Cannot sell house due to Hoarder next door

ognum

I think you have two choices

sell at auction

Reduce the price to a bargain.


That's how you bought it and things are bargains for a reason!

moneyistooshorttomention

shot_down_in_flames wrote: »

Thank you for your swift reply - I already realise that one if not two of the couple are mentally ill as obviously due to this situation I have looked online and obviously saw the documentaries on TV. Unfortunately while I realise this may be the situation - it doesnt help me resolve my problem - I have a house i need to sell and cannot unless at severe loss due to this!
I have never seen any family there - though at some points possibly paranoidly thought that poss a family member of theirs has an interest in buying my property at a very low price so poss its a case of lets make that happen!
I just do not know - its more to do with what action if any i can get the authorities to take - maybe none!

I wouldn't say you are being paranoid at all in thinking they may have someone else in mind for buying your house. They could well be out to "trash" any sale you make, in order that that someone else can pop up and offer to buy your house for peanuts.

The downside to selling the house at auction would be that, if this is what they are up to, then they would have "won" and got their preferred buyer for your house, as you would have no way of preventing that person from bidding for your house.

If Mrs Next Door wasn't doing this at the time you bought the house, but is now, then that is exactly the conclusion I would come to. It's either that or Mrs Next Door's (mental) health has got significantly worse in that timespan and, if she had been exactly the same back when you bought, then she would have done exactly the same "rubbishing tactic" she's now up to.

Good luck.

EDIT; I've not encountered this situation myself, but I would be wondering whether it might help contacting the local Council's Environmental Health Dept (in case of things like rats). Hopefully you live in a part of the country where the Council does actually act when contacted....some Councils do help out when requested to do something that falls within their powers.

johnbusby

Im not sure there much you can do here except sell for a bargain price. To be brutally honest you bought as an investment and this is one of the downside risks - if you had wanted some risk free profit perhaps you should have chosen a less risky vehicle (ISAs, government bonds etc.)?

shot_down_in_flames

That's how you bought it and things are bargains for a reason!

************************************************
It wasnt a bargain but was at a price I could just afford and the price reflected the amount of work and finance needed to renovate it not what was lurking behind the net curtains next door!
So now completely refurbed and we are not talking just new kitchen bathroom and paint job! It has taken all my savings to achieve this and know that if it wasnt for the 'problem next door' which as Ive said wasnt apparent at the time of purchase I would have sold with good profit 3 times over! Id had 3 offers all acceptable but all withdrawn as soon as the garden became the next room for all their c**p!

ognum

shot_down_in_flames wrote: »

That's how you bought it and things are bargains for a reason!

************************************************
It wasnt a bargain but was at a price I could just afford and the price reflected the amount of work and finance needed to renovate it not what was lurking behind the net curtains next door!
So now completely refurbed and we are not talking just new kitchen bathroom and paint job! It has taken all my savings to achieve this and know that if it wasnt for the 'problem next door' which as Ive said wasnt apparent at the time of purchase I would have sold with good profit 3 times over! Id had 3 offers all acceptable but all withdrawn as soon as the garden became the next room for all their c**p!

So all that is the past and you realise you have made a mistake, now you need to move on so

Rent it out
Auction
Low cost sale

Move on with life

da_rule

Have you contacted environmental health at your local council? They may be able to assist with enforcement action if it is a danger to public health or a nuisance.

shot_down_in_flames

da_rule wrote: »

Have you contacted environmental health at your local council? They may be able to assist with enforcement action if it is a danger to public health or a nuisance.

Yes phoned them but the person needing to address it wasnt available at the time of the call and i was told he would contact me but he hasnt yet so I will try again this coming week.
Thank you for your constuctive reply!

cherylsurrey

I would ring the council again and ask when environmental health will be coming out, and see what the delay is. Also could they get social services involved if the couple are mentally ill and potentially in danger due to their hoarding, if one of their officers sees the situation he could do all this for you.


If this does not work I would rent it out, which will cover the bills, if they are elderly and living in the conditions you describe they may not be around that much longer anyway. House prices are going up, if you rent it out of a couple of years, you could make a lot more money.

shot_down_in_flames

Thank you Cheryl - its all good advice! in fact I am virtually resigned to renting out for a while its just the property has been renovated to such high spec I dont want it trashing so if I do get nowhere with the council or SS it will have to be rented but thro an agent to minimise making a second 'mistake'..

lincroft1710

Never tell EH there could be rats, tell them you've seen rats. The probability is that there are rats or mice there anyway.