What do we have to declare about neighbours?!!!

Renee_

Thanks olly

Yes that may be the only option really. Find out how to report all the things that they are breaching in their tenancy agreement. Report their benefits fraud etc etc

I agree about the asbo! ha! The man is 30 years old. The police and council said about an asbo (with apologetic looks on their faces)

Thanks x

neas

At least take solace in that you have affected one person in this thread... WHEN i buy a house I WILL knock on neighbours doors up to 10 doors away asking how the neighbourhood was and to get a feel how they are... Taking a larger survey like that would help reduce any problem council tenants like those you describe.

I also agree council estates are generally mucky, down and out places with caravans decaying in peoples yards, old junk in peoples gardens... and alot of trouble youths..

And yea i dare to say that... because its true...

Not every council housing tenant is a bad tenant... But... it is true that:
The majority of lazy, no good, crimiminalistic, chavvy population live their.

Time for Neas' Flagging

Dan78_2

Getting a feel for the area is a good idea. I think categorising all council estates as home to the scum of the earth is a little harsh. The reality is that you can get problem neighbours anywhere - a friend had a neighbour from hell in a perfectly 'respectable' private block of flats.

I have lived in an ex-council flat in east London for 4 years. The vast majority of time has been trouble-free, and the place is incredibly quiet at night. There have been issues with pot-smoking teenagers early on (resolved swiftly by police and council), and the family that moved in when the old dear next door moved out (er, or died - not really sure) had a pair of nightmare kids, who quickly made nightmare friends. Fortunately, they have been packed off to another country (presumably to learn some discipline!) and the father, who is still here, is a very nice guy. All is now peaceful again.

But, and maybe this is London-centric, pretty much anywhere now will be close to either council or housing association accommodation. Certainly lots of your neighbours will be renting, and can change on a regular basis. I think the best bet is to spend some time in an area before buying, at different times of day and night.

To go back to the original post, even if your parents don't tell prospective buyers about the neighbours, people like that tend to be obvious from the outside - ie the way they treat their property.

How much equity do they have in the property? It may be that they can secure a buy-to-let mortgage on the flat, and allow the council to let it out for them. Councils seem to be falling over themselves to take property because they have large numbers of people to house. Assuming they have a reasonable amount of equity, they could release enough through a buy-to-let remortgage to provide a deposit on a new place to live. It would probably be best to get some proper financial advice before doing something like this though, obviously there would be risks!

I am about to move in with my girlfriend and am doing something similar to this, although I am not involved with the mortgage on my girlfriend's flat.