Abandoned house next door

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dalkey dragon

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We live in a semi detached house in a private housing estate and the house attached to ours has been vacant for the last 5 years. The owners emigrated and it has fallen into disrepair e.g. damp walls and overgrown garden which looks awful and worries us as neighbours.
At this stage we presume the owners have defaulted on the mortgage which was originally taken out with Ulster Bank but then transferred to Permanent TSB.
Where do we go from here as all the neighbours are constantly asking us to do something about the situation?
Any help would be appreciated.
 
Why are all the neighbours asking the OP to do something about it? Just because their house is attached surely doesn't make them responsible? What about the management committee? Has it been brought up at any meeting or AGM? I would be slow to get involved in a property that isn't my own. Even cutting hedges etc. However remote, its possible the ex-neighbours could arrive back and be less than impressed with you interfering with their property.
 
Thanks for your replies. To clarify ,we checked the Land Registry and that's how we found out that the original owner was still in fact the owner.For years everyone assumed it had changed hands as it was let out for 3 years and tenants were completely unaware of who owned it.
The couple changed jobs , had children and moved to another city in Ireland where they bought a second house.
They stayed there for 5 years and then moved to the U.K., again for professional advancement and last year moved to the U.S. for the same reason.
So now 2 houses have been abandoned in Ireland with mortgages on both.!
Reason we have been asked to investigate is because we knew the couple and the rest of our neighbours are all here only 3 - 5 years.
They were very nice so don't particularly want to do anything heavy handed.
We don't have a management committee either just a residents association.
 
Dalkey Dragon is living in the housing estate longer than anybody else who can remember the owners of the decaying house and gardens. There is a residents association of sorts. The owners of the derelict house have bought another house too. Both houses are decaying while the owners have travelled abroad to advance their careers (or to say it another way their moneys-worth).

In the meantime other peoples' moneys-worth is reducing because the reality is derelict houses and derelict sites reduce value of all nearby property.

Probably in the interests of neighbourliness and their own property value (and who would blame them?) Dalkey Dragon seeks advice. He is told the unkempt state of the nearby property is nobody's business but the absent owners.

Dalkey Dragon does not have to apologise to anybody because of his absent neighbours. The absent neighbours are the problem. I don't know what I would do if I were Dalkey Dragon, sure thing I would do everything legally necessary to protect my moneys-worth.
 
The couple who are gone to America are not the issue, it's the PTSB who are hoarding the property without dealing with its sale, presumably they are working through these cases, probably will eventually show up on Allsops.

If you can cut the hedge etc to make the place look more presentable. If not everybody telling you what to do should shut up or do it themselves.

How about nominating a day for everybody telling you to do something to go and clean up the place.
 
Yes I did suggest to neighbours that we collectively tidy up the place but you'd be amazed at how busy they suddenly become with other activities!
Google is my friend when tracking the absentees whereabouts as their careers are clearly chronicled.
How do posters feel about us either writing to owners to clarify situation or even contacting Permanent TSB?
We do not want to go down a legal route - just want new neighbours.
 
moneybox said:
really? this is no one's business but their own
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1.You're wrong Moneybox, it is everybody's business there especially the one losing value on their property as a result of bad neighbourliness.
2. Paddy Bloggit is right re not contacting PTSB and wrong re contacting the owners.
 
Regardless of the contacting being right or wrong I think the OP would be wating his/her time contacting them. They've abandoned the property and wouldn't have an interest in spending a cent on it to make it presentable. Local Council is probably the only productive course of action to take.
 
dalkey dragon said:
Yes I did suggest to neighbours that we collectively tidy up the place but you'd be amazed at how busy they suddenly become with other activities!
ours.
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Well then your neighbours should shut up about the issue. Honestly some people are unbelievable.

Why would you bother trying to contact the people at all. What exactly would make the place look a bit better? If it's just a matter of cutting a couple of hedges and the grass then go for it. I don't see the council getting involved as it's private property.

As for going the legal route, can't see that only ending up costing you, and you alone money. For no results. Who are you going to sue?

If it's a bigger job than just cutting a postage stamp lawn I suggest hiring a man and asking all the neighbours to pay a tenner or whatever.
 
We were in Dalkey Dragon's boat many years ago. The guy next to us decided to move into his parent's house he inherited and rented out his house. The house was rented to students, non-nationals, professionals, chefs, and any tenant he could get until suddenly nobody rented there. The gardens went to wreck and ruin and the appearance of the house became unkempt too. Anytime I contacted the owner he made more promises than a Fianna Fáil party in opposition. Like FF he kept none of his promises.

In those days I was young and could take on anything. The neighbours weren't interested either. I had a fairly powerful strimmer, cut the grass, I trimmed the hedges too, treated the driveway with more agent orange what would have kept the Viet Cong back in the jungle. Slowly but surely the neighbours chipped in. Lead by example was my motto. The episode had some groundbreaking success. Lots of bonding took place which paid dividends even years later. We don't have a residents association but we have residents who associate.

Unless Dalkey Dragon does something the situation will remain. But, if he tries something perhaps the wheels of progress will start rolling.
 
You should ask the council to see if the property can be placed on the Derelict Site Register. For that to happen the property has to meet a legal definition, namely
a derelict site as any land that “detracts, or is likely to detract, to a material degree from the amenity, character or appearance of land in the neighbourhood of the land in question because of”:
  • Structures which are in a ruinous, derelict or dangerous condition, or
  • The neglected, unsightly or objectionable condition of the land or of structures on it, or
  • The presence, deposit or collection of litter, rubbish, debris or waste
If it is placed on the register, then the owner has to pay an annual levy to the council of 3% of the market value of the property. In time and if the site is not being dealt with, then the council can compulsory purchase the property.
 
There is a distinction between a vacant property and getting property considered 'derelict'. Not every vacant property is deemed derelict
 
Jumpstartdublin said:
There is a distinction between a vacant property and getting property considered 'derelict'. Not every vacant property is deemed derelict
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Thanks again for your advice and opinions.The garden is probably the least of our worries as we do grass cutting ,weeding and general tidying on a fairly regular basis.Anyone can look into the house as there are no blinds or curtains and all the furniture is covered in damp which does concern us as we feel our house could in time be affected by this dampness situation.
It has never been broken into but a lot of neighbours are at home during the day so that's in our favour.
We will contact the council to see what , if anything, they have to say, and will report back here.
 
If the dampness is likely to lead to the production of mould within the abandoned property, contact the local authority or HSE environmental health officer IN WRITING stating your concerns. First ring around and get a name. Mould spores are a serious issue for people with respiratory problems and can spread between attached properties.
 
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