Abandoned Car on Overgrown Front Garden

dirty_magic

Would everyone saying mind your own business have the same opinion if they lived next door to someone like that? It brings the whole area down and it makes it difficult to sell your house if you live next door to a dump.

Sadly I don't think there is much you can do, but I completely understand why your mom isn't happy about it.

booksurr

dirty_magic wrote: »

Sadly I don't think there is much you can do, but I completely understand why your mom isn't happy about it.

rant and rave as much as you like (I agree we all would in the same circumstances - BTW it is snobbery as you seem to feel entitled to a high house price) but that is the only comment that is relevant

moneyistooshorttomention

booksurr wrote: »

rant and rave as much as you like (I agree we all would in the same circumstances - BTW it is snobbery as you seem to feel entitled to a high house price) but that is the only comment that is relevant

Errrm...I doubt she expects a "high house price" - just the one the house is actually due for (rather than one that has been unfairly lowered by having a slob neighbour).

dirty_magic

booksurr wrote: »

rant and rave as much as you like (I agree we all would in the same circumstances - BTW it is snobbery as you seem to feel entitled to a high house price) but that is the only comment that is relevant

Rant and rave? I don't think my post was much of a rant or a rave, it was a question! Actually I do think the OP's mother should be entitled to receive the price the house would be worth without the scruffy neighbours influence. I don't think it's snobbery to not want scruffy neighbours. If that's the case then a lot of people must be snobs because most people wouldn't want to live next door to someone who has a wrecked car in their front garden and 6ft high grass.

Samsonite1

What most people have to do if they cannot stand the way their neighbours live is to move house. To some extent, you may find by using the law or other methods to force a neighbour to do something - it may make living next to them awkward and untenable which would cause you extra stress. I would certainly feel pretty awkward every day knowing that my neighbour dislikes me as I forced them to change their habits. On the other hand, if everyone else in the area is more house-proud and they want to take action in numbers, it may be different.

Other than moving somewhere where people are more likely to look after their gardens (generally costs more), the most sensible suggestion here is to offer to help or as a group offer to help, pay for a gardener to sort it out or something similar. You could ask if he wants to get rid of the car - it can probably be removed for free or even receive a small amount of cash.

My last house did have a neighbour who neglected their house and garden - they had the only house without double glazing and the paint had peeled off the windows (30s houses). Their fences were all broken, bordering our property and we just paid for all of the fences on all 3 sides to be fixed professionally (concrete posts and new panels, etc.). It cost a few hundred pounds, but we were selling the house and we sold for the asking price. Before fixing things up, we did get questions about the neighbours and no sensible offers... Obviously a few hundred pounds was well spent to get a few grand more (£25k actually).

PixelPound

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Errrm...I doubt she expects a "high house price" - just the one the house is actually due for (rather than one that has been unfairly lowered by having a slob neighbour).

"expects" / "due" - all relative terms. There are many houses sitting unsold for extended periods because the value the owner thinks is different to what potential buyers.

There is a house down my street that has just gone on the market for £30k more than I bought mine for 8 months ago, identical build to mine (originally the Council commissioned different building firms to build houses on this former greenfield area, that house and mine were by the same builder), but that has a neighbour with an abandoned car on front lawn and overgrown back yard full of junk. I shall see what the house goes for, and wonder if the neighbour situation will effect the price.

If the neighbour owns the house there is little that can be done if its on his own land, unless its proving a nuisance. "An eyesore" or "effecting valuation prices" isn't good enough . The dog faeces could be reported to environmental health, but is it bad enough for them to act or simply an over sensitivity ("and you can smell the dog doo too!"). Instead of concentrating on what you can't achieve, getting the neighbour to change their ways, look at what can be done. Erect a high fence on your mothers side so you can't see it, and plant fragrant plants like lavender to mask any smell.

Davesnave

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately in this case, we don't have neighbourhood tidiness gestapo patrolling the streets. The laws relating to this sort of thing require a fairly extreme situation before they may be brought into play.

Some neighbours do cultivate vigorous plants like bramble, bindweed, rambling roses et al, and when I've been in the position of living alongside them, it's been my habit to spray these with glyphosate whenever they threaten to invade. It costs little, it works and it saves a lot of interpersonal hassle.

As for the dog mess, it's only one dog, but I appreciate that this could still present a problem in hot weather etc. If it were me, I'd probably treat it in the same way as I treat the smell from my septic tank, the slurry spraying in nearby fields and the liberal use of silage in the barn across the road.

The RSPCA won't be able to tell whether the dog is walked or not, and as many farmers keep dogs locked in sheds for considerable periods anyway, this person cannot really be singled out for warning, let alone prosecution.

Davesnave

Samsonite1 wrote: »

On the other hand, if everyone else in the area is more house-proud and they want to take action in numbers, it may be different.

Exactly. In an ex-council house one might be really up against it regarding the neighbourhood, or the area might have been considerably gentrified by now.

Context is everything.

Ozzuk

We all have to share this planet and whereas I agree I'd hate to live next to that type of property it is his right to keep his garden how he wants it. Perhaps it isn't the biggest factor in his life, who knows what else he is dealing with - or maybe he just doesn't care.

If this is impacting your mothers quality of life then maybe she would benefit from counselling to discuss ways of dealing with external events out of your normal control.

missprice

Oh dear on our street we have a neighbour similar . To the best of my knowledge there have been no complaints about it. Sure it's an eyesore but no one here thinks it will devalue their own house.
I mean the Windows are virtually falling out and the grass is taller than most people and there is always a rusted van on the drive.
On the other hand when it comes time to sell it, someone will get a bargain 😙
Live and let live.

Some people will never attain the same standards as the rest of us and they don't have to.
We are not all fabulous gardeners and I class myself in that too.
My gardens are mostly paved, I can see that's not everyone's taste but who cares