Extension wall issue

jimlondonuk

Hi - I wonder if anyone can advise? We bought a property here in London 7 years ago. 3 bed semi detached. It has a rear extension.
Owing to family circumstances, we are having to sell. All has gone wonderfully, BUT the buyer's surveyor has indicated that the extension encroaches onto the next door neighbours property. I have measured the front and rear room, and get the same width. The only thing I can think, is that the thickness of the wall itself has gone 2-3 inches over the boundary. I can't even notice it with the naked eye.
This was not noted during our survey 7 years ago. The neighbour has never made mention, and a satellite image from 1999 shows the extension in place then.....so presumably when the neighbour bought, it must have been in place.
I'm worried sick about losing the sale.
Has anyone encountered similar problems, and resolved them?
Many thanks

lincroft1710

Too late for neighbour to do anything about it

Doozergirl

It sounds like a non-issue to me. I'd like to see him prove it encroaches on the basis of a quick run round the property. He probably didn't even have the boundary plans.

And if the neighours weren't bothered at the time, they certainly can't be now.

If it it comes as a written query, I'd just get your solicitor to write back and state that it categorically does not encroach.

No drawing, title plan or even specialist surveyor is going to ever be able to prove 2 or 3 inches. It sounds ridiculous, almost laughable.

Davesnave

When one of my relatives had a neighbour start a barney over a boundary, the surveyor discovered the neighbour was actually encroaching into the relative's front garden by about 0.6m, whilst around around at the back, things were 'right.'

However, both properties have been like that for over 100 years.

Nothing happened. Sensible people aren't bothered if a boundary has been slightly out of alignment for years.

Chanes

We had a fence installed at a previous property in ventured a little onto our neighbours land. Our neighbour wasn't bothered by the tiny amount because we paid for the fence on what was a shared boundary. I can see why you are concerned but getting into a dispute over a tiny fraction of land is madness for all and as long as it is long standing, why would it be an issue anyway? It's been said, boundary lines could be a few inches out anyway, my own boundary lines are about a foot or so of land amiss at an extreme corner on one side of the property. I have no intention of fencing it off, my neighbour can enjoy the plants in it.