Our house has been on the market for 18 months and we have had several interested potential buyers, but they all say they are put off by the run-down state of the house next door. What can I do to make my neighbour improve the look of his property?
There is little you can do to force a neighbour to take greater care of his or her property, although one remedy is to take advantage of any action available to the Local Authority in respect of any environmental health risks or any nuisance arising from the dilapidated state of the house next door.
Another possibility is to check the title of your property to see whether your property is the subject of any restrictive covenants or regulations which may include an obligation to keep the property in good and tenantable repair, not be a nuisance to your neighbours and to paint the exterior of the property at regular yearly intervals. If it is, then in all probability your neighbour’s property will be subject to the same restrictions.