Would a Neighbourhood Dispute put you off buying a house?

Ozzuk

I actually feel for the OP, people can get really crazy about boundaries/fences/hedges - I know from very bitter experience and I can get stressed just thinking about it! I prefer everything to be very, very clear and have just put big fences all around my property. It's not anti-social, it's the opposite, I'm far more likely to remain on friendly terms with large fences in place

My excuse was my rather large Rottie, but I did discuss the fencing with the neighbours first.

Pricivius

We had a boundary dispute with a neighbour.

It went on for six years. Four years in, we tried to sell but the neighbour told our estate agent and it was clear he was going to make selling very difficult. So we took it off the market and took him to Court to settle it - it was either that, or give him our land.

It took 2 years to get to final hearing over 2 days. We won - the land was ours and we were awarded £14k in costs. It actually cost a bit more than that, but would have cost a lot more if we didn't do a lot of the work ourselves.

The house went back on the market and sold. The buyers wanted full details of the dispute which we provided, including the Order and full Judgment. The boundary is now delineated at the Land Registry so no further dispute should arise.

The neighbour put his house on the market shortly after we sold!

TrixA

We recently had to pull out of a purchase because of a neighbour dispute that was disclosed during the sale process. It was a difficult decision because we loved the house, but in the end we couldn't face the idea of a drawn out dispute that would prevent us from enjoying the property. If I were you I would attempt to resolve the dispute through legal means before trying to sell.

moneyistooshorttomention

I have now worked out exactly what to do about the neighbour concerned. I've had some clear legal advice as to how to handle this and will be following that advice. The advice confirmed that it is indeed my land and how to best proceed. Hopefully, that will resolve the matter once and for all and I can get on with using (the rest of) my garden in peace.

I'll get glared at and talked about by the neighbour concerned and it would be preferable if that didn't happen obviously. But it boiled down to a choice of be on friendly terms or lose my land and I decided that, as it wasn't going to be possible to have both and its obviously not possible to trust someone like that anyway, then I'd just have to put up with the glares and talking against "going up a level". As an ITRW friend said "The neighbour clearly doesn't like you anyway...so what's the difference? Might as well give up hoping for that and take your land back".

My legal advisor has seen my Deeds and there is no doubt at all of whats what according to him. My head has been so befuddled by the level of verbal aggression and lying going on that its been difficult to see straight just what to do until now. So, finally, the road ahead is totally clear...if with a lot of rocks placed in my path...but destination is in view at last.

phoenix_w

Good luck, moneyistooshorttomention.

We had a boundary dispute with our neighbour - building on the front of our semi without asking permission, then spouting a load of bull to try and stop us from proceeding further (everything from "it was like that before", "I've determined it's my property by measuring x, y & z, and measuring up against the title plan", through to the bizarre and completely irrelevant "Call in the building inspector, he'll cost a fortune to come out"), all which could be easily disproven and he regularly contradicted his own stories as he "can't lie straight in bed" - luckily he caved once we sent a home made 'letter before action'.

Do be prepared for the stares, though. We had a couple of months of him always coming out to stare at us whenever we went outside or went in the garden (thought it was co-incidence at first!) but we just carried on and had a good laugh to ourselves. He got bored of it and things are pretty much back to normal.

moneyistooshorttomention

Yep...shields up...but they are anyway. I am aware of stares anyway and trying to eavesdrop on anything I say in the garden. Nosy is them with a vengeance anyway.

The telling of barefaced lies with a straight face has made it very confusing, as I couldn't lie to save my life myself, and therefore have found my "head has been turned" to look at things backwards on by some of the lying and had to make quite a mental effort to "see things straight" sometimes. I guess they were trying to confuse me, so that I couldn't see straight as to what to do?? My confidence has basically come back though (with a few "witters" along the way, but in the main its back to normal at last:)) and I know I am seeing straight now. Boy...is it ever confusing to keep getting told "black is white" and with them keeping a straight face whilst doing so and getting others to tell the same lie on their behalf.

carefullycautious

I would have thought you would have been able to sue the people who sold you the house with this dispute going on? As they did not declare it to you.


However, as you are happy with your house and now know legally where you stand cant you just fence the stolen bit in and get on with enjoying your home.


In life there is always going to be someone who enjoys this game of trying to get one over someone else.

fed_up_and_stressed

Please keep us updated with what happens moneyistooshorttomention !

moneyistooshorttomention

carefullycautious wrote: »

I would have thought you would have been able to sue the people who sold you the house with this dispute going on? As they did not declare it to you.


However, as you are happy with your house and now know legally where you stand cant you just fence the stolen bit in and get on with enjoying your home.


In life there is always going to be someone who enjoys this game of trying to get one over someone else.

Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind of suing the vendor for not being totally clear about this.......

However, I've taken a pragmatic view on that and thought "I do understand where vendor is coming from that they didn't make it plain exactly what was going on. They gave a couple of clues, but weren't totally straight with me on it", but I'm obviously still rather annoyed to say the least that they weren't straight with me on it.

Its such a small area here that vendor has now found I happen to be friends with some of their neighbours and that must have been a bit of a shock to them:rotfl: and, right now, I have the distinct feeling that they are feeling very uncomfortable indeed about not having been straight with me.:cool:

The phrase "cast your bread upon the waters and after many days it comes back to you" is resonating very strongly with me at the moment in a couple of contexts...this being one of them and the other being that I've been "head-hunted" recently by someone who had heard about me and wants me "on board" for things going on here locally:D. I duly consented and was very flattered.:D. So two examples in very quick succession of that phrase being very apt....and I am so heaving a sigh of relief about it all that's for sure, as it was seriously getting me down, but having all that in quick succession has done wonders for my morale in this.

DRP

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

The phrase "cast your bread upon the waters and after many days it comes back to you" is resonating very strongly with me at the moment

what doe it mean? I've never heard of it!