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Original poster

Buying a house next to noisy kids?

31 replies

aesthesia · 18/10/2018 14:34

I am close to exchange on a three bed maisonette on a lovely council estate. Every time I went round to view before making the offer it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Since then I have walked past the flat a few times and heard an absolute racket from the house and garden next door. The first time I thought they must be having a party in the garden, however my heart sunk when I realised it was just a couple of kids who live there screaming. The same thing when I went back next weekend, then the same a couple of evenings after work. The kids are loud enough that you can hear them from outside their house, which is where my garden would be, and they don't seem to be at all under control. I know kids are loud but I've lived next to families with young kids before and the odd tantrum is inevitable, but either I've been really unlucky in when I chose to drop by or the tantrums in this flat are continuous. I've been past a couple of times and heard no screaming, but it seemed like no one was home.

I reached out to the seller through the EA and she has disclosed there's a family with school age children who play out in the afternoons and you can hear them in the flat with windows open, however they do tend to settle down in the evenings. No mention of weekends, which is when I really want some level of quiet. She also says they have requested a larger flat from the council - it's a three bed so this makes me think there's a fair few kids there, however it means they might be moving on soon which is positive.

I'm at a loss for how to proceed. I really love the flat and the area, I've already invested in a survey and search fees, feel very emotionally invested and want to proceed, but I hate the idea of being constantly disturbed and having to keep the windows shut and not being able to use the garden. I also feel really mean when I consider pulling out of a deal because of something that is out of the seller's control. And generally a bit mean spirited because the source of noise is kids, not adults having parties, and can't really be helped. There's no chain involved (it's a probate sale and I'm currently renting). What would you do in my situation?

OP posts:

Alexalee · 18/10/2018 15:38

Find somewhere else, you will be constantly pissed off and it will ruin your enjoyment of the flat. Cheaper to pull out now than have to sell in a few months when you have been tearing your hair out at a lack of peace

BigFishFace · 18/10/2018 16:08

I couldn’t knowingly move into a flat next to loads of noisy kids. Yes, they might move on soon... but they might not. You won’t be able to use your garden in the way you want. As pp said, you’ll be constantly pissed off.

BringMeTea · 18/10/2018 16:13

I would pull out OP. Truly.

blue25 · 18/10/2018 16:14

No, don't do it. You know the noise will annoy you and it could be years before they move.

DisrespectfulAdultFemale · 18/10/2018 16:19

I would pull out of the sale, OP.

househunthappening · 18/10/2018 16:29

Pull out. We live next to a lady who has loads of loud birds in an aviary in her garden - there is a reason for my username.

mumblechum0 · 18/10/2018 16:32

I'd pull out too. I'm next door to a pub frequented by families who just leave their kids screaming and shouting in the beer garden all the time in summer and I have to retreat to the end of my field to my deckchair to get any peace which really pisses me off

sbplanet · 18/10/2018 16:35

It's a tough call. You might buy somewhere else with nice quiet neighbours and then they go and move. The noisy kids might move out but others move in after them!

I hate screaming kids and barking dogs...but I don't know what your answer is. Go talk to the flats other neighbours, next door and further see what they say about noise?

BellaEnd · 18/10/2018 16:38

Seriously, walk away. We’ve had neighbours with extremely noisy/screamy kids. Absolute fucking nightmare. Kids outside playing - fine, no problem, but the screaming and constant shouting did my head in.

StoorieHoose · 18/10/2018 16:43

House next to me has 4 kids who start screaming and crying at about 8am and keep it up for around 12 hours. They are frequently shunted out to the back garden so bang goes any enjoyment when the weather is nice.

HOWEVER come 8pm they go to bed and it’s lovely and quiet. Which is bliss compared to the family they bought it off who kept us awake all night with parties, music blaring, bonfires in the back garden and 12 teenage boys taking over the house most weekends!

House4 · 18/10/2018 16:45

You need to also consider if you will hear them inside the flat through the walls. I lived in a house once and you could hear everything through the walls. The parents telling the kids off, when they woke up in the morning, when they walked up the stairs. It drove me cray. After that I have always bought detached even if that meant a smaller house in an area that wasn't my first choice. There's nothing worse than being pissed off in your own home due to noise you can't control.

Tara336 · 18/10/2018 16:50

We had neighbours like this move in after we had lived (and loved) being there for about 8 years. They brought every kid in the neighbourhood round to play and it became impossible to enjoy your home. They were shouting out windows, climbing and shouting over the fence, it became hell and although we loved our house we started to look into moving. Imagine our joy when we came home and saw they had put their house on the market 😄.

another20 · 18/10/2018 18:08

Spend as much time as you can, at different times of the day outside the flat....weekend mornings especially if that is your quiet time. Next week is half term so you will have loads of opportunity to research.

It depends on what the noise is - children laughing playing fine for me - children fighting, arguing, parents screaming at them not so good. I love the sound of playtime when passing a school.

As it is a probate sale I wouldn't worry about upsetting the vendor.

loveka · 18/10/2018 18:15

We have very noisy children next to us. It has driven us crazy in the past. The boy-8ish- is a screamer who can keep it going for 12 hours no problem at all. He is never told to pipe down by his parents.

When we were selling last summer I genuinely thought noone would buy the house if they heard the noise he makes in the summer. It was one of the reasons we took the house off the market.

This summer he has been much better. Probably only 3 or 4 unbearable evenings rather than every night last year.

keeponrunning85 · 19/10/2018 03:06

I would say pull out. When we bought our last house there was a lovely, quiet elderly lady in the council house next door. She was replaced by a family with 3 kids who screamed constantly and were rarely taken out of the house by their parents. It was horrible and they may as well have been in our house with the noise levels.

It really spoilt our enjoyment of living in the house for the last 2 years we lived there. Amazingly they went away for the 4 weeks before we moved out, which was bliss, and meant we left on a good note.

Shadow1234 · 19/10/2018 03:37

Yep - I would pull out a.s.a.p
Everyone can tolerate a bit of noise - but that sounds too much.
What if they do move out and another large family move in?
Cut your losses while you can. Once you exchange, theres no going back (unless you want to lose a large percentage of your money)

AgentProvocateur · 19/10/2018 05:06

I’d pull pull out too. If they’re that noisy, and aren’t told to keep the noise down by their parents, they will be neighbours from hell. All of the family.

Alwa · 19/10/2018 05:32

Pull out

GloomyMonday · 19/10/2018 05:41

My experience of house-buying is that the little things you think you can live with become serious annoyances quite quickly. Whether it's a low beam, lack of storage or noisy kids next door, they're driving you mad in no time.

JessicaJonesJacket · 19/10/2018 05:46

Pull out. Accepting the neighbours and the neighbourhood is a big part of being happy in a house. They're annoying you when you don't live there. It will be a million times worse when you do.

Original poster

aesthesia · 19/10/2018 09:55

Thanks everyone! It's a really tough call for me... I was worried that I was making a big deal out of something normal, so it's good to know it's a valid concern and I'm within my right mind to walk away over it.

I'm going to do as many visits as possible over the next few days just to be sure. The problem is it's a bit colder now and the kids are more likely to be inside, so I need to not let the relative peace overwrite my memory of what I heard in September...

OP posts:

sbplanet · 19/10/2018 10:16

Speak to their neighbours, start with a general 'what's the neighbourhood like' and then try specifics... :)

MrsGollach · 19/10/2018 10:24

Walk away. (So lucky you "reached out" to the seller)

ponyandpanda · 19/10/2018 12:25

Speaking from experience, noise can seriously make you hate a place you love to live in. You know in advance that your neighbors are loud, and if you are thinking now that you might not be able to cope with it, I would get out while you still can!

Alexalee · 19/10/2018 13:04

Aesthesia I think the fact that not 1 out of over 20 replies has said stick with it probably tells you all you need to know. I wouldn't even bother going back to see if it's better at different times, it would be a waste of your time and energy

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