Anyone watch 'Homes from Hell' last night?

Julieg

Hope I'm OK posting this here!

Just wondering what anyone thought of the barn that was converted into a house. Basically the owners of a house gave the disused barn in their garden to their son to convert into a house. The back of the barn was the boundry between their land and the next door neighbour's garden.

The barn was converted with the bedroom windows at the back overlooking the neighbour's garden. The neighbours subsequently sold their house and the new owners didn't like the fact that the barn windows overlooked their garden/house so put up a high wall about 1ft from the barn which meant that the barn windows couldn't be opened more than a few inches. One of the legal people from the programme investigated and found that the barn had a restriction in that it had no right to light (or something similiar) which meant that they weren't allowed to put windows in the back so that presumably the neighbours didn't lose their privacy.

The programme was all about how awful it was for the people who converted the barn but nothing about the neighbours losing their privacy. I thought that if I was the neighbour I wouldn't be too happy losing so much privacy.

Just wondered what anyone else thought.

jonewer

I have to agree. I had no sympathy with the people who converted the barn. They couldnt even be bothered to engage a solicitor to sort it out. They ignored the other side's solicitors letters and just whinged about it.

They were clearly in the wrong, so tough titty to them. They should have checked the title before they converted it.

Owain_Moneysaver

The obvious answer is to buy some of the garden from the next door neighbour. They didn't look like they used it for anything.

jonewer

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The obvious answer is to buy some of the garden from the next door neighbour. They didn't look like they used it for anything.

Exactly. Or buy a 1m boundary around the shed.

Stupid useless whinging attention seeking nincompoops. No sympathy whatsoever.

lolarentt

In fact the neighbours house wasn't visible from the back of the converted barn, just the chimney tops, and there was no garden in the area which was visible, seemed to be a working yard. Also the barn had already been converted when they bought the house so they knew the situation as regards the rear windows - surely it would have been fairer to discuss and try to overcome the problem then, not just throw up a wall in front of it after they'd taken possesion?

jonewer

The current use of the neighbours land is irrelevant. They had no right to put windows in there at all, nevermind windows that open outwards onto land they dont own.

As to discussing to overcome the problem - the neighbours repeatedly sent letters via their solicitor which they flaty ignored out of sheer pig-headedness.

mrcol1000

I was under the impression that no property has the right to light. If your neighbour parks his huge van outside your front door blocking the light into your living room then tough luck.
I thought action could only be taken when light came into your house. i.e. neighbour puts up a security light that lights up your bedroom all night and day.

Cannon_Fodder

Where were the planners in all this ?

I didn't see it, but from what's said here so far, did they get/breach planning permission ?

Julieg

Glad it's not just me then.

Felt very sorry for the couple in Portugal though as their house was in a terrible state after the burst pipe had washed away the soil under it.

Mum_of_3_3

Sounds like a 'spite wall'. These used to be built quite frequently years ago when neighbours fell out about something.

M_o_3

danthemoneysavingman

surely frosted glass would've helped here!