Neighbour says he’ll block our sale...can he?

ayupmeduck

I could see a 'normal' sale falling through with this idiot, but the council won't care who the neighbours are

greatcrested

There are only two sensible courses of action for you:

1) ignore completely. Don't respond. If he stops you in the street, be polite but non-commital.

2) make an effort to mend the relationship by letting him know you are re-advertising for a private buyer. Then just continue your sale to the council.

As for'stopping your sale' - don't worry. not much he can do.

AnotherJoe

vitaweat said:

I'd outright lie to your neighbour.  Tell him that on further consideration that he's right and you shouldn't sell to the council and so won't be.

Then go ahead with the sale anyway.  There's nothing the entitled bloke can do about it anyway and he can't know who bought until after the sale is put through the Land Registry.

I'd slightly modify that. Tell him you received a higher offer from a private buyer so are going with that. 

DCFC79

Im another one in support of the idea of telling him you have decided to sell to another buyer but carry on with the purchase from the council.

danlightbulb

Whilst the posts here are right of course, nothing can stop the OP selling to the LA or veto the sale, I'm surprised that the neighbour's anger isn't at least sympathised with. No-one would relish your neighbour's house being sold back to LA with the risk of what tenants you might then get next door. I agree it probably does devalue his house, or at least make it harder to sell in future and has the potential to make his life a misery. Can thoroughly understand his anger at this.

Owain_Moneysaver

"We're not selling to the Council any more. We had a higher offer.

"We're selling to the Hell's Angels. They want it as a clubhouse."

grumiofoundation

danlightbulb said:

Whilst the posts here are right of course, nothing can stop the OP selling to the LA or veto the sale, I'm surprised that the neighbour's anger isn't at least sympathised with. No-one would relish your neighbour's house being sold back to LA with the risk of what tenants you might then get next door. I agree it probably does devalue his house, or at least make it harder to sell in future and has the potential to make his life a misery. Can thoroughly understand his anger at this.

Some people would probably rather live next to council tenants than snobs, especially a snob who would threaten to stop someone moving house. 

Maybe if he’d worked harder he could have become a proper snob and bought himself a nice country pad surrounded by some fields to keep the working classes out. 

AnotherJoe

danlightbulb said:

Whilst the posts here are right of course, nothing can stop the OP selling to the LA or veto the sale, I'm surprised that the neighbour's anger isn't at least sympathised with. No-one would relish your neighbour's house being sold back to LA with the risk of what tenants you might then get next door. I agree it probably does devalue his house, or at least make it harder to sell in future and has the potential to make his life a misery. Can thoroughly understand his anger at this.

If you get a private owner thats antisocial its harder to do something about than a tenant thats anti social.

Grumpy_chap

danlightbulb said:

Whilst the posts here are right of course, nothing can stop the OP selling to the LA or veto the sale, I'm surprised that the neighbour's anger isn't at least sympathised with. No-one would relish your neighbour's house being sold back to LA with the risk of what tenants you might then get next door. I agree it probably does devalue his house, or at least make it harder to sell in future and has the potential to make his life a misery. Can thoroughly understand his anger at this.

I can't.  There is no reason why a council tenant would be any more or less likely to be a good neighbour than a non-council tenant.  To suggest otherwise is snobbery and, quite frankly, offensive.

Morbier

I'd be interested to know what Danlightbulb's definition of a council tenant is - as compared with, say, a private tenant or a mortgage payer?