Council is stopping me from selling my house! (Planning permission refusal)

phoebe1989seb

Crashy_Time wrote: »

Why do you say "loss" of 65k, had you bought the house a long long time ago and not really lost any actual capital?

No - we purchased the house three years previously (November 2007) when prices were still high and (planning to stay long term) spent approximately 45k restoring it - it was a non-listed Tudor house that had been badly 'renovated' without any consideration for its history - in the 1980s.

By the time we put it on the market in February 2011 prices had fallen significantly and as it was an anomaly in that location we expected a long wait for a buyer if we hoped to get our money back. Being realistic - and having three sick, elderly parents between us, all of whom lived 150+ miles away - we decided to cut our losses. Better to 'lose' a bit of cash - we were and still are mortgage-free so not such an issue - than be stuck there forever, imho.

The couple we sold to did very little to the house - added a horrific bar and garish wallpaper to the drawing room - and put it back on the market a couple of years later for 60k more than the house cost them to buy. Two years on the market with no price reductions they withdrew it from sale

Guest101

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

I'm not so sure - as a postgrad myself I'd not touch somewhere as bad as the OP describes with a bargepole. Parties every night? No chance, I need sleep or I'll never finish my PhD! Which makes me wonder why the university hasn't done anything - a handful of expulsions on the grounds of bringing the university into disrepute or disturbing the right of others to study would surely bring the rest of them under control and have a lasting effect on next years students (and where I did my undergrad, it was mentioned that that was a possibility, and I didn't have any problems with late night noise desite living in an area that was student heavy). Of course if the university is more interested in making money through tuition fees than in learning that won't happen, they'll just play lip service to 'community relations'...

You have to bear in mind that the university needs to balance bad publicity.


Expelling undergrads for being undergrads wont attract people to the university.


Equally it's a private tenancy, so there's not much the uni can do to investigate any claims

nkkingston

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

I'm not so sure - as a postgrad myself I'd not touch somewhere as bad as the OP describes with a bargepole. Parties every night? No chance, I need sleep or I'll never finish my PhD! Which makes me wonder why the university hasn't done anything

This is what's making take things with a slight pinch of salt. It's not to say the students haven't been noisy, but the sheer cost of holding that many large parties is outside the average student's budget. I wonder slightly how often it's just "come over and watch Game of Thrones with us!" that years of noise sensitivity have pushed the OP into perceiving as just as rowdy as the full on post-graduation moving-out-tomorrow bacchanalia House Parties.

We're actually moving in opposite the landlord who own the student property on one side of our place, so we're not worried about them.

Rosemary7391

Guest101 wrote: »

You have to bear in mind that the university needs to balance bad publicity.


Expelling undergrads for being undergrads wont attract people to the university.


Equally it's a private tenancy, so there's not much the uni can do to investigate any claims

What the OP describes is not undergrads being undergrads. It's undergrads not studying, being extremely antisocial and apparently being involved in causing damage. In that case I would expect a university to do something to protect their reputation as a place of learning as well as for the sake of the other students in the area who should be able to study... You're correct that the university can't interfere with the private tenancy, but that won't stop them going through their own disciplinary procedures.
https://www.dur.ac.uk/university.calendar/volumei/codes_of_practice/
Take a look at the last point. I don't know where to find the equivalent on the Manchester university places. You make a good point about publicity though... perhaps the OP could ask the local rag to make a fuss and prod the university into action?

nkkingston, I did wonder, and I know having had noise problems in the past makes you more sensitive to current noise. But if it is just thin walls and folks watching TV, surely they'd just turn it down when the OP politely points out the problem?

stator

A lot of graduates continue to live in student areas in shared houses when they get their first job. To save on money and to continue having fun. Nothing the OP has said surprises me at all.
House parties are very common, bring a bottle of cheap booze, doesn't cost much at all.

vuvuzela

Guest101 wrote: »

You have to bear in mind that the university needs to balance bad publicity.


Expelling undergrads for being undergrads wont attract people to the university.


Equally it's a private tenancy, so there's not much the uni can do to investigate any claims

The last point isn't correct. Every student at a University will have signed (or agreed to) an 'expected behaviour' contract. The 2 Universities nearest me have a joint team (contactable by phone or email) that investigates alleged poor behaviour as the OP says to see if it was committed by any of their students and the sanctions include being kicked out (I know a member of this team and she's a fierce lass). This goes as far as they will go round to properties and speak to the students directly. This is for properties run by the Universities and also private landlords.
Obviously however if they aren't students, there's pretty much nowt you can do further than complaining to the local council's environmental health team. Or maybe the local team of PCSOs.

Person_one

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

What the OP describes is not undergrads being undergrads. It's undergrads not studying, being extremely antisocial and apparently being involved in causing damage.

Erm...:cool:

Manchester attracts a lot of students with its reputation as a great place for students to have a good time for three years, they aren't going to start kicking people out for having parties and annoying the neighbours. That's what students have always done. Then we all look back and cringe a few years later.

The OP has been unlucky, but they need to accept the situation as it is if they can't change it, and sell up even if it means renting for a better quality of life. If they're in Fallowfield or Rushholme it must be a living hell.

dimbo61

Manchester Student Homes work with Manchester city council and the Police and any reports of loud parties / antisocial behaviour is investigated within days.
They have the power to expelled students from university and seize anything that makes a noise DJ equipment, radios, iPhones, speakers the lot !
The location on a busy main road with limited parking and many run down houses plus the asking price are the problem.

Rinzler

The last two days have been loud music again! Ruined my bank holiday weekend!

The rejection letter from the Planning department stated that one of the houses near mine is not registered as HMO however that very house is the one that always has house parties, loud music and are full of students!

The council haven't got a clue! Shall I report this?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Lower the price and you'll find your buyer. This has been pointed out many times.

At the moment you're putting money before your health and wellbeing, why?!