My neighbour's house is crumbling

ishmeister

Greetings, we own and live in a Victorian terrace property that is generally in good condition and well maintained. However, our neighbour's property is quite the opposite. In fact, in January a large part of his gutter collapsed and now water streams down the brickwork whenever it rains. A friend suggested that it would not be long before these problems started to affect our own property.

I do not know whether the person that lives there is the owner or not - he is there only once a fortnight and the house is usually empty. I looked up the title on land registry and the registered owner and occupier is not this person (unless he has changed his name).

Any advice on how to approach this?

TEDDYRUKSPIN

A nice letter would be suffice. Take a copy. Or knock and see what happens.

If it damages your property - make sure you have buildings and contents.

Leif

As the previous person suggests, write a nice letter pointing out the water and the damage that could be caused to both properties if the problem is not fixed. Make sure you ask the person to forward the letter to the owner, or just address it to the owner. Keep a copy of the letter and the date sent. I think they would be liable for any damage to your house, so maybe if you get no reply after a few weeks, another polite letter pointing out that fact.

ishmeister

Thanks for the replies. I'll try a letter.