Legal question - who takes care of the guttering in a terraced house?

Annando

Hello,

I am sorry if I've posted this on the wrong forum, but I have a legal query regarding the guttering in our terraced house.
We are in a mid-terraced house and seem to be the only house with a downpipe, neither house on either side have a downpipe so the water flows from their roof to the guttering and down the pipe which is in our property. We have a problem with one of the neighbours now because the guttering on his side has come unstuck from the guttering on our side (there is a gap which seems to be about an inch or so) and when it rains water falls down his wall.

Our guttering juts out about 10 inches into the front of his house and should overlap with his guttering but it doesnt because his guttering is too short. (I have a pic to show this but don't know how to attach this to this message.).

We replaced the guttering about 8 years ago, and they had theirs replaced about 5 years ago.

They now want us to repair the guttering saying that it is our problem?
My question is is this possible? Where do we stand legally? And who could we contact for help? We don't really get along with them, he is a bully and quite nasty, I really don't want to get in a fight with them, but I also don't want to be taken advantage of.

Thanks for any advice, help and opinions.

Cheers, Anne

googler

I would've thought you'd need to consult the deeds for your house to see if there's any shared or unique responsibilities outlined therein....

Annando

I couldn't find any reference to the guttering in there.
Mind you the house dates from the early 20th century... I suppose it didnt cross their minds?

poppysarah

I'd imagine you're only responsible for your guttering and your downspout... (Does that mean your water rates are higher because the water drains on your property?)

It'll be his problem to join up to yours...

border_collie

No way. The moment it crosses the boundary it is his responsibilty.

Doozergirl

If your gutttering crosses his boundary then it's his problem, especially as his guttering is not as old as yours and it therefore makes complete sense that his guttering should have been joined to yours at the time.

The fact that the downpipe is on your land means nothing, just that you should allow him to attach his guttering to yours and you should keep yours attached to his.

However, if it starts to affect your property, the cost of the guttering is going to be a lot less than the remedial work. Perhaps he should understand that himself.

ariba10

I would be inclined to put a stop end at either side of my house and let the neighbors get on with their own.

Annando

ariba10 wrote: »

I would be inclined to put a stop end at either side of my house and let the neighbors get on with their own.

Can't say it didn't cross my mind... :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

miss_corerupted

I have this on my terrace and have the down pipe at the front. However my neighbours have downpipes on the back and i don't.

Is yours like this as well?

Annando

I was actually referring to the back of the property, the problem is at the back. It is a row of 6 house, and only every other house has a downpipe. To the front each house has a downpipe, some of which are shared and are right in the boundary. To the front we share a downpipe with the other neightbours who are really nice and lovely. Unfortunately on the other side it's Mr. Grumpy and Cruela Deville.

clutton_2

i have a couple of houses in the same situation - repairs depend on the goodwill and neighbourliness of those living there.....

if it were me i would repair it and get on with life - if he is a bully this will only escalate as an issue.

its not a big job to get this fixed

if you dont get it fixed - the water which runs down the front of his house will probably get into your brickwork as well and ultimately cause your own property damage