Regret buying this stupid house

[Cantbelieveididit]

Not sure what I’m even looking for other than to vent.
I have bought a house and it was a terrible mistake.
I have financially pushed myself to the limit so haven’t got extra cash to do all the things I didn’t realise needed doing to improve things.
I bought the house 4months ago- had a survey done and nothing was flagged so can’t even blame that and we viewed it twice.
since moving in I’ve realised the neighbours directly behind are horrible and noisy- music blasting, screaming at their kids and arguing at 2am with a constant smell of weed.
Neighbour next door is a grumpy old man who is constantly looking over the fence and will only acknowledge my husband. School catchment is awful.
Another neighbour seems to have issues with the trees at the bottom of the garden, before we completed the previous owners through the solicitors said they were going to fell them due to a neighbour worrying about them, my husband stupidly said no don’t cut them. Now it looks like she’s investigating for subsidence due to foliage around her property (our trees and another neighbours it seems) .. nothing official yet so again previous owners didn’t have to do anything , they did cut them yearly I think, the other neighbour didn’t.
when we bought the house I couldn’t believe our luck- it was so cheap and thought it was the dream house.. new kitchen, massive driveway and garden, 5 bedrooms… now I realise why.
why was I so stupid to think we were getting a bargain.
how soon can we put it up for sale?

I agree.

If she tries to sell it now, prospective buyers are going to smell a rat, also some may visit the house and area several times so will see and hear the obnoxious neighbours. OP has also reported the neighbours to the police, which she’ll have to declare.

If the price is right someone will buy, the OP bought because it was priced for value?

If you’d read the thread you’d know OP and her husband were sold a dud.

A dud? They have some loud chavy neighbours, that is large chunks of the UK, many people won"t care, they might be loud themselves. I once rented a house in a very posh postcode in Scotland, the loud arguments between the early teen girl and her mother in the next door house would have made your skin crawl, it was really loud, really nasty stuff that would probably affect the girl in later life IMO, annoying neighbours are not just in chavoland. The OP should sell and rent somewhere for a while, at least then they can move if the neighbours are bampots.

I don't think OP will need to declare calling the police on her neighbour, it was clearly a safeguarding concern for the child, not a neighbour dispute. I'm fairly sure it's only disputes that need to be declared.

the previous owners offered to do the trees and your husband said no. The house is not their problem anymore. Why didn’t you research local schools? That’s one of the most important things and area. Seems like it was a very rushed purchase. I feel for you as neighbour issues can happen anywhere and you’re not likely to know before completion. Not sure what your next steps are if you can’t afford to move. Pretty sure other neighbours will also submit complaints against the arguing neighbours.

Well I have received a reply saying the offer to fell the trees no longer stands as the sale is complete. I still think it should be their problem as the trees were obviously and issue when they owned the property and the neighbours subsidence didn’t start after we moved in.
I want to reply and argue it but my husband is furious with me so I am going to reply without him knowing. Surely it’s their issue and I will push for them to sort it, even if it means they go through their insurance. I can’t afford to sort the trees and they obviously can.

no I didn’t research the local school, I didn’t think it would be a problem so I admit that was stupid. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good school when it’s literally surrounded by estates.

last night the loud neighbour had a party (I’m assuming) until about 3am where it was loud music and people standing in the garden smoking weed and their conversations had more offensive words than normal words in each sentence.

I could spend a million pounds making this house look perfect but it’s still going to be my living hell in the summer listening to them and smelling weed. I don’t want my children smelling weed and listening to a mum screaming at her young kids.

I feel I can’t win because if I have to cut the trees down due to 1 neighbours subsidence then itl make my house even worse cos you will hear and see directly into the awful neighbours house.
I will never be able to sell it with no trees for privacy.

You will not get the old owners to deal with the trees, they offered when they still owned the house and your husband turned them down. Responsibility is now on you. That ship has sailed. They will no longer have insurance covering your house.

I think you should seek legal advice, either from your conveyancer or though your house insurance. Though why bother until/unless there is any evidence of subsidence.

I truly get the stress you must feel (I posted previously about antisocial neighbours) but it's a really bad idea to argue with the previous owners re the trees. At best they'll write you off as bonkers and ignore you but you might also receive a warning to back off.

Try and step back from overthinking it all for a few days then sit down with your DH to discuss calmly and try and sketch out a plan of action for the next year/whatever timeline you both agree

Not looking into schools was a mistake, but you don’t have to condemn your kids to going to a school you don’t like. You can apply to schools that are not the closest - my kids have been to a variety of schools and rarely the catchment one. This is something you can control so maybe focus on this rather than just accepting defeat.

However, when a school is in special measures it gets all kinds of investment so could be on the up. And ofsted are not god. You need to visit schools with your kids and make informed choices.

I want to reply and argue it but my husband is furious with me so I am going to reply without him knowing. Surely it’s their issue and I will push for them to sort it, even if it means they go through their insurance. I can’t afford to sort the trees and they obviously can.

Kindly, OP, as someone said upthread, you’re spiralling. Your stress and your resentment towards them for selling you a house you hate is causing you to behave irrationally. Despite being told by your husband, by solicitors, and by countless people since the beginning of this thread that the vendors cannot be held responsible for a property they no longer own, you’re choosing to keep expending energy on a misguided crusade that’s going to get you nowhere.

Unless they have failed to disclose an existing dispute over the trees (which they did not, as they offered to remedy the problem prior to sale), they have no residual obligation to sort out anything whatsoever. The fact that they can afford it and you can’t is neither here nor there.

Property transactions are caveat emptor - ‘buyer beware’ - and it’s your responsibility to look into potential issues prior to purchase because on completion those issues - whether it’s remedial work to the house, or disputes with neighbours - pass to you.

Plus you keep talking about subsidence as though it’s a proven issue, when it’s simply your neighbour’s opinion (and probably, as other PPs have said, just a way of trying to make you cut down trees they don’t like). Until they produce a report by a legitimate professional that indicates their home is subsiding and that trees on your property are the cause, they have no power to force you to do a bloody thing.

You seem fixated on pushing against a brick wall (the previous owners and their legal advisors) for a resolution you’re never going to get, when the far easier option is just to tell the complaining neighbour to pipe down and leave you alone until they can produce legally sound evidence of subsidence (which they almost certainly won’t). Just say you like your trees and if they keep approaching you about them you’ll consider it harassment.

Then direct your energies elsewhere. You’re just hurting and exhausting yourself by continually running into the same brick wall and getting the same result.

Stop and breathe for a minute. There are solutions.

1. put in an official complaint about your neighbour to the council, if its social housing they can and will move/remove her if you kick up enough fuss. Give a false name if you are worried. Or phone non-emergency every time they are loud outside of reasonable hours. Build up a picture quickly of how bad they are so something can be done about it. Also, I would be contacting social services if I hear children screaming like that and threats being made!!
2. Leave the trees until you have to do something? The subsidence report may come back fine for your neighbour? If she’s been moaning about it for years a few months more will be fine. Save some money for either a redecorating fund or to chop the trees. It definitely ISN’T your sellers responsibility now, you have taken the hit by refusing to allowing them to chop them down. Get over it, do something constructive about it. You send another letter behind your husbands back, you risk huge upset and the sellers may complain you are harassing them.
3. School - judgements and reputations show only one side? Go and look round, look at other schools, make your own mind up! Ofsted framework has changed since September, why be so judgemental when you clearly haven’t seen it, take the reputation away and look at it with fresh eyes.

Your house sounds fine, the surroundings need dealing with, if you had lovely neighbours you wouldn’t be so upset? Neighbours change constantly. Stop whining and worrying, start looking towards doing things to make positive changes!

Well I have received a reply saying the offer to fell the trees no longer stands as the sale is complete. I still think it should be their problem as the trees were obviously and issue when they owned the property and the neighbours subsidence didn’t start after we moved in.
I want to reply and argue it but my husband is furious with me so I am going to reply without him knowing. Surely it’s their issue and I will push for them to sort it, even if it means they go through their insurance. I can’t afford to sort the trees and they obviously can.

JUST DON'T DO THIS! Your husband is right - you completed on the house and your sellers are not responsible for anything now.

I know these replies are not what you want to hear but they are right.
You need to let the tree issue go now. Keep the trees as they block some sound and view from the neighbours from hell, Once in full leaf this will be even more effective. If the neighbour who doesn’t like trees comes up with a definite issue then maybe revisit it.
Sit down with your husband and talk, no blame, look forward, plan. First decision is to stay or try to sell. Financially staying is better but you need to try to agree.
If you are staying then immediately start reporting the neighbours from hell, keep detailed records, be absolutely factual. Police when appropriate, council when appropriate, landlord/letting agent frequently.
Find out about applying to non catchment schools, talk to people with kids in the school, read the report in detail to find what the issues actually are. Knowledge is power.
Start to view the house as a home, begin any jobs as you can afford to do them to make it feel yours. Lots of plants, soft furnishings to absorb noise, and colour choices can all help to create a calm welcoming ambience.
Basically live by the old adage, accept the things you can’t change, change the things you can and know which is which.

I can't believe people are still advising OP to complain. She has ALREADY complained and any complaints she'll have to declare on the property information form when she tries to sell.

She’s not officially complained yet. Yes any complaints will be on record - she either moves, which isn’t sounding possible right now, or cracks on with complaining to enable things to change, hopefully positively.
I never understand people who don’t want to rock the boat ‘in case’ they ever sell - so live in misery instead? Sounds like a poor option to me. Also any neighbour disputes regarding renters, if the renters leave, is usually deemed resolved from that point? So if records were looked at, all is done. I’m assuming the OPs ideal scenario would be for nightmare neighbours to leave, so I’d be doing everything possible to get to that point ASAP, if selling up isn’t an option?

She’s not officially complained yet.

Yes, she has. To the police.

@simpleoldpimple You're advising to go on to make complaints, but from the perspective of a prospective buyer, when you read all those declarations on the property information form (hich you're legally required to disclose as a seller) would you want to proceed? The local authority / housing association won't bother rehousing the family (who aren't privately renting) just because of several complaints by OP.

OP please take the advice on here and don't respond. The trees are now nothing to do with the previous owners.

I'm sorry you are having a bad experience with the neighbours. I've never had that but I have moved into a lovely estate with mostly retired couples and one neighbour was hell. He would complain about everything. If we had a kids birthday party once a year and anyone parked on the street he would start taking photos and ranting and raving (plenty available on street parking he just didn't ever want anyone doing that ever). If we got a skip on our own drive he would rant and rave saying the lorry brushed over his grass delivering it etc etc we moved after years of it. He was just miserable and wouldn't leave us alone. He treated other neighbours badly too. So I have experienced an issue and understand how this can be disappointing after moving in and not expecting it. I would concentrate on trying to improve the property and if you do still feel the same next year make a plan to move as soon as possible. The tree issue might not come to anything. Your neighbour could just be chancing it as she wants them cut down. Wait it out.

You have had good advice in regards to the school. I would consider researching other local schools and the chance of making a successful application. Good luck 🍀

Yes the complaints would be listed, yes of course a buyer would consider proceeding if the neighbours in question were no longer there.
Housing association occupants are renters. They are potentially (most definitely) breaking their contract by smoking weed, never mind all the other antisocial behaviour, so they definitely can be evicted or moved. Happens all the time. The process can only be started by official complaints going in to the correct authorities. Anonymous police complaints won’t count for much, as they are not official due to the anonymity.

You have bought the house it is totally you and your husband's responsibility now. This is why you employ a solicitor to carry out searches etc. It is up to you to deal with the trees, neighbours, house problems. It is insane to expect the previous owners to stump up money to have the trees removed now. You and your husband had the chance during the purchasing procedure and cannot go back now.

You can complain if the noise goes beyond a certain time, but you will have to declare it when you sell. I would be tempted to put up noise baffles as much as you can. They won't stop all noise but will probably dampen it down. As far as the trees are concerned do not cut them down as they stop some of the noise from your neighbour. Probably it would be better to plant some climbing plants, i.e. virginia creeper, clematis, honeysuckle, to make the view change over the seasons. They would also help with noise. The more tall plants you put in the garden the better all round.

OP is there a reason you are not listening to anyone on the thread when some good advice has been given? I think you need to step back and really think about things. Try and get back on the same page as your DH and come up with a plan together - a plan that should in no way expecting the old owners to pay for something that is not their responsibility.

I'm not sure if I've missed it but how old are your kids? Are they starting school imminently or are they still quite young.

Again, how is it their responsibility to? They offered, your husband said no thanks. He has removed any responsibility from them by turning down the offer before completion!

But the trees were there before we bought the property so any issues caused by the trees should be there problem to sort? Surely.
if the neighbour comes back with proof the trees are what caused the subsidence to her house then surely I can direct her to the previous owners as it’s their issue to deal with and pay for??