How to declare noisy neighbours!!

lemontree

We have rented out a house and the tenants have had 5 years of loud music at all hours of day and night.
Enviromental Health have monitored, warned and threatened the neighbour with Court Action to no avail as he waits for a while and then starts again. If it gets too much for our Tenant we will sell the house as it would be unfair to have someone else suffer.
We would take the house to Auction and do not know how we make any prospective buyer aware of the problem.
Any advice welcome.

Jewel_2

I think some of the paperwork states "disagreements with neighbours" or something like that.

Surely you shouldn't be put in a position to sell because of them - they sound like bullies and I don't think you should give up! Also, it's a bit unfair on the people you sell to, lol, it's just passing the buck.

Perhaps you could prove it's detrimental to someone's wellbeing, it must surely be causing a lot of stress and anxiety

tek-monkey

I had some irritating neighbours once, worked evenings so would stay up til 8am playing music etc. Any attempt to talk to them was met with a 'Thats my evening time, I'll do what I ****** want' response. I complained several times, even got the police out one night, but to no avail. A few weeks before leaving the property I started leaving my own stereo on when I was at work, speakers against his bedroom wall, with a single song on loop. He had the audacity to complain that I was interupting his sleep!

Glad it was a rented house though, as 2 windows were mysteriously broken the following night

lemontree

Our tenants are white South Africans and did not complain for 2 years as they did not know our system for noise complaints. We have always declared the problem to our Agent and tenant. Originally they took the house as we agreed to take them without references when they arrived in this country and paid 6 months rent in advance. They are perfect tenants and we are in touch with them on a regular basis. Last year the neighbour spat on their adult Son and told him to get back to his own country. He was taken to court for racial harrassment , warned and fined.
Enviromental Health do not wish to know about this and stated it is a separate issue. As the neighbour owns his home, we have been told it is difficult to act. Although we have told the tenant we would understand if they wanted to leave, they like the house as when they moved in, they had a teenage handicapped daughter who died 3 years ago and they have happy memories of her time there. We have kept the rent low as they have all this hassle and this helps them financially as husband had heart bypass surgery and is unable to work.

mlz1413

If you like them as tenants maybe you could agree to buy a new house for the same value if they help sell the current house?

It sounds like the neighbours will never change and if they are becoming abusive regardless of being charged and fined then things are unlikely to get better.

It is a shame neighbours like this don't get neighbours of a similar attitude, but that's life!

JayZed

lemontree, you and your tenants have my sympathy, it's a horrible situation to be in. You might want to look at the following article:
http://www.nfh.org.uk/resources/Articles/noise/index.php
(note that it goes on across eight pages - follow the links at the bottom of each page).

I would suggest putting a bit more pressure on your local authority's environmental health unit to begin with, and ensuring that you get to speak to the most senior people there. If they've threatened the neighbour with court action on a number of occasions, they shouldn't have to re-start the process every time.

If you don't get anywhere with the council, you (or your tenants) may want to consider taking the neighbour to court yourselves. It's a risky option, and you should take professional advice before going down this route. You would need to get your tenants to log every incident and also obtain from the council all the records of the complaints that you/your tenants have made.

Of course, if you've already decided to sell the house, then making further formal complaints or pursuing court action will be counter-productive, as you'll have to declare it to any potential purchasers. It would be a shame, though, if these anti-social b******s force you to sell the house.

missile

tek-monkey wrote: »

I had some irritating neighbours once, worked evenings so would stay up til 8am playing music etc. Any attempt to talk to them was met with a 'Thats my evening time, I'll do what I ****** want' response. I complained several times, even got the police out one night, but to no avail. A few weeks before leaving the property I started leaving my own stereo on when I was at work, speakers against his bedroom wall, with a single song on loop. He had the audacity to complain that I was interupting his sleep!

Glad it was a rented house though, as 2 windows were mysteriously broken the following night

I di a similar thing with my noisy neighbours who used to have all night parties. "We like to party late". So I put on my music @ 9.00am the morning after their next "rave" and they got the message :rotfl:

lemontree

Thank you to you all for suggestions. We are retired and need either the monthly income or the capital. The tenants are anxious to stay. If they decide to leave then the decision will be made for us to sell even though house prices are low at the moment.

clutton_2

if you take a house to auction to sell - then i dont believe the same strict criteria for disclosure applies. - i have seen legal packs on auction properties which only show half the information i would normallyl expect from a solicitor during the normal conveyance process. Auction Buyers are expected to do their own research - but clearly you must not lie on any forms you complete