Cannot sell house due to Hoarder next door

shot_down_in_flames

Errata wrote: »

No need to shout. If they have a slim path to cooker and toilet, are they sleeping standing up? If you're concerned speak to SS as a matter of extreme urgency stressing that the couple are at serious risk to themselves.

Sorry but you have not read the thread in full. If you had you would have seen that I spoke to SS EH and Fire and recue team and I did not shout..
I just replied to you..

Errata

You can be as sorry as you like but you have no way knowing if I've read every post in the thread or not.

shot_down_in_flames

Errata wrote: »

You can be as sorry as you like but you have no way knowing if I've read every post in the thread or not.

no I dont know - but if you had read all - the reply would be somewhat different..
There are people on this thread that have followed fully and given extemely positive and constructive replies whether it be ones that I also knew, whether it be ones I didnt know and are thankful for or ones that I may contemplate..
The ones I do not neccesarily agree with - i do take them on board and not discard them just because initially I do not agree!

ANGLICANPAT

""2.1 Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property or a property nearby? If Yes, please give details:"


If you were an estate agent, you would pick out useful positives and put

---

'Absolutely! This is a caring neighbourhood and a short while ago we and other neighbours realized that the elderly couple next door had begun to have confusion and memory problems with regard to their belongings . Very sad . We contacted the relevant agencies to ensure the situation would be addressed .This is now in hand, and we hope the couple are about to get the help they need . '

BigAunty

shot_down_in_flames wrote: »

Big Aunty - everything you say makes perfect sense - what I do feel however is that what you are saying lately is only explaining hoarding - not necessarily being a constructive or solution answer to my plight.

In context, the information I provided about the causes and treatment for compulsive hoarders was in direct response to someone who proposed that you have a polite chat with your neighbours, the inference being that you needed to negotiate more rather than report them to organisations for thie behaviour. I wanted to highlight that sufferers of significant mental illnesses can't have their behaviour changed by a quick chat on the door step.

Also, while it is clear that you are suffering due to the squalor your neighbours live in, you can't really hope to control the responses you get on a public forum to positive and directly relevant ones, the context I provided was hardly off-topic.

I still think it's helpful for you to understand that, according to experts in the field of compulsive hoarding, your neighbours may simply continue to be highly resistent to change whatever intervention or support takes place and may simply dig in and continue to live this way.

In fact, there is even the possibility (hard to prove and not necessarily them) that they have reacted violently to your approaches by smashing your greenhouse. If it's not them lashing out at you, then no worries, but if it is, then there is a risk of further escalation as they are put under more pressure by the authorities.

Researching what experts say about hoarders helps you to understand and prepare for the risk that it could be an enduring and repeated problem,that you may have to unfortunately go through the long slog of the council EH/planning and court system and then also think and prepare for the next unpalatable question such as 'what if they don't cooperate with council directives and court orders'?.

Also, for you to accept that the underlying psychological reasons that make them live in squalor will continue to be untreated or resolved because, at the end of the day, there is no way to force treatment on them.

I have masses of empathy and sympathy for your dilemma and the impact on your life, the anxiety you feel. You can hope for the best when it comes to the resolution of this issue but if you review some pessimistic outcomes, it helps you prepare for the worst. I hope its sorted quickly, that the council are efficient and that the neighbours act against type and cooperate properly.

ognum

shot_down_in_flames wrote: »

yes in all the stress of trying to rectify this mess I didnt think about those measures. I wasnt in a position of sale or solicitors documents so how would I know?
It seems I may be battled from all sides!

You appear to be of an age (off course I have no way of knowing your exact age) that you have bought and sold houses before.

You certainly bought your investment property so must have read through the documentation about the property when you bought the house. Did you read a section on disputes then?

I am surprised that you invested what appears to be your life savings into an investment property with so little knowledge or reading around what you are doing.

I hope it gets sorted promptly but do feel that like others have said hoarders do not just change, they have mental health issues and for your own health you should maybe cut your loses and sell at a knock down price otherwise be prepared for the long haul.

(just for your information if you write in capital letters it is generally considered to be shouting, that might be useful information for future posts)

moneyistooshorttomention

I guess the thing is that no-one thinks whatever-it-is Bad Thing will happen to them until it does...

I think that, if someone is a pretty reasonable fair-minded intelligent individual themselves, then you simply DON'T even think any of the Bad Things in life will happen to you until they do.

Hence I would imagine OP had read about people with Problem Neighbours and felt sorry for those in that situation, but had never actually had one herself until then and has, consequently, been surprised that this Bad Thing is happening to her.

I know I, for one, would be here till dinnertime today if I started listing off all the Bad Things that weren't going to happen to me...but bl**dy well have, despite my taking reasonable practical precautions to ensure they didn't do so.

shot_down_in_flames

ognum wrote: »

You appear to be of an age (off course I have no way of knowing your exact age) that you have bought and sold houses before.

You certainly bought your investment property so must have read through the documentation about the property when you bought the house. Did you read a section on disputes then?

I am surprised that you invested what appears to be your life savings into an investment property with so little knowledge or reading around what you are doing.

I hope it gets sorted promptly but do feel that like others have said hoarders do not just change, they have mental health issues and for your own health you should maybe cut your loses and sell at a knock down price otherwise be prepared for the long haul.

(just for your information if you write in capital letters it is generally considered to be shouting, that might be useful information for future posts)

******************************************************
Thank you - I will answer your questions and comments in order.
My age is late 50's
My experience in buying and selling property is 10 properties in 38 years the first 9 being for my own residence with no problem whatsoever at any stage. The 10th and last one being the investment property currently being discussed.
Yes I read the home imformation pack as completed by the vendors BUT this was a late estate sale and so the vendors ie diseased persons sons answered most question with 'dont know' - the answer re any disputes with neighbours was answered 'no'
I did read around what I was doing to the degree that any one of you can when you are buying an empty property and the executors do not know the answers and can get away with saying 'dont know' then what can you do further?
The answers 'dont know' applied to many questions as they were not the owner occupiers purely relatives due to inherit - this meant that many things we found were not as expected. I had basic survey done only as I didnt need a mortgage
What I never knew until these recent months of renovation was that we had serial hoarders next door or that immediately once knowing we had a buyer back in march they would start to spill their hoardings outside and the end result would be me selling with no profit for the hard work my husband put in to renovate or my investment which was always meant to be short term!

Yes I am aware as already said that these elderly people are mentally ill and both myself and husband have talked to the man of the house at length but his wife refuses to talk to us about the situation.
I have reduced the property twice now to a point where its an absolute bargain in the long term given it is only a matter of time before the couple get taken into care or because of the dangerous situ something unthinkable happens. Unfortunately financially I cannot wait for that time to take its course. I now have potentially a sale as already said yesterday but that is not set in stone.

Shouting!
Ok I did not realise that capital letters meant that you were shouting - I use capitals to emphasise a point but I am quite calm when i do that so I'm not shouting ranting or whatever..
The problem with written communication V verbal is that people will mis read or misunderstand and draw their own conclusion and fire back before deciding - was it meant that way or not!
I use several forums mainly music ones + ebay at times and never before have had any poster say Im shouting or uppity - yet I say my piece just as we all are entitled to do and do do..

ognum

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I guess the thing is that no-one thinks whatever-it-is Bad Thing will happen to them until it does...

I think that, if someone is a pretty reasonable fair-minded intelligent individual themselves, then you simply DON'T even think any of the Bad Things in life will happen to you until they do.

Hence I would imagine OP had read about people with Problem Neighbours and felt sorry for those in that situation, but had never actually had one herself until then and has, consequently, been surprised that this Bad Thing is happening to her.

I know I, for one, would be here till dinnertime today if I started listing off all the Bad Things that weren't going to happen to me...but bl**dy well have, despite my taking reasonable practical precautions to ensure they didn't do so.

Money, I am sure this is right for some people, others without even knowing make contingency for the worst possible scenario. Others make conscious decisions based on the worst case scenario. We are all different.

All I am saying is that before we (any of us) do things we should look at the repercussions, like making official complaints and trying to sell a house. I have just had some trees loped in a garden of a house I own, not something I wanted done or the tenants wanted done but the neighbour did so rather than be in dispute I paid up and did it!

In retrospect the OP may consider why the house she bought was a bargain, others may have sort to meet the neighbours, talk to people in the neighbourhood before buying, a way of mitigating against the worst case scenario which has occurred. it is not all down to luck!

I am not seeking to put the OP down, I am saddened that she has invested her money and lost but that is the nature of the gamble, you win some not others, you never gamble what you can afford to lose, hopefully she will get some of her investment back.

shot_down_in_flames

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I guess the thing is that no-one thinks whatever-it-is Bad Thing will happen to them until it does...

I think that, if someone is a pretty reasonable fair-minded intelligent individual themselves, then you simply DON'T even think any of the Bad Things in life will happen to you until they do.

Hence I would imagine OP had read about people with Problem Neighbours and felt sorry for those in that situation, but had never actually had one herself until then and has, consequently, been surprised that this Bad Thing is happening to her.

I know I, for one, would be here till dinnertime today if I started listing off all the Bad Things that weren't going to happen to me...but bl**dy well have, despite my taking reasonable practical precautions to ensure they didn't do so.

*****************************************************
Absolutely! you have sussed me completely
Its perhaps a weakness to always assume the best not the worst but if you are always a cynic and always on the side of caution will you ever be happy or achieve anything?