Bedroom Talk

How do I stop house next door being rented to students?

The house next door has been purchased and is now being altered from a three bed family home into a 6 bedroom student house. I have spoken to the planners and they dont need any form of planning and I have called the local council to object as it is a residential area they came round and spoke to all the residents and said nothing we can do . We lived next door to students for 4 years until we had to move , the music , the swearing the parking , the drugs , the door bell at 3am friends looking for the student house , the rubbish , the parties every night , even set fire to there garden , the general disregard for anyone else any suggestions what can we do or do we have to move again. I do not think all students are the same but having lived next door to students for 4 years most were rich kids who just upset everyone and got drunk.

Public Comments

1. you could either go round and attempt to befriend them so that there is less trouble for you or play them at their own game & slam doors & play loud music at 6am.
2. rent it yourself
3. theres not much you can do, you'll probably be advised to keep a diary of events for the owners or local council so that if it does turn out like your last situation you may have a leg to stand on. Not all students are the same, you might be lucky this time.
4. Hi Don't worry, I'm sure they'll cope. Ray. West York's. U.K.
5. If they havent broken any planning regs you can't do anything except move away.
6. Legally there is nothing you can do. I have the same problem where I live. Me and my neighbours paid £500 for some 'gentlemen' to go round to the house and explain the theory of 'cause and effect' to them. They've been good as gold since then. The 'gentlemen' in question have offered to pay another visit for free if needed!
7. you are going to just wait see who moves in and don't just jump to your guns that who moves in will rowdy as before they move in your bearing a grudge. greet the neighbours that move in and if noise does start call and be friendly and just explain that they are living in a quiet area and the noise is disturbing or just keep ringing noise control .
8. There is nothing you can do about it. The owner of the house has the right to rent it to whoever they choose. Hopefully you will have better luck with the new lot, I've just graduated but when I was a student I was lovely to live next door to. I realise you've obviously had a really bad experience, but like you said not all students are the same and a lot aren't that disrespectful. And if it really does turn into another nightmare you can always call environmental health and report them for noise pollution etc.
9. Well, it seems like you've done everything you can legally do the protest the remodeling of the house. But unfortunately it isn't against the law - the house will still be residential, and you can't pick your neighbors. All you can do for now is keep your fingers crossed and hope the students don't fall into the distressing stereotype. If you can contact the owner/landlord, let him know about your concerns and give him advance notice that you will be informing the police every time there is a disturbance or violation, and ask him to choose his residents carefully. Better yet, offer to help in the recruiting and selection process, and see if you can if you can advertise heavily with sororities, female organizations, or churches, whose members tend to make quieter neighbors than the party-hearty frat-boy crowd. Good luck!
10. nimby - let them move in and then make judgements. They might be really nice people.
11. you don't know that these students will be the same, you can't stop them moving in but if they turn out 2 b a problem then call the council
12. Probably the easiest way to do it is to notify the landlord that you will make it impossible for him to rent the place by placing microphones and cameras on your property pointing into his property to record any infraction. He'll either figure out a way of keeping the students in-bounds or you'll end up with lots of material to hand to the police for noise infractions. Make sure that he knows that you will name *HIM* as the target of the law suits, not the kids. In short: Make sure that he knows that you intend to hold him to the letter of the law. If he can do it, well, then you should be happy, right?
13. Complain to the landlord and suggest that he is selective - maybe taking in nurses - advise free on the notice board at the local hospital. Otherwise get tough - threaten to sue - and try to get the neighbours to share the legal costs of bringing the tort. Check the landlord can actually pay the damages you are suing for first - you can't get blood out of a stone! lol Applying for an ASBO is an option as well if they are total shites...
14. They do need building regulations and permission for "multiple occupancy" and must put in fire doors and soundproofing.I too think it is not good enough that developers make a fortune out of other peoples misery!There actually should be a law against multiple occupancy in residential family areas.However,give the new tenants the benefit of the doubt,they may turn out to be of the considerate types.If they turn out to be a pain in the proverbial just keep calling the Police,Council ,noise abatement ,environmental health etc until they get the message.
15. Oh...you're one of those people. Maybe living in a college town is not your best move.
16. i really don't think theres anything you can do to stop this from happening. i think the only thing you can do is if they break a law or something once they've moved in you can complain then or move away. this is unfortunate situation, but i'm sure the students moving in arent planning to cause you distress...maybe they will have a good attitude and not do harmful things to you or the neighborhood.
17. 3 possible violation: -zone law or building codes -noise and loitering ordinance -income tax law It appears the owner met the city's requirements for zoning and building codes. Your remaining recourses are keeping an eye on and documenting noise and loitering violations and others like garbage... You can also contact the IRS to see if the landlord declares rent income.
18. oh i pity you unless a) they are into something heavy (both dentistry & medicine last year will do nicely) b) they're all mature students (highly unlikely) c) there isn't a c. i would def refer to HMO licensing guidelines and/or, having been there, wouldn't hesitate to take advice from robert c. might sound harsh but i know what you must hav been through.
19. Check with the zoning board. If that area was zoned for single family homes and they did not get a waiver or variance to change it, then renting it to people who are NOT of a single family is illegal. You can make a big stink at the next city council meeting about them not enforcing zoning laws. Check with the Homeowners Association if there is one. Or check your CC&Rs as they are probably the same as the neighbors. If it clearly says in either that homes in that area are to be single family homes, you can get a cease and desist order from a judge. You will also have to file a complaint with the state agency responsible for enforcement. The other approach is to make THEM want to move out. Try cooking kimshee with the wind blowing in their direction. Run your spinklers at the edge of your property. If you have recycled water for the sprinkler system, all the better as it makes really bad water marks on cars. Put up a fence between you and them right on the property line. Tell the owner of the property he has to pay half the cost. If he refuses, then the fence is all yours. Paint the far side the most ugly colors you can find. Since he did not pay for half the fence, you can paint both sides the way you want. If they have a pool in their back yard, check the fence laws. If it says there must be an 8 foot high fence around the pool, report them if it is not done. Use the rules to work in your favor. If you make it bad enough for the owner, he will have to comply.
20. You need to move to a better neighbourhood where houses need not be rented out.
21. This needs planning permission for 'Change of use'
22. Try to talk with the students. Agree on a few minimum rules. If this does not work: plan B: Try to involve a few neighbours. Find out where the people of the local council live. Go there every night, slam the doors of your cars, sit on the pavement drinking, smoking an talking out loud. I have seen it happening in a town in Holland. It worked wonderfully.
23. Hi,you & your neighbours get a petition up & hand it into your local council.The council have to take notice of you & I am surprised they did not need planning permission our council practically every thing we do needs planning permission.For example turning a flat roof into a pitched one & it will not affect anyone.Try looking on the net at your councils planning regulations.Good Luck
24. you obviously live in a colage town...move to a non-colage town or get used to it. i don't know how to spell colage........lol
25. i understand where you are coming from, but i think you are forgetting that u can approach this a totally different way! what u need to do, is the day these kids move in, get a written neighbor contract written up with them. offer to help pay their tuition if they follow the rules u are setting with them, but u also need to be flexible! i dont think one party every 2 months would hurt, do u? as long as u all agree to certain dates, then they can have small, respectful parties now and again. if u have problems with them, or they refuse to cooperate with u, then call the cops when/if u have problems with it. if u are uncomfortable going to the kids themselves with this contract, then take it to the actual owner of that house, and have them put the contract into the students leases, that way, u can give the police the # for the owner of that house, and their landlord will have to deal with it/throw them out.