A NEW online business is aiming to tackle neighbours from hell with an unique service – a Neighbourhood Report for house buyers.
Check The Area.com, which will go live on Monday (April 12, 2010), is the brainchild of former builder-turned-entrepreneur, Peter MacAlroy.
He employs retired police officers to investigate your potential new neighbourhood, carry out face-to-face interviews with residents, and produce a comprehensive report covering everything from nuisance neighbours and pets, to vandalism and burglaries, speeding cars and parking issues, planning applications and soundproofing of the properties.
MacAlroy spotted a gap in the market after reading statistics showing that ‘neighbours from hell’ have led to more than 360,000 Brits moving home in the last year.
According to Halifax Home Insurance, a bad neighbourhood can knock up to £30,000 off the value of your property, but four out of five sellers with nuisance neighbours don’t inform estate agents of the problem, despite it being a legal requirement.
“You wouldn’t dream of buying a house without checking the structure and getting a home report, so shouldn’t you also have a neighbourhood report?,” says MacAlroy. “Where you live is just as important as the house you live in.”
This innovative business offers three types of report: the basic is aimed at long distance prospective buyers just interested in an area or looking for more information than Estate Agents can provide.
The second costs £200 and is delivered within 14 days, with a fast-track option costing £240 and delivered within seven days.
The third and most controversial option would see a former policeman stay overnight in the property for sale to ensure the most comprehensive report.
MacAlroy and his business partner, Paul Conibere, a property developer, are currently recruiting 80 former police officers to train as investigators.
The duo intend to turnover a million pounds in their first year, and are already in discussions with a franchising company about rolling the concept out across the UK and Europe.
MacAlroy says that while his business can’t solve the problem for residents that currently live in bad areas, he hopes to help those that are moving with a safety net and peace of mind that their new neighbourhood is trouble-free.
“This service will protect peoples’ investments, and their health. It will change the way people buy or rent homes forever.”
Notes to editor:
- www.checkthearea.com will go live on Monday, April 12 2010
- Government statistics show that more than 30 per cent of people think their neighbourhood is an unpleasant place to live, and 23 per cent dislike those areas because of problem tenants or neighbours ‘from hell’.
- The Halifax Home Insurance survey of 2,000 adults found that one in three neighbours have a dispute of some sort, and house buyers are willing to pay a £5,000 premium for a guarantee of a quiet life. Anti-social neighbours, on the other hand, can knock £30,000 off the price of a house.
Issued on behalf of Peter MacAlroy and Check The Area.com by Brazen UK
michelle.rodger@brazenuk.com 0780 3730207.
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Contact: Michelle Rodger
Phone: 0780 3730207
Email: michelle.rodger@brazenuk.com
Website: http://www.brazenuk.com
