Hole in Neighbor's Roof
The house adjacent to the brownstone that I am interested in buying has a huge hole in the roof. It seems that there are occupants on the bottom two floors and that the top is vacant. The hole is about two feet wide and from a quick peak into the interior from the roof, it…
The house adjacent to the brownstone that I am interested in buying has a huge hole in the roof.
It seems that there are occupants on the bottom two floors and that the top is vacant. The hole is about two feet wide and from a quick peak into the interior from the roof, it looks as though the top floor is in poor condition (buckets of water under hole and plaster on the ground).
Since the house I am considering purchasing shares a wall with this property, we are worried about the general worsening condition of the house and how it will affect us if we move in next store i.e. vermin infestation, structural problems, and the overall property value of our house.
Generally speaking, the block is beautiful and most of the houses seem to be in good shape. In fact, when looking at the front exterior of the house, you would never expect that this house has a hole in the roof. For the most part, it looks from plain view that it is being taken care of.
How much of a liability is this? Should we walk away?
Tenants? You mean like squatters? Walk away.
Don’t even bother. You cannot bind someone else’s property in a purchase. We had an accepted offer on a house a couple of years ago but part of our (stupid) offer was that the sellers had to pay for the removal of two trees on the neighbors property which were completely uprooting the patio in the back yard. No go. You can’t do it and I’m speaking from experience.
If it were me, I’d walk away.
I would view the hole in the roof next door as the tip of the iceberg until proven otherwise.
the “buying a new roof” scenario only works if the roof is the only problem. It’s likely the only problem you can see.
Ouch. Yes, a sizable problem. And bigger issue is that the neglect’s impact on your desired property is very difficult to quantify.
Me, I’d walk away and tell the broker exactly why. It’s possible that the issues next door are being slowly resolved which might make it a more palatable transaction.
But until then, nothing but downside IMO.
You basically have two options depending on how much you like the house. We would go with option two since that is the more feasible option.
1. You can try buying the neglected house or find a buyer friend for it.
2. Exactly what Petebklyn: “subtract the price of new roof from your offer…and then tell next door owner you have a new roof put on for him”…..deadbeat owner will most likely agree…most folks like free stuff but please get a lawyer involved that way he doesn’t accuse of damaging his already neglected place.
i wonder if the tenants below even know about the hole. If I were tenant, I’d be pressuring the landlord to fix– it could cause mold in teh home and potential damage below.
subtract the price of new roof from your offer…and then tell next door owner you have a new roof put on for him