House behind Cafe

[Berlinlover]

A terraced house has gone up for sale in my town centre. It’s absolutely perfect in every way but I’m a little concerned as the house is located behind a cafe. The cafe is open from 8.30am to 5pm. The cafe’s bins are stored at the back of the premises which would be facing the house, not quite directly but close enough. There is a narrow road in between. I’m concerned about rats. The cafe has been there over 25 years so surely if there was an issue with vermin it would have been addressed long before now. What do you think?

I wouldn't. I'd have the same concerns about rats too.

Rats are everywhere, cafe or no cafe.

Whats their food rating and have there ever been any scandals about the running of the place

Bear in mind also that it might not be a cafe forever, its a business premises, it could be turned into anything, notwithstanding PP of course.

Wouldn’t bother me. You could live on a purely residential street and your opposite neighbour could leave their bins outside the front of their house all the time (happens a lot with terraced houses in city centres) Pretty hard for rats to get into a commercial bin!

What’s the hygiene rating? As pp said rats are everywhere. Most cafes won’t want mice or rats near their premises.

@likelysuspect @Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain I live in Ireland and we don’t have hygiene ratings displayed in restaurants/cafes etc here. I also haven’t been able to find anything related to hygiene scores online. The same family have run the cafe for decades and as far as I’m aware they’ve never been temporarily closed due to hygiene issues or anything like that.

You could buy a lovely little house anywhere at all and have rats. Neighbours feed birds? Rats. Neighbours have chickens? Rats. Neighbours are a bit tardy at disposing of their rubbish? Rats.

If there are rats, then they've got a ready supply of food where they are, so they're not likely to suddenly gang up and rush your home. If the house is perfect, go for it. if you ever see a rat, get a terrier.

I'd be nervous if the business changed hands and became a bar or something.

I would be more concerned about business traffic - our high street empties commercial bins at dawn every day. They presumably receive deliveries too. The noise would drive me mad! Plus cooking smells 🤢 But some people won’t mind at all for the convenience of presumably being in the “hub” of town.

I'd be more worried about the noise also.

We have just had a change of use approved for a house behind us. It's now going to be a cafe during the day with outside seating and turn into a piano bar at night until 11 pm.

I'm NOT HAPPY. Everyone objected but it's gone through somehow.

If it's already a cafe selling "hot food", it's not going to be hard for it to be turned into a takeaway that would have longer opening hours, more smells, potentially more "dodgy" customers, etc. It'd be too much of a risk for me to take.

Honestly my main concern would be that the smells would make be perpetually hungry!

I wouldn’t have concerns about rats but I would that they may start opening in the evening, either themselves or sublet which is common around here.

Can you smell the bacon sandwiches from the house?

It’s a cafe and also a delicatessen and has been run like that for decades. They do a lot of catering for events, that type of thing. My only concern is the bins.

I was there a couple of hours ago and couldn’t smell a thing.

would you be ok if it became a chicken shop? Owners sell and retire all the time.

Yes, I suppose I would.

Where is their extractor fan , where does it point to?

Im with other posters, I would be in there al the time eating things because of the smell. Same reason I couldnt live near a chippy or indian restaurant. I'd put a load of weight on

@likelysuspect I think their extractor fan kind of points upwards. I just looked at their menu online, they sell quiches and posh sandwiches and lovely looking desserts. I’d probably be in there all the time too.

I was going to say this, you could befreind the owners and they'd give you discounts on all the nice food, especially at the end of the day 😋
This could actually be a major positive, also a side line for you helping out at their events for an extra income at the weekends

I’d love to live near a posh little cafe, personally 🤷🏻‍♀️

Go and talk to the owners. They might be on the verge of retirement, or have another 20 years in them.
My concern would also be change of use to a kebab shop etc.

My niece lives in a little one bed flat (in a big town) right above a restaurant that is open midday to 11pm, 7 days a week. (Old 1850s 4 storey building - restaurant on the ground floor..) Never had a single problem, and being above the restaurant has saved her shit loads on heating bills, as the heat rises up from the restaurant. Also, the bins are behind the building too. And none of the 6 flats in the building (above and behind the restaurant) have ever got rats.

Go for it @Berlinlover 😍

The original owner has retired and his son who is probably in his late thirties took over the business a few years ago.

Thanks everyone, I’ll be going to an open viewing of the property on Saturday morning.