Noise complaints from neighbours about my tenants

[Hudson01]

the TA6 form asks 'Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property'.
The guidance specifically mentions that you don't need to declare disputes that date from before your ownership. It does not state, or even imply, that you don't need to declare disputes that involved someone else while you were the owner.

But as we have always said on this and other forums, we are not the guardians or carers for our tenants, if the tenant had not informed the LL then how could the LL know anything about it and then have the information to '' declare '' it when sale time comes..... plausible deniability is the key here. All the LL has to do is exactly...........nothing, no calls to anyone, no acknowledgment of any kind that they are aware of the dispute.

Some tenants do not inform the LL as they don't want to hassle them and they understand it has nothing to do with the LL.

[Self sufficient]

Whether you help your tenant or not that strange neighbour would continue to frustrate everything which will be beneficial to your property probably due to wanting utmost silence which isn’t available above the ground but possibly underneath to it. Given the dramatic rise in stabbing/shooting crimes your neighbour is super lucky as otherwise his family member (if any) might have been processing his/her will by now. On a brighter side for your tenant, the neighbour’s belligerence might help them in securing some council housing. I do not think that tenant request for help will be ignored because there are children involved. Also, no harm in approaching the neighbour’s GP who then advise his patient that his stress is his own induced/imposed and just try to live a normal human.

[Ted.E.Bear]

as a LL you do not have to declare anything when it is sold as YOU have not had a logged dispute with the neighbour, the next owner may get alone very nicely with the neighbour.

the TA6 form asks 'Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property'.
The guidance specifically mentions that you don't need to declare disputes that date from before your ownership. It does not state, or even imply, that you don't need to declare disputes that involved someone else while you were the owner.

[Hudson01]

Thanks Hudson01 . Would we get to know from the police or the council if the neighbour or our tenants contact them and don't inform us?

No you would not, as a LL you are not involved in their lives, as has been often said, you are not their parent or a carer, they are individuals with full capacity and can make their own decisions, any dispute they have with the neighbour is theirs alone, not yours.

It is not the property that alone comes up with the need to declare upon sale, properties are owned throughout a time period by lots of people, most do not have disputes, if one party does then that does not blight that property for ever, so as a LL you do not have to declare anything when it is sold as YOU have not had a logged dispute with the neighbour, the next owner may get alone very nicely with the neighbour.

I do concur that i have come across a lot of people living in terrace and semi detached properties who feel they have the right to demand the kind of silence that those in detached properties enjoy..... but without paying the higher price to purchase it !!! They are often very disapointed when they are told the reality of the situation.

[Nomy]

Totally agree with the above comment, if you live in a terraced property or a flat surrounded by other flats the noise level you will have to put up with will be far greater than that of a person in a semi detached, and this is often NOT accepted by those living in such dwellings........ this is why i moved years ago to a detached, what ever you do there is zero way to control the noise from neighbours. It can cause immense stress and anxiety, because i see this most weeks in my job i put a great deal of priority on not being attached to any other property.

The OP may have this issue in the future with any other tenant, i am aware of an incident where one neighbour complained because the house next door (terraced) was using the Hoover (other makes available also) after 7.00pm !!! There are people who have no tolerance for the feelings of others and simply do not care.

Exactly. It feels like some people want all the benefits of living in a detached while living in a terraced and will bully their way into getting this.

[Nomy]

if it's reported to the Police/Council etc then there is a logged record of any intervention they have been asked to do, that will need to be declared.

Thanks Hudson01 . As a first-time landlords this is all very stressful for us, not to mention the steep learning curve. I look on in awe at landlords that manage portfolios but I guess the trick to keeping our sleep and sanity as a landlord is to not worry about things that we shouldn't be worrying about .

If either the tenants or neighbour complain against the other party, would this automatically involve the property and therefore require us to declare this at a future sale or would this be a dispute between the two parties (even though the property is the stage, so to speak for this dispute)?

I presume the obligation on us to declare such interventions/disputes would apply regardless of who were to raise it with the police/council?

Would we get to know from the police or the council if the neighbour or our tenants contact them and don't inform us?

[Nomy]

Then the next time you look for tenants try to find one that plays the drums.

All I want is for everyone to just live in peace, but I can imagine how satisfying it would be for someone to do something like this in their dark fantasies

[Hudson01]

Totally agree with the above comment, if you live in a terraced property or a flat surrounded by other flats the noise level you will have to put up with will be far greater than that of a person in a semi detached, and this is often NOT accepted by those living in such dwellings........ this is why i moved years ago to a detached, what ever you do there is zero way to control the noise from neighbours. It can cause immense stress and anxiety, because i see this most weeks in my job i put a great deal of priority on not being attached to any other property.

The OP may have this issue in the future with any other tenant, i am aware of an incident where one neighbour complained because the house next door (terraced) was using the Hoover (other makes available also) after 7.00pm !!! There are people who have no tolerance for the feelings of others and simply do not care.

[AlexR]

This neighbour works shifts and says the noise and sleep disruption is affecting his health, and is getting a letter from his GP as proof.

This is the cause of the issue and is always likely to be a problem whilst he is living in terraced property. In the past I have been regularly woken up by neighbours going to work at 4 or 5 am but have never challenged them about it.

[DoricPixie]

Nomy what about simply saying to the letting agency themselves that if they continue to contact you about this matter you will have to consider pursuing harassment charges against them or just ignore them completely.

Your tenants will need to consider their own harassment charges against the neighbour or if it’s less hassle to just move…one upside of renting is the ease at which you can move away from dickhead neighbours. Then the next time you look for tenants try to find one that plays the drums.

[Hudson01]

I hope merely communicating this to the agents will not get us entangled into this or cause a problem for a future sale of the property down the line.

It will not, just speaking with the agent and informing them as an interested 3rd party is fine, but again i cannot see how they can help, if it's reported to the Police/Council etc then there is a logged record of any intervention they have been asked to do, that will need to be declared. This type of situation is a nightmare for any LL due to you having no control over the actions of another person, a lot is mentioned of the Council and for that matter the Police sorting situations like this out, but in the real world i have seen this type of neighbour dispute carry on for decades..... without a resolution. In a way i can see why simply moving is the more practical response. Good luck.

[Nomy]

At the moment if the tenants called the council/ police then the dispute is between them and the neighbour, as said by others, if you report them and start a dispute then it could affect the sale of the property due to you having to declare it. There really is nothing you can do about this, some neighbours are bullies (i deal with them in my job), the threats and swearing are a criminal offence (POA sec 4/4a) and maybe harassment, but if your tenants do not want the hassle then you cannot make them want to take it forward, and remember that one of the real benefits of renting is that you can move at a moments notice..... i can fully understand why they would not want the hassle going forward. The comment about them having a veto on who rents the house has a lot of truth about it i am afraid.

Indeed.

I'm thinking of writing back to the neighbour's estate agent to inform them that there's nothing we can do about this, as this should be dealt with directly between the neighbour and our tenants, but due to the continual harassment, our tenants have informed us that they are exploring avenues for making a formal harassment complaint against the neighbour, and that they have also reported their health is affected due to the stress cause by this harassment.

I hope merely communicating this to the agents will not get us entangled into this or cause a problem for a future sale of the property down the line.

[Hudson01]

You could mention to the neighbours that they're causing you an issue which is limiting your ability to secure decent tenants, and, as a result, you're contemplating renting it to the council so they can house refugees and the homeless there.

This is a genius idea !!! If only........At the moment if the tenants called the council/ police then the dispute is between them and the neighbour, as said by others, if you report them and start a dispute then it could affect the sale of the property due to you having to declare it. There really is nothing you can do about this, some neighbours are bullies (i deal with them in my job), the threats and swearing are a criminal offence (POA sec 4/4a) and maybe harassment, but if your tenants do not want the hassle then you cannot make them want to take it forward, and remember that one of the real benefits of renting is that you can move at a moments notice..... i can fully understand why they would not want the hassle going forward. The comment about them having a veto on who rents the house has a lot of truth about it i am afraid.

[royw]

They could report him for harassment, if they have and neighbourhood police officers a word from them might possibly resolve it. I don't think there's anything you can do yourself though. Tempting to get people in next who you really wouldn't want to live next to but they're not the sort of tenants you want. If it's a family sized house it's difficult as most people who want to rent them will have kids.

[Nomy]

It's a shame what people do, but that's the world we live in I guess.

Oh well - let me chat to the tenants and tell them to keep their chin up and not take nonsense but who can blame them for wanting to move.