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?

she is trying to find grounds to build a case against you, dont engage with her at all

Block them from sending you any e mails or change your e mail address, threatening to sue you is ridiculously, our neighbour is like a little Rottweiler sometimes but I’m not threatening to sue the builder that sold us the house

Shit happens, if you keep getting e mails then threaten back saying you’ll sue for harassment

There was nothing stopping the buyers from visiting the neighbours beforehand. That’s what my neighbours did. They asked if it was noisy around here, I said it was very quiet and we were the noisiest house with 2 kids and a dog! Luckily we’re not a terrace.

More importantly- was the tortoise included in the sale seeing as it was included in the photos?

could you tell them that as a terraced house, youve always expected a certain amount of noise from neighbours who are just living their life, but youve never found it excessive and your new area is no different which you put down to the good weather and summer holidays and sure its the same for them

They won’t get anywhere with this - it’s a mid terrace house, and if they were expecting no noise, they should have chosen a house in a rural location - or detached. I think most people are unsettled when they first move house, and it takes a year or so to accustom to the new place. E.g I noticed every aircraft that went over our house, now I don’t hear them (although that might be Covid!) xx

I agree with other posters about getting your solicitor involved. Also, anytime I look at properties I tend to go around at different times of the day to get a good idea of what the area is like. I’m not saying that I view the house multiple times, more do a recon of the street during the day vs in the evening. I really don’t think your buyers have a leg to stand on if you never made any complaints about or had any disputes with your neighbours.

Sounds like the neighbours from hell. Yep... Think you should have disclosed this, that's alot of people, alot of noise from both sides and most people wouldn't want to live next door to neighbours like this.

OP you sound like a reasonable and self-aware person who before throwing stones, so to speak, about "noise" reflected on whether the tables could be turned on you, given the noise a family might make in the normal course of things.

It's a virtue, but in increasingly short supply.

The email is worded in a threatening enough way I'd alert my solicitor and ask that any further correspondence be directed at them. Do not go near anything to do with previous occupants- not a dispute and they're not there.

You'll be fine. Try to rest easy.

I agree with @Idontgiveagriffindamn.

This is a difference of opinion, nothing more and don't worry about the HMO property as that is not the issue here.

Send one email that states:

Dear X,
I am saddened to hear you are unhappy with the neighbours noise levels, I have lived very happily at our previous property for 6 years and never once did I have a cause for concern or felt the need to raise a dispute with the neighbours, police or the previous occupants who sold us the house so I find your correspondence highly irregular. At best this is a misunderstanding and at worst it is simply a difference of opinion.
As far as I am concerned the noise levels are nothing more than the usual family noise and I feel the best course of action would be for you to speak to the neighbours directly in order to resolve your concerns.
You are more than welcome to discuss your concerns further with my solicitor if you wish but you may not contact me again via my personal email with threats or I will regard this as a form of harassment.

Kind regards
@ihateconfrontation

Then block her email address and forward her email and your response to your solicitor. Let them deal with her and do not speak to her directly again, she hasn't a leg to stand on.

Rentals and especially HMOs tend to have zero respect for either the property or the neighbours

Jesus that’s a sweeping generalisation there @ivfdreaming and one I feel really really offended about.
I am more conscious of my neighbours as a result of renting. I look after my home (as it may not be my house, but it is my home) better than if I owned. My previous house I also personally paid for the maintenance and looked out for the elderly neighbours.

Please please think carefully about what your sayings, it’s hurtful and untrue for the majority of the 5 million hard working families who are unable to buy.

I’m shocked at the number of people who think half a mil is mad for a townhouse. It’s reasonable in many areas of the south. In my town (also don’t live in London) it’s about half a mil for a 2 bed terraced and £800k-£1mil for a 3-4 bed. That said, if i do ever manage to save enough to buy a house I will probably have to relocate as I can’t afford to buy where I grew up at those prices.

Also I’m currently a renter in a block of 6 flats attached to a few houses which are also all rentals. Only 2 of the neighbours we’ve ever had have been noisy or disrespectful to the property in the twelve years I’ve lived here.

Judging from my friends' moaning, everyone is finding their neighbours awful, not just in lockdown but many were pretty bad before- barking dogs, shrieking kids, slamming doors, playing music and that's before getting on to the nasty ones who swear or actively create trouble. People are noisy and anywhere, even expensive terraces, will be noisy. None of this stuff is unreasonable and the council will not be interested in it.

HMO's- our council only registered large ones, not flats/smaller ones and they've stopped doing it now due to budget cuts.

I've got a couple of friends who can't bear their neighbours' noise. They point it out when I'm there and to me it just sounds like the faint sound of people living their lives. What's the problem? Don't worry about it, OP. We have a HMO next to us which essentially is three professional people who are currently out in the garden the whole time having Zoom calls, chinking glasses and chatting. At the back there's a couple of kids playing ping-pong all day. I can hear different music, occasional rows, dogs barking. It's a lockdown/hot summer thing but also a human thing. You don't have to apologise for being tolerant.

@EvilPea

I have lived next door to rentals and HMOs in various properties for the last 15 years and I can categorically say that not a single one has looked after the properties they've lived in

@ihateconfrontation

No, never ever lodged a complaint due to noise. As said previously, we called the police a couple of times due to loud domestic arguments in the house next door, but it was never a dispute, just anonymous calls and the couple moved out.

Thats a complaint you should have reported to the buyer. If there is any record of it you will have a big problem.

No, because those people no longer live there, and it is therefore utterly irrelevant now.

Don’t engage. You are done nothing wrong. One for the solicitor to deal with.

Buyer is inappropriate contacting you directly so you shouldn’t reply.

I sold a terrace in a nice part of London a few years ago for WAY more than £500k ... terraces are not just 2 up 2 down - this was in a lovely street of large Victorian terraces, zone 2, extended and had 5 bedrooms and over 2000 sq ft. But yes at the end of the day it was a terrace and I could sometimes hear my neighbours and I couldn’t park outside my own front door most days. I cashed in and moved to the suburbs to be near family, friends and schools. Depends what’s important to you.

Hahaha what jokers, they can’t sue you what nob heads. Email them back “sold as seen mate, enjoy!”

My neighbours tinker with cars and motorbikes in our shared courtyard all the time. It doesn't bother me at all as they're lovely; we always chat with them and could ask for help in an emergency no problem. They also don't make any discernible noise through our shared wall (semi detached). I imagine the sound of bikes and music would annoy a lot of other people, but once the doors and windows are shut you can't hear anything at all. Everyone has their own things that bother them, you haven't mislead or been dishonest at all OP.

I'd take no notice if they make it officialask a solicitor but you.only have to declare neighbour disputes. My husband sold a property years ago and we had a similar issue the buyer claimed we failed to inform her that a neighbour who is a wood turner made a lot of noise regularly with tools and machinery. My husband is partially deaf and it was never an issue to him, solicitor replied to them and said pretty much that and advised they ceased contacting h regarding it and.go through solciitor from then on, they got nowhere cos it wasn't a neighbour dispute and they did buy knowing the adjoining property was a wood turning business working from home.
Just calmly explain that you never had issues with either of the neighbours hence why it was never declared. You didn't find them unacceptabley noisey at all and if they do your sorry but that wasn't an existing neighbour dispute it's their dispute with their neighbours and they need to take that up with the police or council in the area.

It's purely subjective on their part. THEY are having issues with the noise levels whereas you didn't. You didn't make any formal complaints so what exactly are they trying to sue you for? I would tell them to refrain from contacting you again via your email and their complaints should now be addressed to your solicitor. Don't reply to any emails, block them and enjoy your new property!

[quote ivfdreaming]@EvilPea

I have lived next door to rentals and HMOs in various properties for the last 15 years and I can categorically say that not a single one has looked after the properties they've lived in

[/quote]
I don’t think it’s a rental thing. I think it’s just they are arseholes .
Most renters are like me. You shouldn’t tar us all with that sweeping statement. It’s actually really bloody upsetting

This is why a house like that should be visited at different times of day/night and different times of the week before proceeding with a purchase. What someone can and can't tolerate can differ massively. I'd block and ignore. If you've never lodged a formal complaint etc then they can't do anything.