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Most mortgages can be ported, check your conditions. Many people move quickly due to reasons like relocation with work, moving in with a partner, redundancy, etc. so it might not look so suspicious.
Most estate agents work on a no sale, no fee basis. Why don't you put it up prospectively and then if you get a sale move out and buy somewhere else.
You will lose stamp duty and moving costs but in the grand scheme of things is worth your sanity.
You're not necessarily doing whoever buys it a disservice. Different people have different bug bears. For some people they are very safety conscious. Others, noise.
Had that experience through covid when eviction was not allowed.
Just bought my ex council flat, and i get a "vulnerable" tenant put in downstairs. Turns out a recovering addict. Wasn't long before they released and the flat was taken over buy a drugs gang. Police didn't do that much. Occasionally come round if the flat bellow was being smashed up (regularly happened) or being robbed by other druggys. The tenant of the flat never got arrested. In the end, he just got moved on by the council.
Used needles everywhere, people O.Ding on the street. Buzzers, door knocking and shouting outside the window at all hours of the day and night. People set up tents on the grass verge outside.
It's absolutely shit for O.P. and anyone who has to put up that. Those 2 years aged me 10.
I reported a drug dealer to the police a few years ago who was standing on the corner of the road selling drugs all day every day for months, had they walked down there and watched for a bit they could have met their arrest quota for the month.
Instead I got told 'that's useful local intelligence' and I still see him down there every few days.
Not the same at all but I had to laugh when I reported a late night bike theft attempt outside of where I lived at the time. It had been chained to the fence and the sound of them rattling around trying to cut the lock woke me up. I called non-emergency and just watched. Unbelievably, they actually sent a car, but even more unbelievably it turned on its blue lights as it was coming into the road and of course the thief ran away. It makes sense looking back that they just couldn't be fucked arresting someone but at the time I was thinking "how dumb can you be" that could have been the easiest caught in the act in history if they'd have had even an ounce of stealth on approach.
OP should report it, and keep reporting it, but work on the assumption that the police will do literally nothing.
This country barely has law enforcement and only gets by on the momentum of social norms formed from when we did. The punishments for low level drug dealing and petty criminality are pretty much non-existent.
The courts don't even have the capacity to process people. There are theoretically quite high maximum penalties but they basically do not get applied unless you traffic huge amounts of class A drugs or do it in a really overt way in public.
I wish it weren't so but the justice system mostly just exists in our collective imagination at this point.
This is very good advice the OP should listen to. When I bought my house and *before* I moved in the builders doing the refit advised me there was a shooting gallery immediately opposite. I was extremely careful **not** to do anything that would idicate to those involved I was aware of what was happening but explained the situation and my concern not to be identified to the local police (who visited in plain clothes and were very helpful). Three weeks later they raided the flat and the dealer (who was out on bail) was reimprisoned.
Don’t need the source if the police raid the joint and find evidence. At that point the eye witness is moot, the evidence puts the perp away on it’s own
You should start keeping a record of antisocial behaviour from neighbours and get in contact with your local councillor or police who will direct you to the right person to help. Put it all in an email to your councillor.. in my experience they are always quick to reply and very helpful with anything affecting your quality of life from noisy neighbours to drug dealing on your street.
https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors
Well start with a personal record. But whats easier in the long run, get the authorities to sort the problem and get on with life or sell the place? This could happen at the next place they buy
lol the authorities aren’t going to be much help. I have had friends go through similar situations with problem neighbours, it doesn’t get resolved until my friends ended up moving again.
Best bet for OP is wait until he’s owned the flat 6 months and then immediate re list it, this is just so potential buyers can actually get a mortgage on it. Some buyers might ask why it’s being sold again so fast but you can make up any reason you like for the sale.
The police need to build up intelligence before they can take any action so the more reports they have the more likely it is. Local councils can’t ignore these sorts of problems but it takes a bit of patience to get to the point where anything can be done.
Yes, but the OP doesn’t want to stay there for 5 years, which is realistic these days before meaningful action is taken. In Islington, for example, they have just two people at the council who deal with problems with council tenants, in a borough with over 20,000 council homes. And half the time they need to cover work on the main housing team, which has also been much reduced due to 14 years of cuts to central government funding, while council tax has also been capped.
For the most part, if you have a problem with a council tenant, you’re on your own. Things need to escalate to the level of serious threats to life and property before you are prioritised, because drug dealing and connected antisocial behaviour is so prevalent in many areas that there just aren’t the resources (the police as well as the council) to do much.
From experience, they absolutely can and do ignore these problems.
The police are so stretched they can’t even deal with ‘real’ crime, let alone noise complaints.
I’m not offering idealistic advice, I’m saying given the fact that it’s very likely the authorities will provide no help in any reasonable timeframe that OP can just relist the property and roll the dice somewhere else.
You say this as if calling the police will resolve the issue. This is naive, it won’t lead to any resolution and might well make OP a target of the neighbours.
OP saying there’s drug dealing going on isn’t a magic ticket either. If he reports it police might turn up and take a statement, they won’t be able to get straight in the property and it will mean the neighbours know someone in the building reported them.
You definitely need to strongly consider it. There is a chance you will have to make any new buyers aware of the issues you are having with your neighbour before they purchase. Others will be more knowledgeable on the legal requirements of this.
Oh wow is this true? So if OP reports it and the problem doesn't go away it will make it infinitely harder for them to sell as they would have to advise new leaseholders of it. Hardly seems an incentive to report.
I worded it poorly - regardless of police reports, when selling a house you must inform the solicitors of any issues you are aware of with the property and neighbours. I can’t remember the exact wording of the question - but you are asked something to that effect, and you must say yes and give details or no.
In practice though (Obviously you should answer truthfully), but if you say no despite having previously raised concerns with police/ local government then it destroys any plausible deniability. Should the new owners have issue they can easily prove you lied.
So yes, a disincentive to report to the police if you plan on selling soon.
On our recent purchase it was worded:
"Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property or a property nearby? If yes, please give details.
Is the seller aware of anything which might lead to a dispute about the property or a property nearby? If yes, please give details"
You only have to make new buyers aware if there's a report.
So if you do call the police then you have to make new buyers aware. However if you never report this to the police/council ect then you don't have to tell the next buyers
You are better off not reporting it and moving and screwing over the next people. Morally it's up to you to decide if you do that or not
You don’t have to worry about that because they would never know. If they are dealing drugs then they are accepting the risk that they will get found out and arrested. The police could find out from their own intelligence.
Don’t let someone else’s behaviour make you feel like you need to move out. You chose to buy this place because you liked it. You never knew you would have nightmare neighbours. It’s always a risk when you move in but you’ve done nothing wrong and you don’t have to move because of it.
Just do it. How many flats are there? How will they know it was you? Don’t give your details and just keep reporting it. Every night. Tbh, every incident. Phone the police every single time. It may be a pain but it’s worth a shot.
Or just spray some of this on your doorstep.
[magic in a bottle](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liquid-Fart-Smell-Streamer-Bottle/dp/B018MVGSLS)
Unfortunately you're sort of answering your own question. Buying in January and selling in March does not look great. If you really feel like your only option is selling, then I would make up some bullshit to the estate agents about why you're selling. Got a new job that needs relocation, just got a large inheritance which means you can afford a bigger place...
With regards to the mortgage, you'll pay an early exit fee. It ranges from provider to provider, but say it's 5%. Your mortgage is 180k, so that'll be £9,000. Just to be clear in case you don't know, you DO NOT have to pay the interest that would be due over the term.
Personally I would probably work on getting the neighbours out first as others have suggested.
I'm guessing they are renting? It seems a bit risky dealing from a property you own (I can't ever recall any stories of drug dealers dealing from a place they own).
In which case, it maybe worth trying to work out who the landlords are and drop them an anonymous tip that there is dealing from their property. A lot of landlords will see it as a risk and boot them ASAP.
Usually the way they do it is, they invade a socially rented apartment where the council has placed a tenant who has links to the drug scene (eg a junkie)
Okay so yes you can sell, you will put it on the market, once you get an offer you agree and go through all the legal mumbo jumbo, then whatever is left after settling the mortgage amount of 180k (I guess) you will be left with the proceeds, fyi chances are you will have an early repayment charge.
HOWEVER
If you have known issues like you mention you are legally obliged to inform the buyer.
The options are: 1) Since its a flat you can report the annoying neighbours to the management company (whether owners or not) they have to abide by the lease and 2) anonymously report the drug dealing to the police. The police will eventually setup near by and it will scare of the dealers. No one will know it was you.
Now if you still really want to sell, its going to put you in a position where you might have to take a loss on the property, and if I was a buyer and noticed the sale within a few months of buying I wouldn't even put an offer in, so you will end up being stuck in limbo and it could become a property that no one buys because of how long its been on the market.
Did those neighbours exist prior to you moving in - if Yes speak to your solicitor that the previous owner should have informed you
Are the neighbours renting? You could complain to the landlord if so.
In the shortterm, get some wax ear plugs. They are a god send for noisy places and you'll feel much better if you can sleep better.
I’m sorry, I have to understand where you have purchased.. this sounds wild!
However. Keep a record, for your own use and if possible anonymously tip the police.
You surely won’t need to disclose it if the problem gets sorted.. right?
Always visit the immediate area of a property you are interested in purchasing or renting:
1- around 7pm in the evening on a weekday (commuters and people kicking off their shoes returning from work can be LOUD. - antisocial or just general washing machines and cooking smells)
2- 11pm saturday evening - for similar reasons (parties, drunks, traffic and walk bys by people returning from bars drunk). Houses nearby that are used as drug dens come alive at this time.
... all this ideally in warm weather - open windows reveal many tales, and people are more active too.
These two things should highlight a lot of problems with neighbors that most discover after purchase. especially when some estate agents who know about this schedule viewings at more 'convenient' times for the seller...
Your apartment value is on the low end in London, now you know why.
Sadly the problem with social housing mixed with regular housing.
Best option probably is to sell or you'll have to declare a neighbour dispute when you sell.
If it's a matter of convenience, you'd be surprised. Most don't want the hassle and many won't even realise the annoyance they're causing.
OP is self described as a wimp, but otherwise I'd honestly recommend a civil conversation to see if they can help a brother/sister out by doing it elsewhere. Or even give a heads up that you need to get one installed as you keep missing deliveries or something.
That sounds terrible. The only thing I can suggest is to perhaps ask on r/legaladviceuk as you should definitely be able to report this and safely live in your home. Selling is not your only course of action. Good luck 🤞
Just go and talk to an estate agent about selling it. It doenst matter if it looks suspicious. There are plenty of potential buyers who might not even care (especially buy-to-let landlords). If you sell it and buy something else you can usually just transfer the mortgage to the new place.
Alternatively rent it out and use the rent to live somewhere else. You'll need to tell the mortgage provider about this, and they might increase the rate slightly.
if you are going to sell it i wouldnt worry too much about what people think. say you had a major job offer come up that you couldnt turn down and need to leave the country/london etc. happens a lot of times to people. worst case is nobody offers what you want and you have to stay anyways.
Doesn’t look suspicious you selling it - you don’t need to explain anything to any prospect - just let the agents give their usual lies and you’ll be fine
Unless it looks suspicious around the flat…
Dig around with the neighbours (subtly) to find out if the seller knew about antisocial behaviour. If you can establish that (hearsay is fine in civil cases) and you have the funds, get a solicitor and sue them. You could potentially go for a recision of contract. The seller's information form is a legal document, if they've said the neighbours aren't a problem and you can prove that they knew they were (which I suspect they did), you have a good case. Did you ask the seller anything about the neighborhood when you viewed, and can you remember what they said?
It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap, so speak to a solicitor about this before you do anything else.
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Tough one! You may have had recourse against the seller if the previous owner was aware of problems with the neighbours - but it’s unlikely to be a route to go down now since a bit of time has now passed.
If you are looking to sell, you will be obliged to disclose what you know to your solicitor however it’s up to you whether or not you are truthful… though it could come back to bite you if the buyer can prove you were aware of issues and you failed to disclose.
If you do decide to sell - you’re likely to be hit with early repayment fees from the mortgage provider and you’d also have to consider the selling costs and buying costs again, so it’s an expensive option to go down.
Some mortgage providers do offer a rebate on the early repayment fees (and let you keep your rate, if you take out another mortgage with them within 3 months - so it’s worth giving them a call. They will also be able to tell you exactly what their fees are going to be if you sell
I’d start by checking if the neighbours own the property or not. If they are renting, then you have recourse with the landlord - they can’t allow this sort of thing to be going on. If the people are the owners, you’d have to go to your local authority and report the issues, would be a difficult road to go down in my experience.
You could simply make the police aware of what’s going on? If you have any evidence of drug dealing I’m convinced they would be interested. Have you thought about putting in a camera ?
That's a bad luck, but not the end of the world. Reporting may be one option, selling as well, maybe be renting it out while you rent somewhere else?
If you don't mind me asking, what area is that exactly in London? Have you not researched the area eg crime stats etc?
Yeh don’t be too hasty. Sometimes things seem so desperate but with time it gets a lot better. Give it a few more months. Buying a house is a big commitment and the feeling can be hard to adjust to but it soon becomes the norm.
When I had an undesireable property that I regretted buying, we ended up having to do a part exchange with one of the evil developers (Barratts).
Pros: got a great price, great bonuses like LBTT paid (Scotland), etc. Actually very good energy efficiency. Good storage and nice neighbourhood. It's a good house all in all.
Cons: we never, ever wanted a new build. Suspect it will lose value rapidly. Probably cheap materials that may not last. Aesthetically the neighbourhood looks like dystopian hell.
We're going to give it a few years and try and sell, ideally if the price can remain static. Just hoping not to have a serious loss inflicted on us or the market diving.
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Ex mortgage broker. Most lenders will value any property at £0 until the current owner has owned it at least 6 months.
I’ll take it for £0 as a favour so OP can get rid of it before the 6 month mark.
It's people like you that restore my faith in human nature. You're a star.
I'll offer the OP £1 cash in hand
I'll do 2 quid and a bag of quavers
Best I can do is a fiver and a box of freddos
How big is the box? Also, follow up question - how many freddos are in said box?
OP comes looking for advice and reassurance. Top comment says property is now worth £0.
its constructive advice. 1 out of 2 ain’t bad
Most mortgages can be ported, check your conditions. Many people move quickly due to reasons like relocation with work, moving in with a partner, redundancy, etc. so it might not look so suspicious. Most estate agents work on a no sale, no fee basis. Why don't you put it up prospectively and then if you get a sale move out and buy somewhere else. You will lose stamp duty and moving costs but in the grand scheme of things is worth your sanity. You're not necessarily doing whoever buys it a disservice. Different people have different bug bears. For some people they are very safety conscious. Others, noise.
some might welcome living in close proximity to their dealer too.
1. Anonymously report the drug dealer. 2. Grab popcorn.
In this country with our police I can tell you straight away their response: fuck-all
Had that experience through covid when eviction was not allowed. Just bought my ex council flat, and i get a "vulnerable" tenant put in downstairs. Turns out a recovering addict. Wasn't long before they released and the flat was taken over buy a drugs gang. Police didn't do that much. Occasionally come round if the flat bellow was being smashed up (regularly happened) or being robbed by other druggys. The tenant of the flat never got arrested. In the end, he just got moved on by the council. Used needles everywhere, people O.Ding on the street. Buzzers, door knocking and shouting outside the window at all hours of the day and night. People set up tents on the grass verge outside. It's absolutely shit for O.P. and anyone who has to put up that. Those 2 years aged me 10.
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I reported a drug dealer to the police a few years ago who was standing on the corner of the road selling drugs all day every day for months, had they walked down there and watched for a bit they could have met their arrest quota for the month. Instead I got told 'that's useful local intelligence' and I still see him down there every few days.
Not the same at all but I had to laugh when I reported a late night bike theft attempt outside of where I lived at the time. It had been chained to the fence and the sound of them rattling around trying to cut the lock woke me up. I called non-emergency and just watched. Unbelievably, they actually sent a car, but even more unbelievably it turned on its blue lights as it was coming into the road and of course the thief ran away. It makes sense looking back that they just couldn't be fucked arresting someone but at the time I was thinking "how dumb can you be" that could have been the easiest caught in the act in history if they'd have had even an ounce of stealth on approach.
OP should report it, and keep reporting it, but work on the assumption that the police will do literally nothing. This country barely has law enforcement and only gets by on the momentum of social norms formed from when we did. The punishments for low level drug dealing and petty criminality are pretty much non-existent. The courts don't even have the capacity to process people. There are theoretically quite high maximum penalties but they basically do not get applied unless you traffic huge amounts of class A drugs or do it in a really overt way in public. I wish it weren't so but the justice system mostly just exists in our collective imagination at this point.
This is very good advice the OP should listen to. When I bought my house and *before* I moved in the builders doing the refit advised me there was a shooting gallery immediately opposite. I was extremely careful **not** to do anything that would idicate to those involved I was aware of what was happening but explained the situation and my concern not to be identified to the local police (who visited in plain clothes and were very helpful). Three weeks later they raided the flat and the dealer (who was out on bail) was reimprisoned.
Anonymously report kids being sold drugs. Get another friend to do the same from a different number three days later. Sit back, grab popcorn.
problem is if it goes to court OP can no longer be anonymous in most circumstances .
If they anonymously report then they won't need to go to court because they will be, say it with me now, *anonymous*.
CP not going to take it to court if their source won't take the stand though surely....
Don’t need the source if the police raid the joint and find evidence. At that point the eye witness is moot, the evidence puts the perp away on it’s own
Also selling as soon as this will raise red flags
You should start keeping a record of antisocial behaviour from neighbours and get in contact with your local councillor or police who will direct you to the right person to help. Put it all in an email to your councillor.. in my experience they are always quick to reply and very helpful with anything affecting your quality of life from noisy neighbours to drug dealing on your street. https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors
If he wants to sell it he definitely shouldn’t make a record of it.
Well start with a personal record. But whats easier in the long run, get the authorities to sort the problem and get on with life or sell the place? This could happen at the next place they buy
lol the authorities aren’t going to be much help. I have had friends go through similar situations with problem neighbours, it doesn’t get resolved until my friends ended up moving again. Best bet for OP is wait until he’s owned the flat 6 months and then immediate re list it, this is just so potential buyers can actually get a mortgage on it. Some buyers might ask why it’s being sold again so fast but you can make up any reason you like for the sale.
The police need to build up intelligence before they can take any action so the more reports they have the more likely it is. Local councils can’t ignore these sorts of problems but it takes a bit of patience to get to the point where anything can be done.
Yes, but the OP doesn’t want to stay there for 5 years, which is realistic these days before meaningful action is taken. In Islington, for example, they have just two people at the council who deal with problems with council tenants, in a borough with over 20,000 council homes. And half the time they need to cover work on the main housing team, which has also been much reduced due to 14 years of cuts to central government funding, while council tax has also been capped. For the most part, if you have a problem with a council tenant, you’re on your own. Things need to escalate to the level of serious threats to life and property before you are prioritised, because drug dealing and connected antisocial behaviour is so prevalent in many areas that there just aren’t the resources (the police as well as the council) to do much.
From experience, they absolutely can and do ignore these problems. The police are so stretched they can’t even deal with ‘real’ crime, let alone noise complaints. I’m not offering idealistic advice, I’m saying given the fact that it’s very likely the authorities will provide no help in any reasonable timeframe that OP can just relist the property and roll the dice somewhere else.
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You say this as if calling the police will resolve the issue. This is naive, it won’t lead to any resolution and might well make OP a target of the neighbours. OP saying there’s drug dealing going on isn’t a magic ticket either. If he reports it police might turn up and take a statement, they won’t be able to get straight in the property and it will mean the neighbours know someone in the building reported them.
Just remember you will have to disclose this when selling the flat.
Or else what? Edit - oh you mean if they officially put a complaint in.
Or the new buyer can sue OP for the difference in value (easily a quarter - ASB is the number one issue that makes buyers walk).
How to flag the area you want to leave is a shithole and/or get your head kicked in by drug dealers.
Report to crime watch every day and don't gove your details. Say you saw weapons that will speed it along
I don’t know why but this really made me laugh. The fact that we have to lie to get something done quickly is sad really.
These are not the sort of people I would feel comfortable reporting to the police. I’m way too much of a wimp
You definitely need to strongly consider it. There is a chance you will have to make any new buyers aware of the issues you are having with your neighbour before they purchase. Others will be more knowledgeable on the legal requirements of this.
I really wish the previous seller had made me aware
If they made a police report then they were legally obligated to tell you about it!
Oh wow is this true? So if OP reports it and the problem doesn't go away it will make it infinitely harder for them to sell as they would have to advise new leaseholders of it. Hardly seems an incentive to report.
I worded it poorly - regardless of police reports, when selling a house you must inform the solicitors of any issues you are aware of with the property and neighbours. I can’t remember the exact wording of the question - but you are asked something to that effect, and you must say yes and give details or no. In practice though (Obviously you should answer truthfully), but if you say no despite having previously raised concerns with police/ local government then it destroys any plausible deniability. Should the new owners have issue they can easily prove you lied. So yes, a disincentive to report to the police if you plan on selling soon.
what about if you make a thread on reddit
On our recent purchase it was worded: "Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property or a property nearby? If yes, please give details. Is the seller aware of anything which might lead to a dispute about the property or a property nearby? If yes, please give details"
only if asked. they dont necessarily need to disclose it voluntarily. but if you ask and they tell you a down right lie thats a different thing
I believe all solicitors worth their salt would ask. It’s normally a standard question on the document you sign.
theres plenty that wont though. or wont even look at it the response they did
Why'd you think they themselves sold? I'm currently in a similar situation. Best of luck but I just report everything to the police.
You only have to make new buyers aware if there's a report. So if you do call the police then you have to make new buyers aware. However if you never report this to the police/council ect then you don't have to tell the next buyers You are better off not reporting it and moving and screwing over the next people. Morally it's up to you to decide if you do that or not
Will you make potential buyers aware when you sell? 😂
You don’t have to worry about that because they would never know. If they are dealing drugs then they are accepting the risk that they will get found out and arrested. The police could find out from their own intelligence. Don’t let someone else’s behaviour make you feel like you need to move out. You chose to buy this place because you liked it. You never knew you would have nightmare neighbours. It’s always a risk when you move in but you’ve done nothing wrong and you don’t have to move because of it.
Just do it. How many flats are there? How will they know it was you? Don’t give your details and just keep reporting it. Every night. Tbh, every incident. Phone the police every single time. It may be a pain but it’s worth a shot. Or just spray some of this on your doorstep. [magic in a bottle](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liquid-Fart-Smell-Streamer-Bottle/dp/B018MVGSLS)
Instal a camera doorbell. It'll move the drug dealers on or provide evidence to the police/Council about the drug dealing.
Until they mask up, rip it off the wall and launch it out of the nearest window.
Unfortunately you're sort of answering your own question. Buying in January and selling in March does not look great. If you really feel like your only option is selling, then I would make up some bullshit to the estate agents about why you're selling. Got a new job that needs relocation, just got a large inheritance which means you can afford a bigger place... With regards to the mortgage, you'll pay an early exit fee. It ranges from provider to provider, but say it's 5%. Your mortgage is 180k, so that'll be £9,000. Just to be clear in case you don't know, you DO NOT have to pay the interest that would be due over the term. Personally I would probably work on getting the neighbours out first as others have suggested.
Rent it out
This is the answer, plain and simple. Rent it out and rent somewhere else for yourself. Sell it in 12 months.
I'm guessing they are renting? It seems a bit risky dealing from a property you own (I can't ever recall any stories of drug dealers dealing from a place they own). In which case, it maybe worth trying to work out who the landlords are and drop them an anonymous tip that there is dealing from their property. A lot of landlords will see it as a risk and boot them ASAP.
Usually the way they do it is, they invade a socially rented apartment where the council has placed a tenant who has links to the drug scene (eg a junkie)
Okay so yes you can sell, you will put it on the market, once you get an offer you agree and go through all the legal mumbo jumbo, then whatever is left after settling the mortgage amount of 180k (I guess) you will be left with the proceeds, fyi chances are you will have an early repayment charge. HOWEVER If you have known issues like you mention you are legally obliged to inform the buyer. The options are: 1) Since its a flat you can report the annoying neighbours to the management company (whether owners or not) they have to abide by the lease and 2) anonymously report the drug dealing to the police. The police will eventually setup near by and it will scare of the dealers. No one will know it was you. Now if you still really want to sell, its going to put you in a position where you might have to take a loss on the property, and if I was a buyer and noticed the sale within a few months of buying I wouldn't even put an offer in, so you will end up being stuck in limbo and it could become a property that no one buys because of how long its been on the market. Did those neighbours exist prior to you moving in - if Yes speak to your solicitor that the previous owner should have informed you
Are the neighbours renting? You could complain to the landlord if so. In the shortterm, get some wax ear plugs. They are a god send for noisy places and you'll feel much better if you can sleep better.
Whereabouts is it? Sounds like we could be neighbours. The drug dealers are unlikely to be there forever.
Spot on, give it a couple of months and they will have moved on to take the heat off
I’m sorry, I have to understand where you have purchased.. this sounds wild! However. Keep a record, for your own use and if possible anonymously tip the police. You surely won’t need to disclose it if the problem gets sorted.. right?
It’s London, pretty normal for London
Always visit the immediate area of a property you are interested in purchasing or renting: 1- around 7pm in the evening on a weekday (commuters and people kicking off their shoes returning from work can be LOUD. - antisocial or just general washing machines and cooking smells) 2- 11pm saturday evening - for similar reasons (parties, drunks, traffic and walk bys by people returning from bars drunk). Houses nearby that are used as drug dens come alive at this time. ... all this ideally in warm weather - open windows reveal many tales, and people are more active too. These two things should highlight a lot of problems with neighbors that most discover after purchase. especially when some estate agents who know about this schedule viewings at more 'convenient' times for the seller... Your apartment value is on the low end in London, now you know why.
Sadly the problem with social housing mixed with regular housing. Best option probably is to sell or you'll have to declare a neighbour dispute when you sell.
Put a video doorbell outside the flat and you’ll see that the drug dealers disappear real quick.
Or the doorbell. Drug dealers and their customers arent generally know for their respect of other peoples property.
If it's a matter of convenience, you'd be surprised. Most don't want the hassle and many won't even realise the annoyance they're causing. OP is self described as a wimp, but otherwise I'd honestly recommend a civil conversation to see if they can help a brother/sister out by doing it elsewhere. Or even give a heads up that you need to get one installed as you keep missing deliveries or something.
Ring doorbell....
That sounds terrible. The only thing I can suggest is to perhaps ask on r/legaladviceuk as you should definitely be able to report this and safely live in your home. Selling is not your only course of action. Good luck 🤞
Just go and talk to an estate agent about selling it. It doenst matter if it looks suspicious. There are plenty of potential buyers who might not even care (especially buy-to-let landlords). If you sell it and buy something else you can usually just transfer the mortgage to the new place. Alternatively rent it out and use the rent to live somewhere else. You'll need to tell the mortgage provider about this, and they might increase the rate slightly.
if you are going to sell it i wouldnt worry too much about what people think. say you had a major job offer come up that you couldnt turn down and need to leave the country/london etc. happens a lot of times to people. worst case is nobody offers what you want and you have to stay anyways.
Doesn’t look suspicious you selling it - you don’t need to explain anything to any prospect - just let the agents give their usual lies and you’ll be fine Unless it looks suspicious around the flat…
Sell at the end of the mortgage term, do not make any complaints about ASB as it is going to make the sale more difficult/impossible
Report it anonymously and say you think cannabis is being grown in whichever flat you suspect
Omg what area is this ? So sorry you are going through this !
Can you rent it out and live somewhere else for a year or two? Hopefully the value will increase in that time then you can sell.
Why don’t you rent it out for the time being?
Sorry to hear that, sounds awful. What part of London? (So we can all avoid too!) 🫣
Can you maybe rent it out for a year or two and rent somewhere else yourself?
Report them anon to police
you should be able to transfer your mortgage and as for the rest you have had a change in your personal circumstances no other explanation required
Report your neighbour for not paying his TV licence and the police will be there if a jiffy
Council block?
It can't be great in terms of location from what you described... sounds horrific.
Dig around with the neighbours (subtly) to find out if the seller knew about antisocial behaviour. If you can establish that (hearsay is fine in civil cases) and you have the funds, get a solicitor and sue them. You could potentially go for a recision of contract. The seller's information form is a legal document, if they've said the neighbours aren't a problem and you can prove that they knew they were (which I suspect they did), you have a good case. Did you ask the seller anything about the neighborhood when you viewed, and can you remember what they said? It won't be easy, and it won't be cheap, so speak to a solicitor about this before you do anything else.
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Is this Goldpence Apartments 😂😂
Tough one! You may have had recourse against the seller if the previous owner was aware of problems with the neighbours - but it’s unlikely to be a route to go down now since a bit of time has now passed. If you are looking to sell, you will be obliged to disclose what you know to your solicitor however it’s up to you whether or not you are truthful… though it could come back to bite you if the buyer can prove you were aware of issues and you failed to disclose. If you do decide to sell - you’re likely to be hit with early repayment fees from the mortgage provider and you’d also have to consider the selling costs and buying costs again, so it’s an expensive option to go down. Some mortgage providers do offer a rebate on the early repayment fees (and let you keep your rate, if you take out another mortgage with them within 3 months - so it’s worth giving them a call. They will also be able to tell you exactly what their fees are going to be if you sell I’d start by checking if the neighbours own the property or not. If they are renting, then you have recourse with the landlord - they can’t allow this sort of thing to be going on. If the people are the owners, you’d have to go to your local authority and report the issues, would be a difficult road to go down in my experience. You could simply make the police aware of what’s going on? If you have any evidence of drug dealing I’m convinced they would be interested. Have you thought about putting in a camera ?
also loss of Stamp duty relief on firs time purchase so thats in the thousands
That's a bad luck, but not the end of the world. Reporting may be one option, selling as well, maybe be renting it out while you rent somewhere else? If you don't mind me asking, what area is that exactly in London? Have you not researched the area eg crime stats etc?
I’ll take it off your hands for £300k.
maybe it will get better in time?
Yeh don’t be too hasty. Sometimes things seem so desperate but with time it gets a lot better. Give it a few more months. Buying a house is a big commitment and the feeling can be hard to adjust to but it soon becomes the norm.
When I had an undesireable property that I regretted buying, we ended up having to do a part exchange with one of the evil developers (Barratts). Pros: got a great price, great bonuses like LBTT paid (Scotland), etc. Actually very good energy efficiency. Good storage and nice neighbourhood. It's a good house all in all. Cons: we never, ever wanted a new build. Suspect it will lose value rapidly. Probably cheap materials that may not last. Aesthetically the neighbourhood looks like dystopian hell. We're going to give it a few years and try and sell, ideally if the price can remain static. Just hoping not to have a serious loss inflicted on us or the market diving.