Seller not declaring neighbour dispute

[Hopingtomovehouse]

Hi, we put in an offer on a house. Found out that the seller has complained to the council about their next door neighbour over rubbish in front garden, rubbish includes food that is left to go mouldy and it is attracting rats. Neither the estate agent nor the seller told us about this. It appears other people have made offers and pulled out when they have found out. Not sure how they found out as I believe it isn’t declared on any sellers documents. We offered the asking price, it was offers over, but we didn’t offer over

Estate agents are conversant in vagueness and convenient omission, they'll more than likely be aware of the problems (esp. after buyers pull out etc) but even then they'll still not tell you.
Withdraw.

They are selling during winter because it stinks in the summer and you can't have your windows open or enjoy your garden. This is my experience from living next to a horder. Fortunately I was renting, I would absolutely not buy this place. You can fix a house but you can't fix neighbours.

I think you should pull-out, you don't want to take on someone else's problem.

Hi update, we drove by, garden is full of rubbish, it’s stuff like wood,junk. Estate agent said they didn’t know anything about the neighbour.

@Hopingtomovehouse
How can the EA not know about it if previous buyers have pulled out? One of them must have told the EA why they've had a change of heart.

Definitely pull out. I live next door to a hoarder and he has complex mental health issues and the council won’t do anything. Rubbish, rats, damp, bon fires. It will only get worse.

Exactly, unless they changed agents?

What are you going to do OP?

Previous buyers don’t need to give a reason for pulling out.

Irrespecive of whether the sellers have complained to the council re the rubbish next door it’s clear that you can see the rubbish at the front.
If you are OK with that continue
If you are not phone the council and ask what they are going to do about it.

If it’s a health issue eg there are rats, the council can force the neighbours to clear it all out or they will do it themselves and charge them.
Ask the council what stage they are at, if at all, in dealing with the rubbish and whether they can in fact do anything.

Their response at least will help you consider whether you want to live next to that.

They said no one had pulled out. But it had been listed with a different estate agent before this one.

Still not sure

Had it not come up in searches and surveys done by your conveyancing solicitor

I wonder what your question is 🙄

The estate agent has withheld pertinent information from you, this is highly unprofessional. Complain to the property ombudsman. You might also like to make an offer for the house at the value you consider it to be worth with the neighbours attitude to life.

The formal complaint to an official body like the local authority would probably place this within the grounds of a neighbour dispute. However there are those who say it is a matter of interpretation. A personal difference "over the garden fence" where there is no paper trail or involvement by the likes of police, the council or solicitors is often not mentioned. Landlords are often very reluctant to become drawn into personal differences between tenants and neighbours, unless there has been some serious violation of the lease which could get them into trouble or damage the property. Then if they come to sell they can always say they were "unaware" of a dispute.

Surely if its a legit issue (not just neighbors arguing over nothing) then you could SEE the rat infested mound of rotting food when viewing right? And you still offered.

Not really sure why something so obvious would need declaring.

Why would you do anything other than pull out? Do you want to live next to these people?