Episode 3: I've ran out of options with noisy neighbours, what can I do now?!

lhg91

So, i've called this episode 3, as it's my 3rd post regarding the same problem, and now it is at a complete dead end, so i'd appreciate advice!

Long story short (for those who haven't read my previous threads) we have purchased a house joined on to very noisy and abusive housing association tenants. Up until January (my last post) we had spoken to them face to face, but nothing changed. Since then we have got the housing association, local police and child protection services involved.

However, they have done very little to help. The children have behavioural problems, which plays in the tenants favour in terms of not getting them evicted. As they are a large family, we have been told it will be difficult to find another suitable home for them. We went to see a solicitor recently to get some legal advice, but when we told the housing association this, they said the courts wouldn't do anything as they don't like to 'split families up to move them'. We were also told by the solicitor and a local estate agent that due to the formal complaints against the neighbours, it would be very difficult to sell our home.

So right now we are completely stuck in a living nightmare. We have even asked if the housing association would like to purchase our property (it is a 4/5 bedroom house, which I can imagine is gold dust for the HA to come across), however we haven't heard anything back.

We have thought about part-exchange, however the only houses left available on the development site are amongst a huge block of 'affordable homes to rent', and due to our current experience, there is absolutely no way I would buy one there.

So, in essence, do any of you have ANY recommendations of what we can do without losing out on a ton of money? Right now, I just want them out, which isn't going to happen. And so the only other alternative is for us to move.

Thankyou!

CurlySue2017

I think you have answered your own question......you need to move.


Just keep in mind however that this problem could happen anywhere, not just with HA tenants, because your post comes across as very judgemental and stereotypical to be honest.


Neighbours from hell appear in all walks of life and you would do well to remember that.

Noctu

Are there any other new build developments near you that you can consider part exchanging to?
Could you move back in with family and get your house sold quickly at auction? Then purchase another house without a chain? (Easier said than done I know)

I feel your pain. I have been in a similar situation. We part exchanged with a local builder to a detached property and didn't look back.

westernpromise

CurlySue2017 wrote: »

I think you have answered your own question......you need to move.


Just keep in mind however that this problem could happen anywhere, not just with HA tenants, because your post comes across as very judgemental and stereotypical to be honest.


Neighbours from hell appear in all walks of life and you would do well to remember that.

Yes, the OP should set aside his actual experiences and adopt your right-on virtue-signalling prejudices instead.

OP, consider yourself scolded. How dare you.

NaughtiusMaximus

CurlySue2017 wrote: »

Just keep in mind however that this problem could happen anywhere, not just with HA tenants, because your post comes across as very judgemental and stereotypical to be honest.

Neighbours from hell appear in all walks of life and you would do well to remember that.

True but only up to a point

Most private renters / home owners make decent neighbours
Most HA / council tenants make decent neighbours
A small minority of private renters / home owners are awful neighbours

but

A notably larger minority of HA/council tenants are awful neighbours

This is not based on snobbery but based on my experience of a lifetime of living in areas with a mix of private and council/HA properties.

lhg91

My first post on this page actually explains, I used to live in a council property myself when I was younger. I don't necessarily have any 'snobbish' views towards housing association tenants, I simply stated they were HA so that you could understand why we were contacting the association regarding the noise.

Unfortunately we can't move in with family, we live in Devon and our family lives in Newcastle!

sal_III

If you can afford to take a hit on the sale price, market the property at lower than market price. The formal complaint needs to be disclosed, but is not stopping you from selling the property to someone who doesn't care about the problem, like an investor or unscrupulous LL who won't live there himself and doesn't' care that much about his tenants.

If the Council can't help you, you might not have much of a choice.

I assume the main concerns is noise from the garden etc. Because you should be able to soundproof your end well enough so nothing short of an industrial machinery can be heard through the walls.

Alternatively you can buy the neighbour property and use the court to evict them. Probably not very practical I know but...

Noctu

So what about the other option of part exchanging to a nearby new build development?

lhg91

Noctu wrote: »

So what about the other option of part exchanging to a nearby new build development?

Unfortunately there is only one new development where we live, and as mentioned above, the last few plots available are surrounded by affordable rented homes. I'm just worried if we part-exchange to these homes, the problem may be just the same!

lhg91

sal_III wrote: »

If you can afford to take a hit on the sale price, market the property at lower than market price. The formal complaint needs to be disclosed, but is not stopping you from selling the property to someone who doesn't care about the problem, like an investor or unscrupulous LL who won't live there himself and doesn't' care that much about his tenants.

If the Council can't help you, you might not have much of a choice.

I assume the main concerns is noise from the garden etc. Because you should be able to soundproof your end well enough so nothing short of an industrial machinery can be heard through the walls.

Alternatively you can buy the neighbour property and use the court to evict them. Probably not very practical I know but...

Yes it is noise from the garden, but also noise in our bedroom, living room and also drug use (smell of cannabis comes in through our windows if we have them open). There is also threatening behaviour (the tenant has pushed a cigarette in front of my face and shouted at me before when I approached her about the cannabis smell), and they have also threatened to damage our property.

diggingdude

Affordable rented usually get taken by those working in lower paid jobs as the rent is still above HB rates. At least from what I have experienced, so can be quieter than full on HB HA properties. Ignore the snobbery comments