Pulling out of house before exchange?

[p0ppyx]

I am sure I will get lots of mixed opinions on this. We have been stuck in a chain for the last 7 months and finally got an exchange and completion date for next month. However we have come across planning permission approvals to add parking to a block of flats that is next to the house. There is currently a hedge next to an access way which goes down the side of the house which provides some privacy between the house and the flats and this hedge is to be replaced with 6 parking spaces. The spaces would have to be accessed by driving round our house and the spaces will be directly opposite the front door and kitchen window. This has really worried us about losing privacy and the added noise around our house. We are also concerned this will put people off when we come to sell it as I feel it would put me off personally.

Are we absolutely awful people to pull out at this point? I would feel so awful, our seller has been lovely and helpful through this whole process.

6 poxy parking spaces?

bloody hell you can’t be that bothered about this house OP!

You’ve been lucky. Don’t spurn your luck .

I’d hate that - the vendor should have disclosed it earlier.

Is there a safety issue if the parking spaces are right by your front door? I’d be raising this with my solicitor.

How close is it to your potential house? Could you plant a new hedge on your side of the boundary to give you back the privacy?

I wouldn’t be happy with six neighbours have to constantly drive around my house and park next to it. If you feel you need to pull out then do so otherwise you might have problems selling in the future. This should have been disclosed to you earlier.

Would you have bought it if the parking spaces were there when you first viewed? If not, pull out.

It’s more that the hedge that is currently giving the house privacy is to be removed so you would now be able to see directly into our windows from the new parking area and to access the spaces you would have to drive round the front and to the side of the house directly passed the kitchen window.

Build a fence. Plant a new hedge. This is not an insurmountable problem.

I need a diagram please

We've just bought a house with 7 parking spaces literally outside our house..I find it very intrusive so we have planted 5ft laurels on the boundary.. it really helps but we are also in the process of fitting a metal fence as we have found people parking over the boundary and stepping onto our front door step when getting things out of their boot..planting hedges can be worthwhile if you otherwise love the house.

No safety issue as such as there is a small access road between the front door and the spaces which is just big enough for the cars to drive down but we would essentially now be opening our front door onto the road which is being used to access the spaces which is a concern as we have children.

You can pull out of the transaction anytime before exchange but be aware your solicitor will want to be paid for the work they have done for you so far, so there will be a financial implication.

Do what you have to do. You’re spending literally thousands on your new home and if something isn’t right, pull out. Everyone involved will get over it. Shit happens.

A diagram would really help us visualise if this is a solveable problem i.e. put up a fence.

But, if it's going to really impact your life and it's not a solveable problem, than yes, you're within your rights to pull out.

You can't spend hundreds of thousands on a house that's potentially been devalued & lost significant privacy in order to to not let strangers down - but it's normal to feel terrible about it.

I would pull out. If they'd been up front with you this situation wouldn't have happened. Don't feel guilty.

Thanks for all the opinions. I will try to get a diagram together. There is a small fence around the side that the parking would be but we would have to make this significantly taller to cover the windows and the house is quite dark as is so we would lose lighting and the view from the windows would now just be a fence which isn’t so pretty. It’s such a big purchase, I don’t know if I am willing to pay out so much money to then have to put up a big fence all the way down the side of the house just for some privacy.

This is not the property you agreed to buy. The sellers probably knew about this planning application and wanted out.

It greatly affects your privacy and there will also be a noise problem from car doors slamming day and night.

This is not what you wanted, you have had a lucky escape, pull out now.

How did you find out about the PP?

Would the PP’s experience of laurels/a small fence work for you?

I can’t quite picture it tbh.

My other question is what are the flats like? I’ve lived next to grotty flats before and it wasn’t great

You wouldn't be awful and that is what exchange is for - before it, the deal isn't agreed and either side can pull out without penalty (apart from any fees you're contracted to pay conveyancers etc). You might not have offered if you'd known about the spaces.

I pulled out of a house purchase once. Was told by solicitor 2 days before completing that the freehold to the property was owned by a collective committee consisting of the owners of the house I was about to buy and five adjoining houses. One of the rules the committee had was that you couldn’t rent out your property without their permission, another was no hanging laundry outside. No one had told me this earlier and I wasn’t happy with it so had to pull out. Weirdly didn’t feel awful about it which is unusual for me. I guess because they were all strangers and it was the right decision.

If you were buying a blouse and you got part way through the transaction and then noticed a hole in it would you carry on? This is exactly why we get all the searches. I think it's entirely reasonable to pull out because of this.

Would definitely pull out!