Selling a House With Problem Neighbours

Originally written by Jeff Durham, updated by the editorial team on 20th May 2026

Selling a House With Problem Neighbours

Difficult neighbours can make daily life stressful. They can also affect your ability to sell your home and the price you might achieve. If you are thinking about putting your property on the market, you will need to consider what to tell potential buyers about any neighbour issues.

This is not simply a matter of personal preference. There are legal obligations that apply when selling a property in England and Wales, and getting this wrong can lead to serious consequences.

What the Law Says About Disclosure

When you sell a property, your solicitor or conveyancer will ask you to complete a standard form called the TA6 Property Information Form. This includes direct questions about disputes with neighbours and whether you have made any complaints to authorities about nearby properties.

You are legally required to answer these questions honestly. If you have had a formal dispute, made complaints to your local council about noise or antisocial behaviour, or been involved in any legal action relating to neighbours, you must disclose this. The focus is on disputes that could materially affect the property's value or a buyer's decision to proceed with the purchase.

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 may also apply to property sales, creating additional obligations around misleading omissions.

Failing to provide accurate information can result in the buyer taking legal action against you after completion. If they can show you misrepresented the situation or deliberately withheld relevant facts, they may be able to claim compensation. Legal precedents show outcomes vary depending on the severity of the nondisclosure and its actual impact on the buyer.

The key principle is to provide honest and full disclosure regarding any issues with neighbours.

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What Counts as a Dispute

Not every disagreement with a neighbour needs to be disclosed. A one off conversation about parking or a polite word about noise would not usually count as a dispute.

However, the following situations will typically need to be declared:

Formal complaints made to the council about noise, antisocial behaviour, or planning issues
Involvement of the police in any neighbour related matter
Correspondence through solicitors about boundary disputes, rights of way, or nuisance
Mediation or other formal attempts to resolve a disagreement
Any ongoing legal proceedings

If you are unsure whether something counts as a dispute, it is worth checking with your solicitor. They can advise on what needs to be included in your responses.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

How This Might Affect Your Sale

Buyers and their solicitors will read your TA6 answers carefully. A disclosed dispute may prompt further questions or could make some buyers hesitant. In some cases, it might affect the offer price. Severe ongoing disputes could also affect mortgage valuations, as lenders may take a cautious view of properties with unresolved neighbour issues.

That said, honesty protects you. A buyer who knows about a previous issue and proceeds anyway has accepted that risk. If you hide a problem and it emerges later, you have far less protection.

A resolved boundary disagreement from several years ago will concern buyers less than an ongoing noise complaint with no resolution in sight. Buyers will often weigh the nature and status of the issue before deciding how to proceed.

If your neighbour problems are severe and ongoing, you may find that selling becomes more difficult. Some sellers explore options such as selling to a property buying company, which can offer speed and certainty, though usually at a lower price than the open market. Others wait until a situation improves before listing their home.

Practical Steps Before Selling

Gather any paperwork relating to neighbour disputes before instructing a solicitor. This includes letters, council correspondence, and records of any formal complaints. Having this information ready will help your solicitor advise you properly.

If a dispute is minor and resolvable, consider whether it can be settled before you put the property on the market. Mediation is not a legal requirement but can be a practical way to resolve issues amicably. Services are available through local councils and independent providers.

Where possible, try to maintain civil relationships with neighbours before selling. This can reduce the risk of problems arising during viewings or the sale process itself.

For guidance on your rights and options when dealing with difficult neighbours, you can check resources on GOV.UK or contact your local Citizens Advice.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Neighbour Rights Checker lets you check your legal rights in any neighbour dispute. Takes 1 minute. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 83 questions

Ask Problem Neighbours a Question

Dawn 27/07/2020 at 2:30 pm

We have lived in our house which we purchased 5 years ago, the vendor when asked about neighbours described the next door neighbour as an old lady and her cat? We found out when we moved in this ‘old lady’ was supposedly mentally ill, knocking on our door every day. Standing on a chair looking over the fence each time we went into the garden. On speaking to the neighbours we were told previous owners had sold and moved out because of her behaviour, that she had upset most of the neighbours over the years. She has a sister but no other family and no friends, nobody visits her, because she is unbearable We have involved the police because of her damaging our fence, throwing things over the fence, eg a dead bird and a dead mouse, that her cat had killed. Shouting, screaming, swearing, throwing abusive notes over the fence, the list is endless! The police say they believe she has dementia? because she has told them that she does not remember doing these things? Is this possible as she still drives, and according to neighbours been like this for 25 years or more? It’s like she is pleading not guilty due to insanity! We would like to move to get away, what chance have we of selling our property?

Judd 17/07/2020 at 5:59 pm

I’m bc wanting to sell my property but I fear the state of my neighbours council house & garden will affect the value. For over 10 years I have had disputes with the council regarding my neighbour and the rubbish but nothing gets done. I’m afraid of paying an estate agent a fee to then not be able to sell. Can I legally do anything?

Baby face 22/06/2020 at 9:30 am

Our neighbour has been dumping household rubbish in their garden since last year. They have been asked if they are going to get it removed they said ‘we’re going to get a skip’ but they haven’t and just keep adding to it. Anything could be living under it all. What to do ??

bogtrotter 28/10/2019 at 8:30 pm

My neighbour has bipolar disorder and has made two false complaints against us to the council and via a solicitor. We have tried to access mental health support for him which he has declined. I have emailed the council and his solicitor highlighting aspects of his irrational behaviour in the hope that they could initiate some support for him. The council suggested we speak to the police, which we did, although they say no crime has been committed. The council say the issue has been addressed.We have not made any 'complaints' but have tried to 'do the right thing.' We have now moved out of our house and are trying to sell it. What needs to be declared on the SPIF?

rick 11/09/2019 at 7:08 pm

We live downstairs in a barn conversion. Up till recently we've not had noise issues from above. The upper flat changed hands and the new owner removed the existing flooring and replaced it with a different one. Since then sound problems have been a daily issue although we haven't dared confront the new owner. If we try to sell, are we obliged to report these ongoing issues to prospective purchasers?

Boundary problem 20/05/2019 at 11:11 am

We have quite a large garden so have a few neighbouring properties (7 in total) along one of the boundary fences my neighbour has installed his own fence but has made his garden smaller leaving a void in between his fence and my own, leaving behind a kind of no mans land. That area has become quite overgrown with brambles and shrubs which I am finding a nightmare to hold back, the brambles especially are constantly needing cutting back and it’s difficult for us to access them properly, this is resulting in the brambles growing under the soil and popping up all over our borders around said area, they also find their way through the fence as it’s only a picket style fence. My neighbours property is council owned, ours is privately owned. What are the options legally for us, can we force the council to maintain the void, they have said we can purchase that bit of land however we cannot just take it and maintain it ourselves but it’s such a mess, as well as being overgrown it’s very uneven ground with bricks and old broken paving stones and also drops down approx 3 feet or so away from our land so I’d rather not take responsibility for it anyway. It’s also difficult for the tenants that occupy the property to maintain and it wasn’t the present tenants that installed the fence, it was done by the previous tenant who didn’t consult or inform anyone.

Sandeee6 10/10/2018 at 8:16 pm

There were problems with the people before us living here with the neighbor next door,but it wasn't disclosed and we only found out in the day we moved in.
Since we have been here she has told us to take up the slabs as she doesn't like the Welsh slate we have used, she gets on step ladders looking over, she's got the hose on us in the garden,she says I don't want to see you in the garden.
She's put boards leaning up our fence panels left over from the backs of her old kitchen units.
The police have been called to us,when they came round they said her problem is she doesn't like the color of your fence and your slabs.
I have no idea what to do...

I don't speak to her at all

Tabby 09/09/2018 at 9:38 am

I want to sell my house but have been told it's worth significantly less then others in this area as my immediate neighbour is filthy with a bad day infestation, old feeders, dog poo and rubbish piled high. It's a council property. Can I sueu the council for loss of money in loosing. Incant afford to loose money or i won't be able to buy the house I want ? Thanks

Cant Sell 22/08/2018 at 11:23 am

I've got some serious issues with my neighbours they've committed criminal damage loads of times to the property and serious harassment. It all started over a boundary dispute.

I want to sort the dispute legally before selling but the longer it goes on the more damage and harassment I have to report to the police and also disclose on the sellers legal form.

Is there anyway of selling without disclosing or without effecting the sale price?
My thoughts were:
1. Part exchange with a developer - they won't care as long as they get the sale but then I'd pay over the odds for a new build and I don't really want one in the 1st place.
2. Sell at auction - Do you know what needs disclosing if selling at auction?
3. Sell to one of these quick sales companies - but I think they'd not pay enough.
4. Sell to a family member with full disclosure - once the family owner has owned it for a month and not experienced any issues then they sell it and give us the money. Obviously it would need to be one we could trust and hope they would not die in the mean time meaning we'd have to pay inheritance tax on our own money.

Does anyone know what sort of hit you'd take when selling a house like this in terms as a percentage?

Any suggestions you have are welcomed?

S 19/06/2018 at 4:21 pm

What can l do about a meddling obnoxious neighbour who is a council tenant who ranted and shouted at the perspective buyers and is trying to sabotage sale of my home?
We have done nothing other than minding our business and keeping ourselves private.
Any suggesstions?
S

ProblemNeighbours Editor 07/09/2017 at 9:57 am

This depends on how the question is posed on the sellers information questionnaire. It's usually best to be completely honest.

chris 05/09/2017 at 8:52 am

Hi, we bought a mid-terraced house 3 years ago. We were told by the agents the previous owners were away a lot and moving closer to work. We've had a problem neighbour on one side who has caused multiple rows with her kids noise, music, banging, shouting. We've referred to the council and because our neighbour calmed down when thy were involved, they took it no further. we've also gone through mediation and soundproofed the party wall downstairs.
We just want away before we lose all sanity. In all reality how much info do we need to divulge,?given noise is somewhat subjective, we don't have children ourselves.

ProblemNeighbours Editor 09/08/2017 at 11:42 am

The question is usually posed in the seller's information at as part of the sale, it usually relates to your own experiences with neighbours and if the authorities have been involved at all. You can probably answer it honestly without jeaopardizing a sale.

SJM 07/08/2017 at 4:00 pm

We live on an end terrace and have a neighbour to one side, this property was sold 9 months a go. Apart from a little bit of music here and there we haven't been bothered by them, the music wasn't loud enough for us to complain to them. We assumed the music was an attempt by them to drown out our new born baby who could scream the house down at regular intervals. The only time we have complained to them was when they were once decorating late at night, we nocked on the door asking them to stop because of the noise / baby, they apologised and stopped immediately

We have just put our house up for sale and it sold on the same day. The owner of the house 2 doors down has come round and asked if we are moving out because of the shared neighbour as he has had numerous complaints from his tenants about them. We told him that it wasn't and we have been looking for a property to purchase for some time. He said that there have been a few incidents involving them and his tenants and the police were involved at one point. He went onto say that the property was bought by a charity called Mind who have placed people in the property with mental health issues.

Whilst I was shocked that the charity could do this without prior notification we have not had any issues ourselves. What should we disclose as part of the selling process? Will any of the other neighbour complaints come up when our buyer carries out searches on the property?

ProblemNeighbours Editor 27/06/2017 at 11:56 am

If you have made a complaint to a neighbour, their landlord or another authority such as the council, you will have to declare it.

Rox 24/06/2017 at 11:41 pm

I have complained to my neighbours landlord about their parties, they went quiet for a bit but have started up again and I want to complain again. I'm also planning on selling my house as I just can't handle them anymore. Do I need to disclose this to potential buyers?

Serene 18/06/2017 at 8:22 pm

Ive put my house up for sale, I'm not having much luck as i have two neighbours on my row that are filthy leaving everything they can in their front garden. This includes glass, bed frames etc. How can i sort this out?

Emlar 24/03/2017 at 5:42 pm

Our neighbours child is autistic and disturbs our family constantly with internal and external noise to the point the council have agreed to soundproofing. The child screams all day and is in the garden from 6:30 am until 9pm at night and then continues with screaming and banging throughout the night. Should the previous owner have declared this. They have stated on the paper work that they are unaware of anything that could cause a dispute. Also how long do you have to take action

Joe 23/07/2016 at 4:51 pm

My neighbour complained about noise and raised a bat over my head. The matter has been reported to police and he is likely to be charged though he claims it didn't happen and will most likely plead not guilty.
We want to sell our house in a few years. We live in Scotland. Do we need to disclose this when selling.

ProblemNeighbours Editor 15/06/2016 at 10:34 am

Yes you usually have to declare any neighbour disputes in your seller's information sheet. You usually have space to give extra details.

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