Neighbours overflow leaking into garden

Daneeka

Our garden backs onto the side of our neighbours house. I noticed late Autumn/early Winter that our grass was really waterlogged but chalked it up to heavy rain. Winter turned to Spring (& I had my first child so have been busy) and I noticed even on dry days the lawn was soaked & flower bed wet. None of our usual flowers have grown this year & our cherry blossom is looking very sad.

I see the overflow pipe leaking multiple times a day and the wall of their house has started going green. The fence (not sure who owns it) that boarders our property is also damp & green where the leak is falling.

In early April I went to speak with the woman (we've never had any dealings before this) and she said she was aware of leak & had various workmen in to fix it without success. She said she planned to replace the heating system and that should be an end to it. She started putting a bucket under the leak but she doesn't empty it so it's not made any difference.

The pipe is still leaking and my garden is a mess. The back end is basically a swamp and the water is now standing where it's in the shade. It has also started making its way into my other neighbours garden from ours.

I'm going to speak with her again but I have no idea what my rights are here? Can I potentially claim on her insurance to get my garden fixed? Can my other neighbour come to me to fix damage from the run off from our garden?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Daneeka

I have a YouTube video showing the problem but I'm not all to post links?

https: //youtu.be /ESJBrjzx3cA
Link with spaces.

kingfisherblue

If you post the link as w w w dot, followed by the rest of the link, someone will post the full link for you.

Davesnave

https://youtu.be/ESJBrjzx3cA

Your neighbour is taking the mick, so write to her, recorded delivery, keeping a copy, reminding her that she has not fixed the leak in over a month, despite promising to do so. This puts a date on things.

Advise her that she has a further 28 days to sort the issue, or you will need to take the matter of the nuisance she's creating to the council. You don't want to do this because you'd rather stay on friendly terms, but enough is enough.

The council can take action to to enforce solutions to problems of nuisance, but they would probably just visit and advise the neighbour in the first instance, doing as you will have done,and giving a time to sort this out.

So....it could be a couple of months yet before this is resolved, but maybe the lady just needs a gentle shove in the right direction.

You could also look at whether your home insurance gives you legal assistance, just in case it should come to that.

daveyjp

Hope shes not on a water meter!

It looks like no more than a float valve which needs replacing. Hardly neurosurgery, even for a DIY novice, so I would take her story about getting someone to fix it with a pinch of salt.

Local Authority Environmental Health defective housing team may be able to get involved.

(Decades ago I remember a family friend had a neighbour whose water was doing similar. Their teenage son was being kept awake, so he used his dads ladder to reach the pipe and stuck a carrot in the end of it! The problem was soon fixed once the house flooded.)

moneyistooshorttomention

Personally - I would want to know "specifics" about that planned replacement of heating system (if thats the culprit). Like asking how it was going with getting quotes and which one had she chosen/when will he be in?

It's easy for people to say "I plan to do something" and maybe really mean it - but it doesnt get done for years (if ever). Personally - I plan on having a new kitchen and re-landscaping my garden etc etc - but that doesnt mean to say I know exactly when this work will be done and it could be years away (as I dont have the money for it yet). So - I could, perfectly truthfully, say that I'm going to have it done (and I do say so) - but, for all I know, I mightnt be able to afford it for 2 years?/5 years?/10 years?

Meanwhile - I might "make a virtue out of necessity" and plant some watercress and the like there and at least get something out of my poor plot whilst I waited for it to be dealt with.

mishkanorman

definitely looks like a float valve issue I agree with Daveyjp, we had the same - the rubber washer had a bit of gunk on it and wasnt sealing properly so while it appeared to be okay it wasnt. Easy fix for my hubby and he's not the best at diy

Hoploz

You need to appeal to her better nature. Invite her round to look at your mess of a garden, show her the damage it has caused, while smiling through gritted teeth. Hopefully it will be leaking out when she comes round too. Explaining & showing the damage should be enough but do suggest that if nothing gets done you'll have to look into other options - I'd keep it vague at this stage to keep it sweet. You don't really want to fall out with your neighbour, things could get worse!

Does she own or could it be rented? That could be an added complication.

I will add that I had a leaky overflow in a flat once which was turning the wall green. It was rented out so we didn't know till we were in the process of selling. My plumber dashed over and replaced the expansion vessel and it stopped leaking. So the buyer agreed to exchange contracts. On completion day we saw it was leaking again, obvs not fixed ... So it isn't necessarily a simple fix. It cost me something like £200 for it to stop dripping for 2 days!

southcoastrgi

Just phone your local water board & report it, they will make her get it repaired

googler

Shimmy up a ladder, attach a length of hose, maybe with a jubilee clip, and redirect it back into the neighbor's garden.

getmore4less

I see the overflow pipe leaking multiple times a day

If it is intermittent it is more likely the main water tank than the heating one.