Would you buy this house? Please help

daisiegg

This is my first ever post but I have lurked and read for a long time, and picked up lots of good tips and advice.

I am only prompted to post by a bit of a crisis. My partner and I are in the process of purchasing a house - we're quite far along in the process and were nearly ready to exchange contracts.

However, yesterday we found out from the solicitor (who, it must be said, was extremely casual about it) that there is a potential problem.

The back garden of the house backs onto another property that has quite large grounds (the building is not visible from the house). When we looked around, the vendors didn't say much about it, I seem to remember them saying it was a small old people's home.

We found out yesterday that it is NOT a small old people's home. It is a private residential home for people with mental health problems "who have been detained under the mental health act."

This is not necessarily a big issue. It's far away and is on a different street entirely so doesn't share any access or anything, and I'd bet we would never even know it's there. However, it's the fact that it shares a boundary, and in 2009 they applied for, and were granted, permission to build a 3 metre high security fence around the perimeter of the property.

If built, this fence would border two sides of our back garden.

Although the planning permission was granted, the fence has never been built. The planning permission expires in July 2012.

We kind of freaked out a bit when we found this out, now I'm not sure if we were over-reacting or not.

What would you do? Would you go ahead and buy the house anyway? If the fence did get built, would it lower the property value?

We're buying the house as a family home rather than as an investment property but even so, we definitely don't want to lose money!

This is a plea for help and advice - I REALLY don't know what is best to do.

Thank you in advance...

daisiegg

We have minutes of a meeting between the chairman of the residents' association of the street the house is in (as they opposed the planning permission) and the CEO of the care home company (a large, national company).

In this meeting the CEO guy said that they have no desire to build the fence as it would be 'extremely expensive' for them, they just had to obtain planning permission as part of looking into their options as to how they would comply with new regulations that they thought might apply to them. As these regulations came into force and 2 years later they have still not built the fence (but have refurbished the buildings and landscaped the gardens) it seems that they have found other ways to comply with the regulations and it seems less likely that they will build it before the planning permission runs out next year.
That still doesn;'t remove the worry that they COULD build it, though.

flimsier

I wouldn't buy it.

Hoof_Hearted

It really depends how much you love the house. Fences can be hidden by shrubs and made to look less harsh. It sounds like the home will only build it if they have to in order to comply with some regulations. If the fence were to be built, could you live with it?

soccermom

Having worked in one of these houses in the past and from my experience of people in this kind of community housing residents are not deemed as a risk so there really would be no point in building such a security fence.

However, saying that IF they did build it, it would probably be not to pleasant to look at and for that reason I wouldn't go ahead it wouldn't be worth the risk for all that doubt. You would probably be never settled and worry free thinking about it all the time.

poppysarah

If it puts you off a bit would it put someone else off a lot?

pararct

If there is currently no fence how do they keep the residents in? Do they need to keep the residents in?

You say persons detained (sectioned) under the MH Act. Now there is probably a huge difference between those that are criminally insane such as Ian Brady and those who may be taken off for a few days as in the opinion of their GP or other Doctor they could be prone to self harm.

Clearly Broadmoor and Rampton have all sorts of security measures and undoubtedly have very high fences around them as these places are for dangerous people who have to be removed from society. The system would require all such persons who were to be 'looked after' to be risk assessed as to what actual danger they were to the public and to what category establishment they would be sent.

First step for me would be to try and find out as much as I could about the establishment you have highlighted. If in fact it turns out to be a short term care facility for those who may self harm and is a low category establishment then you probably have no need to be too concerned.

poppysarah

pararct wrote: »

First step for me would be to try and find out as much as I could about the establishment you have highlighted. If in fact it turns out to be a short term care facility for those who may self harm and is a low category establishment then you probably have no need to be too concerned.

but if you like using the garden and discover that 6 months of the year they have people out there in visible distress then it might ruin your enjoyment.

daisiegg

pararct wrote: »

If there is currently no fence how do they keep the residents in? Do they need to keep the residents in?

You say persons detained (sectioned) under the MH Act. Now there is probably a huge difference between those that are criminally insane such as Ian Brady and those who may be taken off for a few days as in the opinion of their GP or other Doctor they could be prone to self harm.

Clearly Broadmoor and Rampton have all sorts of security measures and undoubtedly have very high fences around them as these places are for dangerous people who have to be removed from society. The system would require all such persons who were to be 'looked after' to be risk assessed as to what actual danger they were to the public and to what category establishment they would be sent.

First step for me would be to try and find out as much as I could about the establishment you have highlighted. If in fact it turns out to be a short term care facility for those who may self harm and is a low category establishment then you probably have no need to be too concerned.

Thanks for all the replies.

I have looked into it and it seems to house 9 men with learning difficulties (rather than 'mental health problems'??). It's apparently about re-integrating these men into society, they have their own bus passes and can 'go to the local leisure centre' etc. I don't really see why they would need the fence either!

It seems that in 2009, the company that operates the care home was taken over by another company and as part of assessing their assets, they were considering whether to change this facility into a higher security facility (which would require the fence). I suppose they got planning permission for the fence to see if this would be a viable option. However it seems they haven't changed the facility in the last two years. As I said, the planning permission expires in a year's time...

It doesn't actually put me off the property. I think even if they did build the fence, there are lots of trees/shrubs/hedges/plants etc that can be put in to disguise it and make it less obvious from our garden, and 3 metres isn't THAT high?! I really love the house and it's taken so long to find our perfect home, I don't particularly care if some time in the future there is a big fence nearby. Don't you take that sort of risk with any house you buy - the next door neighbours could get permission to put in a big giant extension that looks unpleasant from your garden (this has actually happened to my parents in the past)!

The only concern (and, to be honest, it concerns my partner much more than it concerns me because I think with my heart and imagine us growing old in this property whereas he thinks with his financial brain!) is whether it would lower the house price in future and cause us to lose money.

It is such a hard one!!

poppysarah

daisiegg wrote: »

The only concern (and, to be honest, it concerns my partner much more than it concerns me because I think with my heart and imagine us growing old in this property whereas he thinks with his financial brain!) is whether it would lower the house price in future and cause us to lose money.

It is such a hard one!!

It's not hard at all.

Walk away.

In two years time this could be housing very disturbed people and the fence could be in place.

You have to think like NOTW readers - Any institution like that could be housing sex offenders - and that would seriously devalue your home.

Mojisola

What kind of fencing is there now? Have there been any problems with residents from the home in the past? Have you talked to any of the neighbours? Are there public reports about the residential centre like there are for residential homes for the elderly that you can look up?

You will have a garden backing onto landscaped gardens rather than being overlooked by other houses which is a good. Whether the residential home will cause you problems in the future when you come to sell is a bit of a gamble.