How to spot a nightmare neighbour before you buy a house
You’ve planned out your finances for the next 25 years, lost weekend after weekend to viewings and finally found your dream home.
And then, on your first night after getting the keys, you hear it: the muffled boom of drum and bass through paper-thin walls. At 11.23pm. On a Tuesday.
Turns out, you’ve spent an obscene amount of money buying a house next to a public nuisance.
It’s probably little comfort, but you’re not alone. In a survey of 1,000 homeowners by Good Move, 64% said they’d had “problems” with neighbours and one in 10 said it had got so bad they’d complained to the council.
Buyers beware
Sellers are legally obliged to disclose details of previous or ongoing disputes with neighbours in a Property Information Form (TA6) – failure to do so could lead to legal action.
The questions are limited, though, and how are you going to prove your seller knew about the drum and bass?
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“In reality, you have very few rights,” one estate agent insider told Money.
“You will never know if an agent has neglected to tell you about nuisance neighbours or if the seller did not tell the agent. A seller is hardly likely to volunteer the info if there have been any disputes.”
So maybe it’s the case that of all the roles you’ve had to master in the buying process – arranging surveys, scouring legal documents, packing everything you own – there’s one role you should have dedicated a bit more time to: detective.
We’ve spoken to top buying agents to get their advice on how to sniff out problem neighbours – and rounded up some of the lesser known tools that could save you a literal and figurative headache…
External clues
Henry Sherwood from The Buying Agents says most disputes arise from either noise or money issues.
“If the neighbouring property or building looks neglected, it probably means the neighbour does not have the funds to maintain it, or does not want to,” he said.
“If [it’s] an apartment, check out the communal parts on the floors above and below. Look for prams and excessive bikes that may indicate screaming babies or student flat shares.”
Flats with a porter/concierge are better protected, Sherwood says, as they are controlled by a management company and have someone onsite. Most flat leases also have sections relating to the type of renting allowed.
List of noise complaints
Some local councils keep a public register of noise complaints by postcode.
Here’s an example of Leeds City Council’s noise complaints register.
Next Door app (and local groups)
This is an app where local residents post about events, lost cats, bin collection dates and, inevitably, noise issues.
A simple search of “noise” in one area of north London found all of these complaints within the last month – and in each case the exact street was named:
ā¢ A second loud party on a weeknight on a small, residential street;
ā¢ A resident renovating his house in a loud and disruptive fashion. Alongside a photo of a huge pile of discarded bricks, the complainant says: “It has now been over six weeks of disruption through the summer holidays with no clear end date and neighbours being ignored”;
ā¢ Another resident living in an end terrace wrote that his walls were paper thin and he could hear his neighbour slamming doors and running up and down stairs;
ā¢ A photo of building work, with a resident complaining it was going on until midnight on a Sunday.
Away from the app, search out local groups on social media and see if you can join. Chances are, any serious issues will have been raised on there.
Speak to the neighbours
Not everyone is confident enough to knock on doors – but our survey on social media suggests most people think it’s perfectly acceptable.
91% of around 5,000 respondents said they’d make up an excuse to talk to a neighbour to suss out what they’re like.
“Just say you are thinking of buying the property next door and wondered what the parking was like at 4pm etc,” said Sherwood.
He says Sundays are a good day to bump into neighbours.
The internet is full of woeful tales of people who didn’t do their research.
In a thread on this topic on Mumsnet, Mommabear20 wrote: “Definitely knock on doors! We didn’t and regret it so much! Have a neighbour (over the road, terraced street, that has threatened to blow their house up at least six times in the last three years causing an evacuation of the entire area every time!”
If you do knock, be polite.
Sam Edington, director at Edingtons buying agent, said: “We recommend doing so casually and respectfully, simply introducing yourself, asking friendly, open questions about the area, and observing day-to-day life.”
Can you spot the clues? Pic: iStock
Airbnb
Henry Sherwood advises to look out for combination locks at the entrance to apartments – this is a giveaway that someone inside has listed on Airbnb.
Having a rolling cast of overnight guests might not bring problems, but you should consider if it’s a risk you want to take.
You could also search on Airbnb for the area you’re looking to buy – you may get lucky and find one of your immediate neighbours, in which case you can have a virtual snoop around their house for clues about their lifestyle.
Crime stats
While it won’t provide information on your specific neighbours, sites such as Police.uk allow you to check and map crime stats in a local area.
Find out if your neighbour is a landlord
Many councils keep a public register of licenced landlords or houses of multiple occupancy.
For example, Enfield Council allows you to type in your postcode – any landlords on your street will appear. Buckinghamshire Council lets you download an excel spreadsheet of HMOs.
Sam Edington deals in a higher end of the market and recalls only one nightmare neighbour scenario in his 23 years in the industry – it involved a tenant.
“We acted for a charming client buying a beautiful flat just off Hampstead Heath, and shortly after they moved in, a belligerent tenant with substance abuse issues arrived in the building, causing several months of distress.
“Fortunately, with our guidance, complaints to the managing agents and the council helped resolve the situation and restore calm.”
Ask questions of the seller
Henry Sherwood says it is essential to ask if a seller knows their neighbours and whether they’re owner-occupiers or renters.
If you meet the owner, ask them questions – chances are they’re not going to reveal negative details, but the more questions you ask, the harder a lie is to maintain.
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Ask them questions like: are you friends with your neighbours, have you ever had any issues with noise, are there any resident WhatsApp groups.
“If you don’t meet the owner, don’t be afraid to prepare a list of questions for the seller about the neighbours and be specific,” said Sherwood.
Get your solicitor to ask questions
An experienced property solicitor is vital to ask the right questions as the purchase progresses.
Sherwood said: “During the enquiries phase of the conveyancing you can ask your solicitor to ask if there have been any disputes or altercations. The seller is less likely to lie if it goes through legal channels and there is a record of it.”
How many times has the house sold recently?
“Stability is a good sign,” says Sam Edington, so it’s worth asking, or trying to find out, how long neighbours have been around.
Sites such as Zoopla and Rightmove have some historical sale and listing data that could help establish if the property you’re buying has struggled to sell or been sold multiple times in recent years.
The latter could be a red flag that’s worth further investigation.
Planning permission
The planning section of local council websites will inform you of any proposals or active plans in the area where you’re buying.
This will cover things like extensions that could alter your view or result in a period of building work.
Google Earth/Street View
You can use this tool to find out how the area has changed over the years…
This is unlikely to provide you with that crucial bit of information, but you’re trying to build a picture.
Golden rules
Henry Sherwood has a golden rule he shares with clients: “Never buy without viewing a minimum of twice, once during the week and once at the weekend.
“If possible, also take a look from the outside late night after agents have shut at 9pm or 10pm. Check out the times that are important to you.
You may just get unlucky
Ultimately, there’s no way to guarantee a peaceful and quiet co-existence.
Sherwood said: “There are no guarantees who your neighbours will be long term as the current owners could sell, rent it, turn into an HMO or Airbnb.”
Back on the Mumsnet thread we mentioned earlier, a poster called Thirtytimesround illustrated the point: “We popped back a few times at different times of day to just sit in car near house and listen to see if anyone noisy. It helped. But honestly so much luck is involved.
“Like, we bought in a quiet road in a smart area and my neighbours are a lovely, kind, generous couple in their forties. And their bedroom is the other side of the wall from ours and they have very noisy sex š Plus shortly after we moved in they bought a dog that barks all the frickin’ time and then their son took up the drums. Nothing we could have done to discover that before we moved in – it’s just luck.
“We are probably gonna move because of them!!”
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