How did you manage to sell or let your property with neighbours smoking weed?

[northernstar0412]

Hello
Apologies, I have another thread on here but I am desperate. Has anyone had this problem please, and how did you resolve it?

New neighbours are smoking weed very heavily and the smell seeps into my flat and now it is triggering my asthma.

I am the owner of a leasehold flat.Morally, I would not want sell to some other unsuspecting person and put the problem onto them.

Likewise, if I rent it out, how on earth will I get tenants with druggies living next door? Also very unfair.

Please, can anyone help? I am really panicking about my health.

We sold it on. Opened the windows during viewings (covid helped in this scenario) and aired the property out. Luckily for new buyer the tenant was evicted not long after they moved in so not a long term problem.

Are they owners or tenants? If tenants complain to the landlord and also complain to the freeholder about the property and that it is affecting your property. It will be a long road though. The easy road is to sell and move especially if they are owners.

The freeholder can take the owners to court for breach of lease but it costs the freeholder ££££ so unlikely they will take that route

Hi itsSnowJokes - thanks for your advice. Presumably you didn't have to tell the buyer?

Did you ever confront the weed smokers or did you try to deal with it another way?

Likewise, if I rent it out, how on earth will I get tenants with druggies living next door?

Just don’t put ‘no smokers’ when you advertise. You’ll either get smoker tenants who are less bothered due to reduced sense of smell, or your own set of potheads.

SnowJokes, I forgot to add, they are tenants.

Drug use and causing a nuisance to other residents are in breach of the lease.

Yes we declared we had a dispute but that the tenants were being evicted our buyer was happy with that. She was evicted 3 weeks after our buyer moved in.

Keep on and on at the freeholder and the owner. Be a pain in their arse!

Thanks ItsSnowJokes.

Air in the morning, viewings in morning only....

@DespairingHomeowner my weed smoking neighbours often start in the morning. I have no idea how people live like this.

I have wondered about this as if we ever wanted to sell we would have this problems. Semi detached, owners, both father and son smoke weed day and night. Seems to come through the air brick into our bedroom, and I have to close windows when they start.

Hi DespairingHomeowner, my neighbours are not smoking in the morning, it seems but the smell was still lingering there from the night before when I went out today.

The female stoner went out tonight and I could work from home unaffected by the stink but she's back home now and it's started again.

I really don't know how people put up with this and, going on what NecklessMumster says, it's not just flats that are affected too, but houses.

I spoke to my sister today and she's had the problem twice in her block of flats.

OK, so I've had some further advice from a local estate:

If I sell, I have to declare a problem/dispute with my neighbours or my buyer could have grounds to sue me.

If I let, I am not obliged to disclose anything unless specifically asked about the neighbours by a prospective tenant.

The estate agent did tell me she was completely new to the job and her other colleagues were busy, although they advised her briefly.

Not every one will be as bothered by it as you are.

Oh no! I don't want to declare it. I've never spoken to neighbours about it. Hopefully they'll move first

NecklessMumster - I think you only have to declare it if you have had an actual dispute with the neighbour - ie. if council or police are involved. So if you haven't made any official complaint about your neighbour where your name is recorded as a complainant, in theory you shouldn't have to declare a dispute as you haven't had one! But I would check with the estate agent.

A friend of mine bought a flat where the seller didn't disclose that someone was running a nursery in the flat above, and it makes his life hell. He is looking into the possibility of whether he has a claim against his seller.

I think you are wrong. Anything that will materially affected a decision of a buyer will have to be declared. Whether that's a weed smoker or someone parking on your drive every now and then!

Check with a lawyer before you dish out legal advice willy nilly.

You haven't started a dispute, so you don't have to declare anything to any prospective buyers.
If you let, unless they specifically ask you about the potheads, then you don't have to declare it.
You could however have a casual word with the downstairs landlord, presuming you know them and alert them to the situation.

This is an old thread.