Unfortunately, neighbours don’t always get along. When selling your home, an ongoing neighbour dispute is something you must report in the paperwork, even if it was something small or a proper dispute regarding anti-social behaviour
But reporting a previous neighbour dispute won’t mean your sale is doomed to fail or diminish the market value.
In this article, we’ll provide an overview of what you need to disclose to potential buyers about your neighbours and share our tips on how to sell with bad neighbours.
What Do I Need to Disclose About My Neighbours When Selling?
When selling your property, you need to disclose things like:
- Written complaint letters you’ve sent to your neighbours
- Complaints made to the local council or other authority
While it’s a rare occurrence, it has been known that some sellers have had legal action taken against them for not disclosing issues they’ve had with neighbours to new buyers. And nobody wants to deal with the potential legal fees that come with that.
Generally, it’s more important for buyers to know about issues you’ve had with neighbours that relate to things that can affect the new homeowners.
For example, any ongoing neighbour disputes, boundary disputes or disagreements over who owns/is responsible for a hedge.
Issues such as noisy neighbours or nosy ones are more subjective and can be considered less serious – particularly since a potential buyer may not view these things as issues and may actually favour those traits in a neighbour.
However, any complaint issued in writing to, between or about your neighbours should be disclosed in a seller's property information form during a sale.
Remember, when selling your property with problem neighbours in a neighbouring property always make sure you:
- Be as ethical as you possibly can be – just think about what you’d like to know about your door neighbour if you were purchasing the property in question.
- Do what’s right by the law – don’t hide any information that legally should be disclosed. (especially if you’re providing the information in writing)
- Speak to your estate agent, solicitor or local Citizen’s Advice for personalised advice about specific circumstances and what you do and don’t need to disclose.
Tips for Selling a House With Bad Neighbours
1. Be Honest
To avoid any legal trouble, it’s always the best practice to be completely honest about nuisance neighbours and any issues you’ve had in the past, things such as; consistently loud music, them dumping rubbish
Speak to your estate agent about the challenges and take their advice on how to disclose information to any interested party.
2. Stick to the Facts
When telling your estate agent about the issues, stick to the facts and keep your reports as objective as possible.
It’s also best to report the more serious, written complaints rather than very small neighbour disputes that are subjective.
If you’re unsure about what to report, you can get advice from your estate agent or your local Citizens Advice Bureau
3. Find a Good Estate Agent
Even if you have bad neighbours, a good estate agent can still sell your home.
There’s a buyer for every property in the UK property market and the right estate agent will be able to find them.
Enquire Today
If you’re selling your Northampton home with bad neighbours, Horts are your local property experts.
Our friendly team of agents are happy to provide a valuation of your home and offer advice on how to sell with problem neighbours.
Give us a call today on 01604 639933 or send us an email at northampton@horts.co.uk.
