Our buyers saying we didn't disclose neighbours.

[ihateconfrontation]

So we sold our house and exchanged and completed a few weeks ago.
Moving as we had to move area for work.
On solicitors forms it asked if we had any neighbourhood disputes, we answered no, which was true.
We were one of the middle houses in a terrace. One side had 4 teenage boys and parents and the other side is a multi occupancy let.
Both properties had noise coming from them which was to be expected, multi occupancy house had people smoking outside and chatting in normal volume voices until maybe 10pm, other side the teenage boys bickered occasionally and slammed doors when in a strop.
Both houses played music, but never past 10pm and not loud, just at music listening volume!
I've got noisy pre schoolers, so guessed that we made noise of our own.
Anyway, our buyers ended up with my email address and we've been getting constant emails saying we should have disclosed the neighbours and how loud they were on solicitors forms.
They are threatening to sue us and say that the noise is at an unacceptable level and I should have told them.
I feel awful as they've spend half a million pounds on a property that they clearly aren't happy in, but we lived there happily for 6 years and classed it just as neighbour noise.
What can I do? Can they sue?

[quote GreyishDays]Not all terraces are two up two down back to backs, have some imagination

This is one near me www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81732169.html[/quote]
That house comes with a tortoise!

I can’t get past that someone bought a terrace for 1/2 a million....

In my town there's a 2 bed terrace on for 695k, it's not even London!

Just ignore.
Neighbours change all the time. The next ones could be even louder - not your fault!

Block their email. They are harrassing you and they don't have a leg to stand on. You didn't disclose any disputes because there weren't any disputes.

You are being way too nice by responding to their batshit emails. Block, block, block. Let them go to a solicitor if they want to. It will give the solicitor a good laugh!

You might have had nudist neighbours which did not bother you but new owners might have the vapours over it. Forget it and block the e mails.

The Magnificent Edinburgh terrace shown comes with not just ANY old Tortoise...

But a Tortoise who has been resident for SEVENTY YEARS!
A 1950's Tortoise.
our neighbour had a tortoise bought in the 1950's, but she, [the Tortoise] died a few years ago.
She was massive, and very well looked after..But she died, perhaps of old age? She was maybe 10 when bought. {so born 1945?}

Don't feel guilty. If they're that worried about noise they would have checked properly. They may well have known there's an HMO next door, and they chose to buy it. Threatening to sue you looks like they're trying to get some money for nothing.

[quote GreyishDays]Not all terraces are two up two down back to backs, have some imagination

This is one near me www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81732169.html[/quote]
Completely off topic but although that house is gorgeous - I can't believe that it's almost a million pounds and doesn't have a bath tub! (Unless I misread the floor plan - it was hard to zoom in)

I hate to say this (conscious it makes me sound quite deceitful) but the only reason I didn't make an official complaint about my dreadful noisy neighbour was because I knew I wanted to sell my flat and was worried it would come up if a potential buyer did a search. In my defence I am sensitive to noise and tbh not sure anyone else would have been as annoyed as I was. He was an extremely bad singer/guitarist who practiced 4am-6am every weekend. He was also an alcoholic (his admission) and frequently fell asleep with his TV on at an insanely high volume whilst smoking in bed or leaving food in the oven. The fire brigade were called out on a few occasions. The only saving grace was he worked away from home 4 days a week.

The day I sold and left that property was one of my happiest, marred only by the deluded man trying to give a CD with his 'singing' on it as a leaving gift

Sounds like they’re trying it on. They must be gutted, who’d want to spend half a million on a terraced house and then have shouting, slamming doors and music all the time. But if it didn’t bother you and you never had a dispute then they don’t have a leg to stand on.
If one of the attached houses is a HMO surely that would have come up in the information from their solicitor? That should have been a warning bell.

@zaffa
Completely off topic but although that house is gorgeous - I can't believe that it's almost a million pounds and doesn't have a bath tub! (Unless I misread the floor plan - it was hard to zoom in)

I noticed that too and it really bothered me. I don't even take baths that often but I would still like the option.

[quote JingsMahBucket]@zaffa
Completely off topic but although that house is gorgeous - I can't believe that it's almost a million pounds and doesn't have a bath tub! (Unless I misread the floor plan - it was hard to zoom in)

I noticed that too and it really bothered me. I don't even take baths that often but I would still like the option.[/quote]
Especially for half a million pounds!
I don't think I could buy any house that didn't have an option for both bathing and showering.
The tortoise almost makes up for it though ....

I’ve just got to say...’buyer beware’ doesn’t mean that you can throw caution to the wind as a seller and lie your arse off. It means that the burden is on the buyer (or more like it-their solicitor) to undertake due diligence, but the seller must be truthful and reasonable at all times, or they could face a claim of misrepresentation of some sort.

Clearly not the case here. I say again to you OP, don’t engage in emails with this person, either ignore and block or get your solicitor to write you a curt response, or both.

Couldn't help but notice the comment about renters having zero respect. I have rented a number of houses now as unfortunately not in a position to buy yet. We are very respectful of our neighbours, we have good jobs and try to do our bit in the community where we can. Every house we have lived in has been in between home owners, have yet to live next door to any renters. Almost every single one of those home owners has had zero respect for their neighbours. We had one home owner neighbour that would have parties until 4am/5am, even on week nights, every week, not just once in a while. Our current house we've had DIY being done until 2am every night for about 6 months, whilst we had a baby, they told us where to go when we asked if they could stop around 11pm. They then they sold up and the next neighbours to move in very regularly have the police out at weekends due to fighting in the house that then spills out into the street and over neighbours gardens. As a renter we don't seem to have the voice to complain as it's not our house, landlords don't want to know unless it's us making the noise. Please don't tar all renters with the same brush, some renters are arseholes, some home owners are arseholes, and most are just nice people trying to live a peaceful life.

Sorry for detailing with the tortoise house. I was trying to just stop the derailing about expensive terraces. Not sure it worked.

*derailing! Gawd

new buyer legally got no leg to stand on.
however, seller knew the issues and wasn't completely honest with neighbour's noise.
it is a moral issue not a legal issue.

You'd pay around £1.5million for a terraced townhouse in the most prestigious streets of Edinburgh, and not just for the location. The houses are huge and very elegant. Not all terraces are like Coronation Street!

The house next to us is a HMO and we've had no problems in 10 years, they have all been very respectful, we hardly hear them so it's not a given that all HMOs cause problems. We recently had a viewing cancelled because of this which is very frustrating.

Having reread and seen the updates I agree with a PP who said it's legally not an issue but morally. I don't think they've got a leg to stand on OP and if they continue to harass I would ask the solicitor you used for the sale to write to them explaining that you have complied legally and please cease and dismiss to contact you on the matter.

I’m getting a vibe of batshit from them. Maybe it is a combination of people being at home so much during lockdown and the weather, making things more noisy. But maybe (more likely it feels!) they are overly sensitive about noise and yeah l do then wonder why they bought a terrace house? Personally l wouldn’t reply to any more of their emails, they know who your solicitors are and lm pretty sure any solicitors they approach will say they’re wasting their time

@mumsy27

new buyer legally got no leg to stand on. however, seller knew the issues and wasn't completely honest with neighbour's noise. it is a moral issue not a legal issue.

But the seller didn’t know the issue. They could hear the neighbours but it wasn’t an issue.

I live in a terrace, you can hear the neighbours - of course you can! And one is a retired single woman and the other a single guy working from home. It is just what you get in a terrace!

Also the noise level could well have increased due to lockdown.

No moral issue at all!

@mumsy27

new buyer legally got no leg to stand on. however, seller knew the issues and wasn't completely honest with neighbour's noise. it is a moral issue not a legal issue.

Bollocks is it a "moral" issue. The OP didn't think it was an issue! More fool you if you disclose every single possible negative thing about your house and put every potential buyer off, unless you never want to sell your house of course.

I’ve just got to say...’buyer beware’ doesn’t mean that you can throw caution to the wind as a seller and lie your arse off. It means that the burden is on the buyer (or more like it-their solicitor) to undertake due diligence, but the seller must be truthful and reasonable at all times, or they could face a claim of misrepresentation of some sort

But no one is suggesting anyone “lie their arse off” are they? Or maybe I missed it. The fact is, if you didn’t raise a dispute with the council then you didn’t raise a dispute. It’s not a lie, it’s 💯 truth. Maybe you do find your neighbours loud but the conveyencing forms don’t ask how loud your neighbours are. They ask if you have had a dispute, and if you haven’t registered one then you are NOT “lying your arse off”.

I suppose sellers have to ask themselves if a buyer asked them what noise could they hear through the adjoining wall how would they answer?

In my case the truthful answer would be that you can hear everything up in the bedrooms! I've banged on the walls several times because one of the annoying kids is singing with their headphones in and the kids don't go to sleep until gone 10pm or later