my blood boil.

OftenHangry · 03/09/2018 21:51

They should really do some system in here like in some other countries where you need to produce your national id card for all these things. However if you are not of sound mind it's taken off you and guardian is established so these scammers have it much harder

needyourlovingtouch · 03/09/2018 22:12

Im confused.
So DIY bloke has ended up with two terrace houses near where you used to live? Labelled diagram?

Original poster
Guardsman18 · 03/09/2018 22:15

What's confused you need?

OP posts:
EmmaC78 · 03/09/2018 22:32

I doubt Action Fraud will do anything. I have made a couple of reports about things and get an acknowledgement and never hear anything further.

Troels · 03/09/2018 22:49

If you know she had money and owned the house outright maybe the Heir hunters would want to find the neice and get their cut while getting DIY man and his family out of there.
One of those Heir hunter companies had something to do with a local man who had rentals, he thought he had inherited them from his step father (mum had died), but there was no will. So he didn't get to keep them they went to his Step fathers relatives who had no idea about them or the mans death.
Neighbours often contact them saying someone died and the house is empty, they investigate.