Acton Bridge: A Station with Local Strange Neighbours

[Mag_seven]

The car park is for rail users,

Is that clearly signposted?

 

[bionic]

When you click the estate agent links they say this house has been in the same family for over 50 years. Presumably this couple must have inherited it from a relative as the problems only appear to have begun recently. It's been on the market on and off since last year. I reckon they are struggling to sell it and are blaming spotters rather than their inflated asking price, the condition and location of the property, or the current state of the property market. It sounds like an ideal place for a spotter to live, so ironically they could be alienating potential buyers with their neurotic, paranoid and obsessive antics !

 

[bramling]

This is interesting, i was at Acton this morning (09/07) and a fellow spotter noticed a guy taking pictures of the cars in the car park. I presume it's the guy who lives in the house next to the station we're all on about.
Fellow spotter asked him what he was doing and replied "Taking photos of the cars here for the BTP" bear in mind that it was 7am and the car park was starting to fill up but had plenty of spaces available.
Looks like he may be sending these photos to the BTP about spotters using the car park.
(I get the train here all the time, very regular to this station)

Not sure BTP will be interested! Kind of got more important things to worry about than one person’s parking enforcement preferences.

 

[nedchester]

This is interesting, i was at Acton this morning (09/07) and a fellow spotter noticed a guy taking pictures of the cars in the car park. I presume it's the guy who lives in the house next to the station we're all on about.
Fellow spotter asked him what he was doing and replied "Taking photos of the cars here for the BTP" bear in mind that it was 7am and the car park was starting to fill up but had plenty of spaces available.
Looks like he may be sending these photos to the BTP about spotters using the car park.
(I get the train here all the time, very regular to this station)

The BTP will file it under the category of B.I.N...….

As I said earlier, take a photo of him!

 

[J-Rod]

When you click the estate agent links they say this house has been in the same family for over 50 years. Presumably this couple must have inherited it from a relative as the problems only appear to have begun recently. It's been on the market on and off since last year. I reckon they are struggling to sell it and are blaming spotters rather than their inflated asking price, the condition and location of the property, or the current state of the property market. It sounds like an ideal place for a spotter to live, so ironically they could be alienating potential buyers with their neurotic, paranoid and obsessive antics !

Nah, that carpet in the bedroom would put me right off...

Conversely, I was down at the old Wolferton station the other week and had a lovely conversation with the lady who owns the old station master's house (who enjoyed having a chat about the place and was glad I was showing my son around!).

If I was living nearby to the station in question, I'd much prefer to have a few guys with cameras there taking snaps of the trains, as opposed to the local yoof tagging the place... The gentleman in question had better be careful what he wishes for!

 

[frodshamfella]

Is that clearly signposted?

Yes it is I believe.

 

[bramling]

Yes it is I believe.

It would be enlightening to know if people arriving / departing by train for spotting purposes have been hassled. Or does the problem then become something else?

Must admit 250k seems a hell of lot to be asking for a terraced cottage in that area, and it’s possibly daft to be drawing too much attention to any parking issues.

 

[frodshamfella]

It would be enlightening to know if people arriving / departing by train for spotting purposes have been hassled. Or does the problem then become something else?

Must admit 250k seems a hell of lot to be asking for a terraced cottage in that area, and it’s possibly daft to be drawing too much attention to any parking issues.

Acton Bridge is an expensive area to live, so not at all surprised about the price of the terraced cottage.

 

[furnessvale]

It would be enlightening to know if people arriving / departing by train for spotting purposes have been hassled. Or does the problem then become something else?

Must admit 250k seems a hell of lot to be asking for a terraced cottage in that area, and it’s possibly daft to be drawing too much attention to any parking issues.

I hope the seller is drawing the attention of any possible purchaser to his altercations with spotters. If not, he could well find himself in legal deep water should a new occupier have similar issues and claim he was not forwarned by the seller.

 

[HST125Scorton]

It would be enlightening to know if people arriving / departing by train for spotting purposes have been hassled.

I always arrive/depart by train if my friend isn't available., I believe it's a mix of Car Parking Space, Spotters & Loud Talking on the station that these two people moan at. As for the house I wouldn't mind having it but I need to lottery for it!. Anyway regardless this male person comes out regardless if you travelled by train or car.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The estate agents must be getting very excited about all the thousands of views of their web page in the past couple of days - and equally very puzzled about why the lack of actual enquiries as a result...

 

[J-Rod]

I hope the seller is drawing the attention of any possible purchaser to his altercations with spotters. If not, he could well find himself in legal deep water should a new occupier have similar issues and claim he was not forwarned by the seller.

why would that be the case, considering that the current owner is the root cause? Once he goes away, the problem goes away?

 

[furnessvale]

why would that be the case, considering that the current owner is the root cause? Once he goes away, the problem goes away?

We are assuming the current owner is 100% to blame.

If the new owner also has "trouble" eg excessive noise, indiscriminate parking, and he discovers the previous owner sold because of it, and didn't warn the purchaser, there could be legal implications.

 

[kevconnor]

Feel like asking for a viewing and when there try and engage on a conversation about what rolling stock passes by.

 

[DarloRich]

We are assuming the current owner is 100% to blame.

If the new owner also has "trouble" eg excessive noise, indiscriminate parking, and he discovers the previous owner sold because of it, and didn't warn the purchaser, there could be legal implications.

No there couldn't! It is not the sellers duty to advice you of anything

 

[james60059]

Just turned to him & replied get yourself a proper house. He turned around & went back in his home.

That made me chuckle, fair play to you

 

[bramling]

No there couldn't! It is not the sellers duty to advice you of anything

None of it is rocket science. A railway cottage next to an open railway station - it’s quite obvious the presence of the station is going to mean certain things happen, like people being present on the platform, or using the car park. It’s not like the station has appeared out of nowhere, it and the houses have probably been there for a similar length of time.

I can understand that the spotters might be causing an element of irritation, however it remains part and parcel of living next to a railway station. There’s still ways and means of attempting to try and mitigate against that irritation, however these people are going about it in completely the wrong way.

There’s a whole batch of irritations which happen outside my house - school mums parking there and chatting loudly when I’m trying to sleep in between night shifts for example, however it’s just one of those things. This pair seem to think they’re special.

 

[johnnychips]

I think it is the seller's duty to disclose if the potential purchaser asks a direct question. Obviously, 'does the washing machine work?' has an unambiguous answer, but 'what's it like living near the station?' doesn't.

 

[Hadders]

A seller completes a Law Society Property Information Form which states the following:

If you give inaccurate or incomplete information to the buyer (on this form or otherwise in writing or in conversation, whether through your estate agent or solicitor or directly to the buyer), the buyer may make a claim for compensation from you or refuse to complete the purchase.

...

Disputes and Complaints
Have there been any disputes regarding this property or a property nearby? If yes please give details
Is the seller aware of anything which might lead to a dispute about the property or a property nearby? If yes please give details.

 

[yorkie]

If an estate agent is made aware, would they be required to inform prospective purchases, and would they incur any liabilities if they do not?

 

[LowLevel]

Is it not up to the buyer/their representatives to ask the right questions though?

 

[Chrism20]

I wonder what they were like the other week when the sleeper dropped about 150 people off early one Saturday morning.

The din must have been horrendous for them. I’d have loved to have seen their faces.

 

[Ducatist4]

When you sell a property you have to complete form TA6 which includes the following questions:

“Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property or a property nearby? If yes give details

Is the seller aware of anything which might lead to a dispute about the property or a property nearby? If yes give details.”

If the seller doesn’t disclose information which they are aware of then the buyer can claim compensation. A clued up solicitor could make those clauses work I think!

 

[DarloRich]

I think it is the seller's duty to disclose if the potential purchaser asks a direct question. Obviously, 'does the washing machine work?' has an unambiguous answer, but 'what's it like living near the station?' doesn't.

Correct.

A seller completes a Law Society Property Information Form which states the following:

Correct. What is descriped here is not a dispite or a potential dispute in the sense meant on the form. It is an argument with a train spotter.

If an estate agent is made aware, would they be required to inform prospective purchases, and would they incur any liabilities if they do not?

Estate agents. Liability? Dont be silly!

Is it not up to the buyer/their representatives to ask the right questions though?

Correct. The principle of buyer beware applies

Personally I would have questions about the station on the list of questions I sent to my solicitor

When you sell a property you have to complete form TA6 which includes the following questions:

“Have there been any disputes or complaints regarding this property or a property nearby? If yes give details

Is the seller aware of anything which might lead to a dispute about the property or a property nearby? If yes give details.”

If the seller doesn’t disclose information which they are aware of then the buyer can claim compensation. A clued up solicitor could make those clauses work I think!

But this is not a dispute or potential dispute. It is an argument with a train spotter. The use of the station car park has no impact on the property. It means did you object to planning next door? Have you a dispute with your neighbour over the use of a shared drive etc.

And yes while you might be able to bring a claim for compo few can afford to do so and then only for the most egregious problems. Your £500 all in conveyancing fee wont cover this.

 

[whhistle]

Whilst I appreciate you were legally parked, it can be annoying for a resident if their only convenient parking-space outside their house is regularly filled by visitors to the station or commuters leaving their cars there all day.

While true, that's the caveat/risk of living near a station.
I live near a school. Luckily, people are pretty good where I live and don't park over driveways. Plus, it's a dropped kerb outside my house.

 

[whhistle]

The car park is for rail users

In this day and age though, you have to define "user".
A spotter could be seen as using the railway (to spot trains).

 

[furnessvale]

No there couldn't! It is not the sellers duty to advice you of anything

Wrong, as you acknowledge later in the thread.

Your opinion that this is not a dispute as mentioned in form TA6 is simply that, an opinion, which would have to be tested in court if necessary.

 

[DarloRich]

Wrong, as you acknowledge later in the thread.

Your opinion that this is not a dispute as mentioned in form TA6 is simply that, an opinion, which would have to be tested in court if necessary.

Ok. That is your view and you are welcome to express it and you are welcome to disagree. I am comfortable I understand this area quite well based on my experience

The standard pre contract enquiry forms ( of which the sellers propery information form is one) offer standard enquiries which elicit the most bland responses possible. They do no preclude any additional pre contract enquires or force the seller to disclose anything but the most basic information. It is incumbent on the buyer to make all enquiries they deem suitbale and to follow up anything "fishy" in the pre contract pack.

As I said I would ask directly about the starion and car park regardless

 

[HST125Scorton]

While these two people are causing themselves issues with spotters, the male was actually seen on the platforms filming 70000 'Britannia' on the Fellsman Saphos Charter yesterday..., Up till the last few days the two people have been rather quiet and not bothering spotters. My question is what was his original problem then? If he didn't like spotters or loud talking, why was he spotting/filming himself? Maybe they have given up?

 

[frodshamfella]

In this day and age though, you have to define "user".
A spotter could be seen as using the railway (to spot trains).

But they aren't buying a ticket, and if a fare paying passenger needs to park ( and this.is a small car park which is the big issue ) then the rail passenger surely should come first.

If its a weekend there is normally space, but mid week when people are trying to get a train to work or where ever, parking is a big issue at Acton Bridge, ive experienced it many a time when there is no space, then im panicking to find somewhere on the road nearby which is safe to park.