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Original poster

Selling flat - neighbour junk and overgrown plants

16 replies

FingersXrossed · 23/07/2020 20:47

I'm trying to sell my flat and have had a number of viewers but no offers yet.

I'm wondering if part of the issue is due to junk and neighbours' overgrown garden. We each have our own private gardens and there's also a communal green area and parking. But my garden is between two others which aren't very tidy. One of them is full of cut down brambles and bushes (which I'm assuming won't be removed for a while, if ever). The other is overgrown and the fence is about falling down, with brambles poking through the fence.

As well as that the owner of the first garden (my upstairs neighbour) has been dumping a lot of junk (including an old bath) in the shared access area for a while now. It's been lying there for almost a year and he's not been arsed to move it, now other items have started piling up too. It's not even on his side of the property.

This kind of thing made me roll my eyes before, now I'm wondering if it's putting off prospective buyers as it's right there when I'm showing them around. I'm not sure what to do. The second guy with the brambles poking through the fence works away a lot and I've never even met him. I'm wondering if I could trim the brambles where they're coming through the fence?

The junk dumping neighbour and I have had issues before (noise related) but are on ok terms just now but he doesn't really give a shit about others. So I'm not sure how he'd react. I heard him telling another neighbour that he'd get rid of the bath but that was about a month ago and it's been lying there ages already!

What can I do? Thanks for any advice.

OP posts:

Ariela · 23/07/2020 21:16

Can you look at a skip (for shifting stuff you won't want to move,) and offer to share with your 2 neighbours? (Just make sure you put your stuff in first as soon as it arrives)

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 23/07/2020 21:18

The overgrown plants not an issue for me but the in-house fly tipping would be a no from me.

magicmallow · 23/07/2020 21:23

could you offer to deal with the garden for them? And do it free of charge? That way you do them a favour and they are unlikely to be resistant.

FAQs · 23/07/2020 21:27

I reckon that is def putting people off. No feedback from the agent?

CatAndHisKit · 24/07/2020 00:54

Yes, this is definitely off-putting! I agree with the advice of offering to hire a skip / share cost for it for the bath etc. Not really fair on you, but you need to sell!

CatAndHisKit · 24/07/2020 00:55

of course you can trim the plants if they are going through to your garden.

BarbedBloom · 24/07/2020 02:38

Yeah, that would be a no for me. I would worry that if they didn't take care of the gardens, they wouldn't take care of the houses, which could potentially cause issues for me.

longtimecomin · 24/07/2020 03:39

The rubbish dumping would put me off buying.

JoJoSM2 · 24/07/2020 06:27

Yes, it sounds like somewhere I wouldn’t never buy due to what you’ve just described. As a side note, if the brambles are coming through the fence into your garden, then it’s your responsibility and not the other guy’s.

SD1978 · 24/07/2020 06:29

It would put me off. Seeing junk hanging around, and two unkempt gardens, either side- would be a pretty big red flag to me that the neighbours may very well be an issue.

Dinosauraddict · 24/07/2020 06:47

As soon as I saw the bath I would know immediately I would not be offering on the property. Am surprised the EA hasn't tactfully told you this!

stillfeelingmad · 24/07/2020 06:57

Yes 100% this would put me off, it gives an indication that they are lazy thoughtless neighbours, not what you want living in a flat

missmouse101 · 24/07/2020 07:09

It is definitely that OP. Dumping items in shared areas is not allowed. You have to inform the managing agent. Please do that immediately.

Original poster

FingersXrossed · 24/07/2020 11:14

Thanks for the comments.

We don't have a management company or factor. I wish we did, it would make things a lot easier. Everything is worked out between the neighbours. I'm loathe to pay for anything myself (going halfers) as the guy upstairs already owes me money from years ago for work I had done).

The brambles aren't growing into my garden from the other neighbours but they're growing out of his garden into the shared area.

The bath etc obviously didn't put off whoever bought the other flat recently but it sounds like it might be causing issues for my viewers. I know it would put me off too.

I've been showing people around myself, the estate agent doesn't do this so won't be aware unless someone has said something. And I've had no feedback despite asking for it (and being told they'd phone me later).

Our council does a special uplift (first one is free) so I'm thinking I'll go down that route, would need to inform the neighbour first. God, he pisses me off.

OP posts:

jassa090 · 24/07/2020 11:33

Can you ask the council to serve an untidy land notice?

Original poster

FingersXrossed · 24/07/2020 12:24

I don't want to do anything that will make the neighbour angry. He gets angry very easily and I'm trying to sell up and want to keep him "on side" as much as possible until we can move. He's been away or quiet when I've shown people around so far I don't want to jeopardize that.

OP posts:

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