Just bought house- concerning neighbor behavior

Zorya · 13-01-2019 10:23am

You're going to feel like you are mad not to sign now that ye have come this far and it must have been a long enough process to get to now. You are probably going to agonise over your uncertainty.

But wade straight on through any such feelings of doubt and stop the process of signing. Don't do it.

In one year you will be very glad you did not walk down the aisle. The time will pass quickly and you will have another house lined up, and everything will be grand.

Don't move in to this house. Here on boards I have read such terrible stories of what people go through with such neighbours - it is really what I would call hell. You might never be able to sell it again either, so you would be trapped.

You have had a sign from providence/destiny/fate - don't ignore it.

mp3guy · 13-01-2019 10:36am

We have had to pull out of not one but two houses as buyers this past 6 months because of last minute discoveries like this. I know how terrible it feels to be invested in a place and ready to move in when you think it's basically impossible that you won't sign but things like this crop up and it's a hard pill to swallow.

Under no circumstances should you sign contracts. You don't even have to explain why you're pulling out if you don't want to and you'll get your booking deposit back. You may have incurred engineers and solicitors fees, but that's just the risk you take with any house.

Ursus Horribilis · 13-01-2019 10:40am

Cut your losses and run. In the grand scale of things, the time and money you've invested in this so far will fade into insignificance. This incident has taken the shine off your house purchase and it'll always be in the back of your mind. You'd like to think that these people will move on. Eventually they might but it could take a long time. In the meantime you've to live there.

Pkiernan · 13-01-2019 10:53am

listermint wrote: »

Drugs are in every single county and town in Ireland. For anyone that thinks drugs aren't within a couple of kilometres of them I'd have a chat to the local guards. They'll put you straight

I've never seen my neighbours brawling in the road over heroin.

OP would we foolish to move in to that house.

dar_cool · 13-01-2019 11:00am

Jesus what a horrible situation. Feel sorry for yous OP. Is it a rough area and thats why you were going over at different times to see what it was like ?

Samuel T. Cogley · 13-01-2019 11:04am

It will depend where it is to a certain extent. In some estates there is still the odd bollox that isn't tolerated by the majority, in other areas it's so endemic people just keep their heads down. I know you're not keen on naming the suburb but it would help.

10pennymixup · 13-01-2019 11:09am

mugsymugsy wrote: »

You could go to the local gardai and say you are looking at buying a house on that street. Off the record they might just confirm what you have witnessed.

As others have said run like the wind.

This.

Looking at buying a cheap place for rental once, but had doubts about the area. Went to the Guard's and asked the lad on the desk.

"Take you money out to the car park there and set light to it",

Enough said.

bri007 · 13-01-2019 11:21am

Thanks everyone for the replies and the good advice.

I am not going to name the exact area, all I can say is it is in north Dublin but the area itself would not be known for this kind of behavior at all. It’s a sought after location to be honest that’s why we were so shocked by it last night.

We have decided we are;
1. Going to the Garda today to see if this is known in the area or any info they can provide

2. We are going to knock into some of the neighbors and see have they any experience of this and what is/has been done about it so far

I will keep you all posted.

Thanks again.

Ursus Horribilis · 13-01-2019 11:27am

Don't be afraid to put off the signing of those contracts for a couple of days if you feel you need time to think about this.

13-01-2019 11:49am

To what degree is the area gentrified? i.e. younger people moving into an old established neighbourhood, doing up the houses, adding value to the properties and essentially elevating the road to a more sought after area? If it's well on the way, then I think incidents like this will decrease not increase over time.

You say you "love" the area so there's obviously something attractive about it. I'd take a wider view than some people here. Are you getting a good deal on the house? If you start your house hunting again, will that mean a0 year or two of more rent? Potentially 24K at least going in rent before you get another house?

They're not next door to you which is a significant point to make. Maybe they're permanent residents but maybe they're renting which means they could move on ultimately. I'd really try and establish what the neighbours say and what they're thinking. If the Gardai say that those people are not representative of the type of people living on that street, then that might provide some reassurance. However, if the general area hasn't been gentrified (yet), then you may have to accept that you've got a property in your price range, close to the city, but it comes with "baggage" right now. And it's up to you to decide if this is worth going for.

There are some estates and areas of Dublin that may never move on from the bad name they have- families entrenched in drugs, violence and just not giving a damn about their surroundings.

So while I appreciate you don't want to mention the area, you have to make this decision yourself. Parts of inner city south Dublin were no-go areas 15 years ago- now they're the most expensive parts of Dublin, by square metre. If that's the sort of area you're about to move into, the longer term financial return may be worth a few disturbances as long as they're only isolated.

Loud continuous noise, 24/7 (parties, shouting, loud music etc), next door to you, is much worse than irregular scangger outbursts like you may have seen- I wouldn't run quite yet, until you've established a bit more. Even if you could post the post-code, you might get more specific advice around localities in that postcode that should be considered/stayed away from.
Best of luck on your decision either way. I don't think there is a "right" answer- remember, if a landlord purchased the property you're about to buy, they'll likely fill it with tenants regardless of who's living across the road.

13-01-2019 12:28pm

Just FYI, officially Gardai are not supposed to give their personal opinions on an area, to a person looking to buy a house there.
I kid you not. Estate agents had complaints about this practise years ago. Many will try to help, off the record, but some may be by the book, so, just so you know that!
Neighbours would be much better imo anyway.

13-01-2019 1:07pm

One more thing to consider.

When i was buying my first house many years ago, I looked at two estates near to the city centre. Both were in my price-range.

However, one was a 1970's build, had a bad reputation and didn't look at all pleasant. I'd say even structurally the houses were full of damp and bad materials.

The other was a 1950's well built council estate that had a bad name in the 1970s (even way before heroin took its grip on Dublin).
But when I was considering purchasing, I knew things had settled down there. It was mostly elderly people living there, the shysters had moved out or were in jail and young couples were buying up the houses and gentrifying them.

I knew at the time, had I purchased there it would be a good decision. As it happened I didn't, but many years later, that estate is beyond recognition from what it was and prices are a very healthy 500k for properties in need of complete refurbishment. The other estate? it's still a bad area.

Which one is yours?

katiek102010 · 13-01-2019 1:11pm

We bought in a new build estate about 15 years ago.

Area was pretty good as in the town we were buying was good.

We went through hell. A lot of people bought houses for investment to rent. Loads of drujggies moved out from the city.

We had druggies move in next door, I got up to feed the baby one night and met 2 of the scumbags trying to come in my back door.

Their front door was kicked in one night by a guy in a machete.

When I was pregnant I was ill and needed to go to out of hours doc, they had blocked us in with cars we asked them to move and they pulled a knife on us.

We notified the guards all the time everything happened, we got threatened continuously by them.

They used to deal drugs out of the sitting room window which opened into a shared driveway. Our front doors were next to each other.

The day of my sons christening and we were having a party at the house. They had a well known paedophile sitting in a chair outside their front door all day.

I was putting the baby to bed one night, going up the stairs with the baby in my arms and some shot up the front of their house.

That was it for us, at this point we had the house for sale for 18 months and we couldn’t sell it.

We walked away from it. The bank ended up repossessing it

My MH significantly deteriorated to the point that I am still affected 10 years later. IMO we didn’t walk away soon enough

malinheader · 13-01-2019 1:29pm

katiek102010 wrote: »

We bought in a new build estate about 15 years ago.

Area was pretty good as in the town we were buying was good.

We went through hell. A lot of people bought houses for investment to rent. Loads of drujggies moved out from the city.

We had druggies move in next door, I got up to feed the baby one night and met 2 of the scumbags trying to come in my back door.

Their front door was kicked in one night by a guy in a machete.

When I was pregnant I was ill and needed to go to out of hours doc, they had blocked us in with cars we asked them to move and they pulled a knife on us.

We notified the guards all the time everything happened, we got threatened continuously by them.

They used to deal drugs out of the sitting room window which opened into a shared driveway. Our front doors were next to each other.

The day of my sons christening and we were having a party at the house. They had a well known paedophile sitting in a chair outside their front door all day.

I was putting the baby to bed one night, going up the stairs with the baby in my arms and some shot up the front of their house.

That was it for us, at this point we had the house for sale for 18 months and we couldn’t sell it.

We walked away from it. The bank ended up repossessing it

My MH significantly deteriorated to the point that I am still affected 10 years later. IMO we didn’t walk away soon enough

What a shocking story. How can scumbags get away with this behaviour .
Decent honest people having there lives destroyed.

OP think your doing the right thing by asking around but I have to agree with most other posters and I would cut and run and count yourself lucky.

Kivaro · 13-01-2019 2:04pm

katiek102010 wrote: »

We bought in a new build estate about 15 years ago.

Area was pretty good as in the town we were buying was good.

We went through hell. A lot of people bought houses for investment to rent. Loads of drujggies moved out from the city.

We had druggies move in next door, I got up to feed the baby one night and met 2 of the scumbags trying to come in my back door.

Their front door was kicked in one night by a guy in a machete.

When I was pregnant I was ill and needed to go to out of hours doc, they had blocked us in with cars we asked them to move and they pulled a knife on us.

We notified the guards all the time everything happened, we got threatened continuously by them.

They used to deal drugs out of the sitting room window which opened into a shared driveway. Our front doors were next to each other.

The day of my sons christening and we were having a party at the house. They had a well known paedophile sitting in a chair outside their front door all day.

I was putting the baby to bed one night, going up the stairs with the baby in my arms and some shot up the front of their house.

That was it for us, at this point we had the house for sale for 18 months and we couldn’t sell it.

We walked away from it. The bank ended up repossessing it

My MH significantly deteriorated to the point that I am still affected 10 years later. IMO we didn’t walk away soon enough

I am so sorry for your terrible experience, and I do hope that you recover fully from that ordeal.
Unfortunately, I've heard many similar stories.

It does seem that one segment of our society, who are contributors and law abiding, are held to ransom by a segment of society who are State-supported. And it also seems that the Irish system is heavily weighed against those of us who try to do the right things in life.

I can only imagine that this situation will get worse for all of us until this type of crime is dealt with properly by the Gardai, the courts, and the council. Ultimately, the responsibility is with government but at present there is no political party in Ireland that will take on these and similar issues.

Neames · 13-01-2019 2:06pm

Had a similar experience myself years ago.

Like others have said...run.

Our neighbours caused us years of stress and heartache. It was torture. We sold up and moved on. Every night now before I sleep I give thanks that we're away from that torture and that we live in a peaceful neighbourhood now.

Poll Dubh · 13-01-2019 2:07pm

Something else to consider - is this a scam to scare you off? You’ve been visiting the area regularly and at the last minute before you sign the contract these heroin junkies appear on your lawn? With the dog eat dog competition in Dublin anything is possible. (I’ve been binge watching ‘The Real Hustle’ on YouTube lately which is putting me in a suspicious frame of mind)

Muckka · 13-01-2019 2:17pm

This happens in every city town village and country crossroads in Ireland.

Drug's and agression doesn't discriminate on any person or area.
Whether it's a park bench or park avenue, it's not unusual.

Ill share my experience strength and hope, I had a deposit on a house in the west of Ireland and I was in a similar situation.

The place even ended up being spoken about on the national airwaves, ironically I hadn't sealed the deal and the place got worse.
My gut and everyone else said kick my Idea to the kirb.
So I held off and got an even better place, it was actually a blessing really.

In South hill in Limerick or the thriving housing estates in Shannon you could have loads of terraced houses, and all honourable members of the community are living there.
But it takes a few dysfunctional families to cause a doubt on every one else.

There's a beautiful estate in Ennis, which looks like any middle class suburban area you'd see around the country.
The place is a jungle now.
I won't mention the place,as it wouldn't be fair.

I know 4 families from Dublin who said that's it we're going to Clare for the urban renewal process.
They're thriving now, and love it there.
Unfortunately I think that scheme isn't running anymore.

Wishing you luck and good judgement OP

magicray · 13-01-2019 2:29pm

We had this next door to us for about a year, unfortunately the house was owner occupied and not rented, thankfully they sold up but it was very stressful for everyone around, the people on their other side moved in that year

I was terrified that who ever they had dealings with would get the wrong house, I wouldn't answer the door if I was here by myself with the kids, whatever they were hiding in their toilets blocked the drains for the whole road more than once , I could go on ....

Where we are is a private estate almost all owner occupied by people paying hefty mortgages

Honestly if you can find out if they own or rent firstly by chatting to the neighbours, if they own then I would run a mile - if they rent there is a good chance they will be moved on eventually so you could take a chance

chicorytip · 13-01-2019 2:41pm

bri007 wrote:

We love the area and know this can happen anywhere but we donâ€™t want it on our doorstep and especially in our own garden!

bri007 wrote:

Is there anything anyone could advise we could do, obviously they havenâ€™t done anything to us other than that and donâ€™t want to start off getting in bad books with them but we are very concerned now.

bri007 wrote:

We were shocked, I know this can go on anywhere, but to go on literally in our garden we will be hoping planting trees and plants in in a few weeks time, last thing we want is syringes in the garden.

bri007 wrote:

We have checked the area inside out over the last 6 months all hours of night and mornings..... all looked great.

On balance, it seems to me, you should go ahead and buy this house if this is the house you really want to buy and if you think it would be difficult to find a similar type of home in another area in the near future. You are talking about one particular incident involving residents of one particular house in the estate. It would be a mistake to form an opinion based on this occurence alone. I think the best advice I could give you would be to knock on the doors of the other nearby residents and ask their opinions of what the general area is like to live in. I know it's an old cliche but the vast majority of neighbours everywhere are decent and law abiding people.

.red. · 13-01-2019 2:56pm

If you were getting married next Tuesday and caught your other half cheating today would you go thru with it? Same thing here really, you've been given a warning and, IMO you should run like the wind, not hope for the best and bury your head in the sand.
Those scumbags could be gone in 6 weeks or still there in 6 years. You've also got to put up with the stress and worry of all the "what ifs" for the next 6-10 weeks waiting on the keys.
Run op, could be the best thing you ever do.

Moonjet · 13-01-2019 3:02pm

Run a mile. Nothing in the world worse than living with antisocial behaviour on your doorstep.

Caranica · 13-01-2019 3:05pm

There is some hope if they're renting. We had a group of people "known to the Gardai" move in to our estate. Worked with Community Garda through the management company and they moved out fairly quickly

pablo128 · 13-01-2019 3:06pm

I presume you have or intend buying new appliances for this house? If you move in, they are gone. Not might be gone, gone as in the second your back is turned. And sold on for a pittance for heroin.

That is the reality of living next to junkies.

Moonjet · 13-01-2019 3:19pm

pablo128 wrote: »

I presume you have or intend buying new appliances for this house? If you move in, they are gone. Not might be gone, gone as in the second your back is turned. And sold on for a pittance for heroin.

That is the reality of living next to junkies.

Also, even worse IMO is the stress of hoping your child doesn't pick up or step on a used syringe. Then spending 6 months of worry waiting on the test results praying they haven't contracted HIV. Knowing all this could have been avoided.
They are filthy bastards with no regard for anyone but themselves and their next fix.
If you hadn't witnessed the incident and went ahead with the sale, you could chalk it down to bad luck. But that's not the case now.

Goose76 · 13-01-2019 4:08pm

I sympathise greatly with your experience OP but I would go against the grain here and agree with those who say that this can happen anywhere. Of course, it’s not a good sign and it’s more likely to happen in a troubled area or estate, but in Dublin these days you are never far from junkies unfortunately.

You could save up more money for a house in a so called nicer estate and who knows, the same thing could happen there as well. There’s no suburb or probably no medium or large sized housing estate in the greater Dublin area that’s immune from this. Particularly now with the 10% allocation to social housing in new builds - all that means is social housing is becoming more spread out. This will have its benefits but also it’s disadvantages, the main one being that junkies fighting and publically drug dealing could happen ANYWHERE, in almost any estate.

I would definitely talk to the neighbours though - they will be best placed to advice. Everything else is just speculation.

13-01-2019 4:35pm

See if you can find a squad car rambling around the general area. The lads in the car will be more likely to be honest with you than when they're standing in the station behind the desk. Also, never phone to ask such questions as you'll get fobbed off. Gardai have invaluable information about estates.

If you ask a Garda what's it like in X estate, and he responds with "wheres that" then you're onto a winner.

That said, as has been already suggested, heroin issues rarely turn into brawls in the street. I live in an estate of questionable characters (ie; a sh/thole) and I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen a fist fight over drugs, in my entire life. People will burn out cars, petrol bomb houses, etc. if they're involved in drugs. They don't have fist fights in the front garden.

That said, I hope you hung around the area over the weekend? (friday and saturday nights would presumably be the worst nights for noise etc. but can often happen any night as presumably they don't have jobs). It'd be worth calling into the problem neighbour with the guise of asking about street lights or manholes or something like that, that they wouldn't have a clue about.

In 3 seconds of them talking to you, you'll know exactly what they're like, and you'll get a good idea of their place by seeing a bit of the interior (hall/stairs). There are houses in my estate that are lovely families, who keep their place clean and presentable, but their kid might be into drugs and although the child would be a nuisance, the parents would generally reign them in quite swiftly. As a result, the rest of the estate rarely hears of it.

At the end of the day, if you're concerned enough that you're making threads on boards and calling to the Gardai, then I'd probably pull the plug on it. It'll be in the back of your head for ages, and even when you're sitting in the new sitting room of your new house, you'll surely wander onto daft and think 'i could have bought that' everytime you have an issue, no matter how small.

I don't live in dublin, but it'd do you no harm to post the estate/address of where you're looking to buy. I'm not sure what the harm would be in that, you'll likely get some good info from the boardsies who live in the general area.

EDIT: Also, if calling to neighbours, don't start with "is there a drug problem" as you could be talking to the dealers for all you know. Start off with general questions, do the council maintain the place, what school do you use, would you consider it a safe place, etc. and slowly etch into asking about that specific fight you seen, once you get a feel for the people you're talking to.

Dr_Kolossus · 13-01-2019 5:03pm

And do not feel sorry for the sellers op. They have more than likely tried to offload a problem to you. Just walk away.

I've been in similar situation as others albeit just scummy neighbours, not drugs AFAIK.. My cousin was in a similar position to the horrific story posted on this thread with the dealing out the window. He ended up letting the house get reposessed too, as he could not sell it.

Just not worth it

Gimme A Pound · 13-01-2019 5:10pm

Why not drugs bash when it could be heroin?

I would run a mile - nearly everyone is telling you to do so. For an investment like this, trust your instinct regarding doubts. It's disappointing when you've come so far, but worth it in the long run. Having horrendous neighbours is misery.

listermint wrote: »

Drugs are in every single county and town in Ireland. For anyone that thinks drugs aren't within a couple of kilometres of them I'd have a chat to the local guards. They'll put you straight

Hardly the same degree everywhere though. And drugs, maybe (likely to be a weed smoker or cocaine/MDMA user in every neighbourhood) but hardly heroin/large-scale dealing. I don't know how you can be so sure of your stats either.

appledrop · 13-01-2019 5:17pm

Count yourself lucky you have a way out.

Just bought house- concerning neighbor behavior

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