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?

They can't sue you. The form didn't mention noise and it didn't bother you. Some people are over sensitive to noise. If you are, don't buy a terrace.

No further emails today, so fingers crossed that's it now.
Although I have had about 10 emails in the last few weeks asking what day bin day is, what the postcode is, where can they get spare keys cut and loads of other stuff annoyingly.
They're FTB so I'm wondering if they think this is normal?
But yes to noise, our new house is by a park and today there have been children screaming from 8.30am out there, our neighbour is doing up a quad bike so there has been revving and I found a rogue dog poo on our driveway! But all part and parcel of living close to other people!

Can they not use Google?! Who doesn't know their own postcode...

How strange. Definitely block them.

I'm not a Solicitor but I've been in a similar situation. We did have to complain about our neighbours and therefore had to put that on the sellers information form. However the dispute was resolved and we had to mention that also. At the time we asked our solicitor if we hadn't have made a complaint would we have had to say about the issues we were having, she said no.

You haven't had a dispute with your neighbours so what would you put down on the form? As far as you're concerned your neighbours were fine when you lived there and you had no issue. If you are expected to say that they play music and smoke are you also expected to say what time Old Bill from down the road walks his dog past your house because your buyer might not like dogs?

Tl;dr - ignore them or respond once saying that they need to ask their solicitor to contact yours. You won't hear off them again.

We moved a couple of years back, sold to a young couple and he was forever texting me before we exchanged asking questions.

The minute we completed I blocked them

You need to block them OP, no need for nonsense like that in your inbox.

And as for people saying they cant believe a terrace can cost £500k ... My parents house is well over £1m and a terrace in the north of England. Admittedly an enormous house (8 very large bedrooms) but by no means exceptional in that area - a lot of my friends grew up in similar houses.

If you had no problem with the current neighbours (when you sold) you were telling the truth, no disputes! Speak to a solicitor to put your mind at rest!

When I put an offer in on my flat I did my own ‘ research ‘ and drove around the area including parking nearby a few times at different times of day , night ,weekends to get a feel for the place . Never had a problem .

I don't think they can sue you but I can understand how bad they'd be feeling I'd hate to live near people like that and I'd be really upset I wasn't warned about past calling police out, multi occupancies, loud music until 10 even if that's legal it's not pleasant. I feel bad for them. But legally I think you are probably safe.

@SirSamuelVimesBlackboardMonito

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

The usual question is have you every had any disputes/complained about your neighbours. Calling the police about noise is something that is significant. It doesn't matter if they have moved out, you have to declare it. Failing to declare, even though you don't think is relevant, will make the judge rule in the complainant's favour.

"If you’ve been unlucky enough to become involved in an actual dispute with Problem Neighbours, this will have to be mentioned on the form that your solicitor sends you – called a Seller’s Property Information Form (or SPIF). What constitutes a dispute is open to interpretation but in general, if you’ve had to contact a neighbour in writing, or complain to the council or another authority about them, then the dispute will have to be declared.

Because you are required by law to complete the SPIF, and because the buyer of your property is entitled to rely on the information being accurate when they buy a home, they may be able to claim against you if the sale has been completed and a problem neighbour dispute comes to life"
www.problemneighbours.co.uk/what-you-have-declare-about-neighbours-when-selling.html

I don't think you've done anything wrong.

I think now is the time to email and tell them not to contact you again. This is not your problem any more - if she keeps contacting you after you tell them to stop it is harassment. She can call the agent or go to her solicitor if she has a big problem.

Hang on, they bought a house from you and they’re asking you what the postcode is?

They sound like absolute numpties. Block

@russellbrandshair I wasn’t talking about the OP’s position. A few people were spouting on about buyer beware as if it’s the golden ticket for a seller to do as they please in any given situation, when it is most definitely not.

The postcode thing, in all fairness, is because when websites auto fill the address they usually come up with a different postcode.
The property was built at the start of an existing road, but has a different postcode to the rest of the road.
But when we moved in we didn't have anyone to text so had to figure these things out ourselves.

As in they built a row of terraced townhouses at the start of an already existing road, which was previously wasteland.
So the new properties have a different postcode to the others on the road that were already built.

Hopefully you won't hear anymore, but if you do I would simply say to direct any further questions to your solicitor. As FTB they sound clueless and think contacting you is fine! They obviously didn't do their research and are now trying to blame you. When we bought we visited at various times in the day, drove by at various times, asked if the sheep were noisy and chatted to the neighbours to get a feel for the area. They clearly didn't do this and are now blaming you. I bet when they sell, they won't be disclosing it either!

Those who think £500k is outrageous for a terrace must be frothing at the mouth at this one

Wilton Crescent, Belgravia, London, SW1X
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-77328070.html

But when we moved in we didn't have anyone to text so had to figure these things out ourselves
That’s the sort of thing a helpful/reasonable seller would leave in a note for the buyer, along with info on bin days, nearest supermarket/petrol station/corner shop, general “here’s what you need to know” info. Especially as the postcode is a weird issue. Particularly as you were expecting them to forward parcels to you! Courtesy goes a long way and might have made them less pissed off with you.

I think morally you ought to have declared the police-calling; all you had to do was say that and that the issue was resolved by those neighbours moving out. And morally, you knew that when the buyers asked if there were problems with the neighbours, they were asking about everything including noise.

(For what it’s worth, I declared resolved neighbour noise when I sold my flat. No problems selling and my buyers sent me a thank you card. And I bought a ridiculously priced terrace – London – from a seller who did break contract in numerous ways, but we can’t sue her because we don’t have her address.)

My understanding, though I may be wrong, is that the form asks if there have been any formal complaints between you and your neighbours. So, for instance, if you had sent or received a solicitors' letter relating to nuisance.

If you live in a fairly densely populated area, particularly an urban area, where there are more younger than older people, I do think a certain amount of noise is to be expected. If you had lived in that area for 6 years and not been bothered by the noise then it appears to be a case of your purchasers being more sensitive to noise. It's a shame but I don't think you should feel bad about it.

I used to work in Bath and surrounding areas and am not the least bit surprised by this. I think that beautiful Bath has the highest concentration of entitled people I’ve ever come across. Fortunately, most people there are great!