Property Boundady on Ground Floor Flat

sherer

Hi

I've had great advice from this forum in the past so hopefully someone can give me a few pointers \ advice here.

I've just moved into a new build property which i've now had about 6 months. I bought it off plan so only really saw the finished article a few weeks before I moved in.

I now have a few issues with the property boundary. Being on the ground floor i get a limited amount of outside space, off the dining room where my french doors open. I get the same space outside the second bedroom but here there is just a window. The builders have done nothing to make this clear to mark the boundary of my property.

Currently my neuighbours stand outside the back door and use my outside space as the smoking area, standing inches outside the window and then dropping their used ends on my property. it also gets used as a shortcut to the bin store or play area for kids. I'd like to know if I can go back to the builders and get this altered or marked off so people don't enter my property. I was going to buy some plant pots to seal this area off but don't see why I should pay my money to fix an issue I didn't create, plus I suspect i'll just end up with fag ends in the plant pots.

The other issue I have is the car park is a few feet outside my dining room so when cars come back afte dark their lights shine into my property. Again have I got grounds for getting the builders to put up a wall to stop this happening ?

Annisele

What does your lease say? Usually there's something in there about fences (either that you can't have them, or that they have to be shorter than a certain height, or some other restriction).

PasturesNew

You bought it - you've no chance of the builders returning to do anything. All you can do is mark out your boundary, to make it obvious it's your land.

J_i_m

sherer wrote: »

Currently my neuighbours stand outside the back door and use my outside space as the smoking area, standing inches outside the window and then dropping their used ends on my property. it also gets used as a shortcut to the bin store or play area for kids. I'd like to know if I can go back to the builders and get this altered or marked off so people don't enter my property. I was going to buy some plant pots to seal this area off but don't see why I should pay my money to fix an issue I didn't create, plus I suspect i'll just end up with fag ends in the plant pots.

The other issue I have is the car park is a few feet outside my dining room so when cars come back afte dark their lights shine into my property. Again have I got grounds for getting the builders to put up a wall to stop this happening ?

I sympathise in that I'd definitely not be comfortable with people congregating inches from my window as it is a bit of an invasion of privacy.

However, is the space actually 'yours' and is this reflected in your deeds?

I doubt that the neighbours are aware that it's yours and probably see it as communal space, especially if there is no obvious physical boundary hence their use of it. Whilst it's slightly on the cheeky side if they're unaware of the ownership issue then they won't see themselves as trespassing.

If you do own the space, and if permitted I suspect it'd be down to you to place physical boundaries to your area, otherwise it'd have probably been done already.

This is one of the disadvantages of a ground floor apartment in that you are prone to having your privacy inavertently invaded by others and realistically you have to expect a little bit of disruption as the traffic of people has to filter past somehow.

Although indeed, I would be drawing the line at people using the space directly by my longe/bedroom window as a smoking area / playground, as that is definitely inconsiderate.

sherer

J_i_m wrote: »

I sympathise in that I'd definitely not be comfortable with people congregating inches from my window as it is a bit of an invasion of privacy.

However, is the space actually 'yours' and is this reflected in your deeds?

I doubt that the neighbours are aware that it's yours and probably see it as communal space, especially if there is no obvious physical boundary hence their use of it. Whilst it's slightly on the cheeky side if they're unaware of the ownership issue then they won't see themselves as trespassing.

If you do own the space, and if permitted I suspect it'd be down to you to place physical boundaries to your area, otherwise it'd have probably been done already.

This is one of the disadvantages of a ground floor apartment in that you are prone to having your privacy inavertently invaded by others and realistically you have to expect a little bit of disruption as the traffic of people has to filter past somehow.

Although indeed, I would be drawing the line at people using the space directly by my longe/bedroom window as a smoking area / playground, as that is definitely inconsiderate.

i need to check this in the deeds. I know the space outside my french windows is mine and assumed my space ran all the way along the outside of my flat.

I think best advice is to contact the management company to they can send a letter round. I haven't confronted anyone as I know smokers when they don't get their fix can be quite aggressive.

Unfortunately I had to compromise to buy the place and I couldn't afford any of the flats on the floor above

tomtontom

sherer wrote: »

i need to check this in the deeds. I know the space outside my french windows is mine and assumed my space ran all the way along the outside of my flat.

I think best advice is to contact the management company to they can send a letter round. I haven't confronted anyone as I know smokers when they don't get their fix can be quite aggressive.

Unfortunately I had to compromise to buy the place and I couldn't afford any of the flats on the floor above

Most smokers are more than capable of keeping their temper in check! Why not introduce yourself and explain your predicament? It would be far more civilised than a letter from the MA, which would quite obviously be the result of a complaint from you.