In a very bad situation

jjbrunton

Hi I'm grateful for any advice you can give!

I purchased a new build flat in 2015 that seemed great at first, the area is filled with loads of young professionals after being renovated from largely unemployed council housing.

Over the last year we have been plagued with issues with door security allowing the outside world to enter the building and cause damage in the communal areas. Recently some local yobs (from the remaining council area) have managed to force the doors open and made attempts to start a fire on the carpet (seriously who would raise something like this?).

It's getting me stressed and it's affecting my work/personal life now to the point I'm considering selling and moving.

I've got a couple of issues that I can think of:

I am currently locked into a 5 year fixed mortgage with Santander, this has quite a hefty penalty for breaking it.

I have the help to buy grant from the government (£20k) but I have been actively overpaying my mortgage over the year to try and meet the repayment date. My idea was to overpay around £20k onto the mortgage and then remortgage to absorb the £20k government debt when it is required (2020).

Right now I imagine is not the best time to sell as the communal area is damaged from the trespassing.

I appreciate any advice / war stories / opinions / help.

marksoton

Whilst not very nice at all has it really got that bad to warrant moving?

Have the police been involved and taken it all seriously?

jjbrunton

The police have been informed but unfortunately the area has a very high anti social behaviour call rate with them so it hasn't really been taken that seriously.

The area is still under development by the property developer and they are still putting in the final houses for the estate. I imagine things would improve as more home owners move in but it's a risk that I'm worried might just end up with the building in further damage.

My issue is I love the flat, it's fantastic. If I could just rip it out and plonk it somewhere else I would.

scriv

Can your management company make the door and entrances more secure or have a security/CCTV system in place?

How bad does the area feel when you are coming and going? Are there people hanging around?

Depending on the answers to these questions, if the problem was really getting me very stressed, I would cut my losses and move if it were me. I would rather suffer a financial loss and be at peace.

marksoton

jjbrunton wrote: »

The police have been informed but unfortunately the area has a very high anti social behaviour call rate with them so it hasn't really been taken that seriously.

The area is still under development by the property developer and they are still putting in the final houses for the estate. I imagine things would improve as more home owners move in but it's a risk that I'm worried might just end up with the building in further damage.

My issue is I love the flat, it's fantastic. If I could just rip it out and plonk it somewhere else I would.

Trying to set fire to a block of flats is way beyond anti social IMO.

If you think things will improve i'd stick it out a while.

You say it's full of young professionals, a united front might make the !!!!!!s think twice about messing with your communal areas.

I know if someone did that in my set of flats i'd be hunting them down...

jjbrunton

The area itself is fairly quiet at night unless there are a group of kids hanging around (it maybe happens once a week or so).

Myself and my girlfriend have never directly felt threatened when entering or leaving the area and we both jog at night.

We had an emergency meeting with the management company today who have said they will attempt to secure the doors but they are saying obviously they can't prevent tailgating or forced entry.

CCTV was suggested but the management company (First Wessex for anyone interested) has said in their experience, it isn't financially viable for CCTV to be installed as the conviction rate is so low.

Like I said, I love my flat, everything inside my front door is perfect. The building on the other hand worries me that I may end up in a position where it is hard to sell in the future with the area.

AdrianC

Has the area around the flat changed much in the year since you bought the flat?

jjbrunton

It depends in what sense.

The area itself is still under construction, as the months go by, the amount of mortgaged home owners increases bringing the social housing into a minority.

Anti social behaviour seems to have increased along the same trend which makes me think the local youths see us as a good target being new to the area. The sad thing is every homeowner here contributes to improve the surrounding area

It's worth mentioning the property prices do seem to be rising (house prices have increased ~£20k on the development and first phase houses are being sold inline with this).

marksoton

jjbrunton wrote: »

It depends in what sense.

The area itself is still under construction, as the months go by, the amount of mortgaged home owners increases bringing the social housing into a minority.

Anti social behaviour seems to have increased along the same trend which makes me think the local youths see us as a good target being new to the area. The sad thing is every homeowner here contributes to improve the surrounding area

It's worth mentioning the property prices do seem to be rising (house prices have increased ~£20k on the development and first phase houses are being sold inline with this).

The slightly unedifying social housing comment aside...

People power is the key here. Rally together and let the perpetrators know their behaviour is not acceptable.

I'd also be questioning the police as to why an act that could have resulted in multiple deaths is classed as anti social.

Like i say, if it were me. I wouldn't stop till i found the little scrote who potentially could have killed me in my own home.

[STRIKE]And given them the good news...[/STRIKE]

ladymarmalade222

I totally sympathise. I have owned my home for around 20 years. Paid off the mortgage and spent a lot of money making it really comfortable to enjoy for the next 5 years or so until our children have left and we can move to the countryside. We adore the house inside and the layout etc is just right.

We contemplated moving a couple of times as we noticed the area had deteriorated gradually, more rentals than owner occupuers and the transient nature meant they could not care about their environment.

We were woken every few nights from people kicking in doors and police arriving in the early hours. The final straw was a large amount of damage to our new car. Deliberate keying on every single panel. We knew it was the local feral kids who are kicked out from morning until night. Their parents do not care.

All the lads now seem to be driving mopeds/motorbikes with no silencers and they drive up and down the pavement constantly. We also have a new tenant next door but one with a full blown cannabis farm in his loft. The cars turn up constantly for him to deal. It's been reported but obviously it is too low level for the police to concern themselves with. I cannot open my windows due to the smell.

We decided to put the house on the market and luckily due to the improvements we made it was sold the next day for the asking price. We complete next week to a nice quiet area and I cannot wait. We should have gone a few years back but kept putting it off. You find yourself just putting up with a little bit more every week until you eventually wonder what the hell you are doing.

This was a lovely little Street hence me living here for so many years but times have changed in the past few years. The older residents have sadly moved on and the rentals are rented to scumbags. They fill everybody else's bins with dirty nappies from yet another cash cow child as they cannot be bothered to put their bins out to be emptied on time. Nobody will say anything as they are so scared to approach them.

Sorry if I sound bitter but I am, it has cost us a great deal of money but I cannot wait for a peaceful nights sleep and not to worry about what damage is being done to my vehicles. I don't want my children to grow up thinking what they are watching outside is normal.

If you feel the area is going downhill, get out before it starts to effect the house prices and the areas reputation means you will struggle to sell. Life is too short to put up with this when you are working hard to achieve a nice home.

Good luck.

Xxx

Forgot to mention next door was on the market the same time as us and she has just sold. Another buy to let. The same landlord as the drug dealers property next door but one who doesn't care less about what happens as long as the rent is paid. I feel we have dodged a bullet.

Norman_Castle

jjbrunton wrote: »

We had an emergency meeting with the management company today who have said they will attempt to secure the doors but they are saying obviously they can't prevent tailgating or forced entry.

CCTV was suggested but the management company (First Wessex for anyone interested) has said in their experience, it isn't financially viable for CCTV to be installed as the conviction rate is so low.

The conviction rate may be low but does it work as a deterrent? Dummy cameras should be cheap. How much does the cost of cctv compare to repeatedly repairing damage?

Organise a residents group and ask the police and council for help.