Messy Neighbours Could Cost You Dear: Here’s What to Do About It

Unattractive or poorly maintained neighbouring properties can slash the selling price of a home by an average of £42,880, according to Churchill Home Insurance. 

The biggest value losers are rubbish in the front garden (a possible 30% loss), too many garden ornaments or statues (28%) and broken/boarded up windows (27%). Losses range from almost £89,000 in expensive places like London to £25,000 in others.

If you have a problem with messy neighbours, here are some possible solutions.

Have a quiet chat

Sometimes neighbours don’t realise that their home is an eyesore. Once they do, hopefully, they’ll tidy it up a bit.

Keep everything friendly. Drop a few subtle hints rather than making demands.

Offer a helping hand

This won’t be suitable in every situation, but it might be a solution in some cases.

For example, if the owner is elderly or has mobility issues, they may be unable to remedy the situation themselves.

You could also try to get some other neighbours to help, as they’ll benefit too.

Create a ‘green screen’

Fast-growing shrubs and climbing plants can provide useful screening and improve privacy in your own garden.

Cheap and instant options include willow, or you could opt for artificial ivy screening panels. Many discount stores sell them.

Alternatively, think about whether a new fence would be a worthwhile investment.

Obviously, you should never mislead a potential buyer. But there’s nothing wrong with focusing attention on your home and showing it at its best.

The last resort

In some cases, the local council can demand that a homeowner tidies up their property. Or they can do the work and charge the owner for it.

The council is more likely to get involved if the property is derelict, dangerous, insecure or causing an environmental health issue.

However, this course of action could cause ill feelings, and also take a long time. So it’s much better to try and sort things out amicably if you can.

As your local expert estate agents, our advice is not to worry too much about neighbouring properties. If your home is well-presented and well-priced, it should still find a buyer. If you’re considering selling and would like a free valuation, please get in touch.

We hope you’ve found this post interesting. If you know someone who has a messy neighbour, please share it with them.

* Source: The price of a messy neighbour