Strip of land with new build not ours

exiled_red

I would check your land registry documents and the documents of any o the properties that this land has boundaries with, also check the planning application to find out what this is supposed to be used for. I would take what they are saying with a huge pinch of salt. If the only thing that it can be used for is maintainance then I might consider giving it back to them (for a price), otherwise I would evaluate what it could be used for and figure out if I wanted to let them have it back. You will presumably have to get the mortgage lender's permission to transfer ownership I would also try and get some estimate of the value of the land (or the change in value of your property with and without this strip of land).

I would keep a record of the work you do people you see and time taken when claiming your expenses back from them i you do decide to sell. As for price I have mentioned a few things that would impact how much money / compensation you would want. As someone above has pointed out I would make sure any repairs that they are responsible for were done prior to the transfer if this is the case. Also I don't know if this is a leasehold or freehold property or if there are service charges etc, but maybe you could do a deal that would benefit you in the long term e.g. if your lease is expensive or one of the ones that doubles every x years or the developer are likelu to sell to a company that will do stuff like that it could be worth negotiating a deal which involves you getting the freehold in exchange.

DaftyDuck

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I would want to know exactly what the neighbour understood the "real position" to be.

No reason not to find out - as relations seem to be perfectly cordial between them.

Followed by waiting for the request from the builder to be followed-up officially in writing - to see what that letter had to "say for itself".

There are many, many reasons to not find out - in this case, ignorance is easily the best situation to be in. Think about all the potential ramifications and tangents such a conversation could lurch. However "cordial" the current relation is, as soon as the OP knows what the neighbour wants/desires, any course of action against those wishes can be seen as inflammatory. While the OP is in ignorance (and neighbour is either aware of the ignorance, or unaware of the hidden knowledge), any such action may be just mildly irritating.

Contacting the neighbour is almost bound to get communication from the neighbour to the builder restarted... with all the pressures and angles the neighbour can induce.

It doesn't matter what the neighbour imagines or if he "understood the "real position" to be."....

The real position is (currently) simple. The OP owns that stretch of land (Full Stop). < One of those

Now, Money, I know historically you don't tend to end up with the best relations with neighbours, especially where "teeny tiny" stretches of land are involved ( ), and seem to love throwing petrol on any smouldering issue, but, surely even you can see that this is a situation where the least fanning of flames possible is advisable. Sure, if the neighbour approaches the OP, that might be different (and worth the OP thinking about in advance)....

Otherwise, let sleeping dogs lie, and allow the good neighbourliness develop...

DaftyDuck

Davesnave wrote: »

You know, I might even agree with you there......

It's just that I'm so damn nosy; the suspense of not knowing anything would kill me! :rotfl:

You know what they say about curiosity and the cat... sleeping dogs lie, that's the appropriate one.....


(I do admit to being just as nosy.... I'd just plant a microphone in their living room, or hack into their CCTV. You know, harmless stuff )

Davesnave

DaftyDuck wrote: »

You know what they say about curiosity and the cat... sleeping dogs lie, that's the appropriate one.....

People are naturally curious. I remember the first time we began using a digger here, in a place where no one else had a view of what was going on.

I bet it wasn't 2 hours into the work, when a posse of neighbours appeared, most concerned because they'd found a 'straying duck' and wondered if it was ours.

I'm sure they just borrowed it from the farmhouse!:rotfl:

Mojisola

Davesnave wrote: »

People are naturally curious. I remember the first time we began using a digger here, in a place where no one else had a view of what was going on.

I bet it wasn't 2 hours into the work, when a posse of neighbours appeared, most concerned because they'd found a 'straying duck' and wondered if it was ours.

I'm sure they just borrowed it from the farmhouse!:rotfl:

When we first planted a green manure crop on our allotment, a lottie friend told us that there had been several gatherings around the plot when we weren't there while the 'strange new stuff' was discussed and one of them was nominated to raise the issue with us and ask what it was and why we were growing it! :rotfl:

jimbog

Leave well alone. What do you gain from losing some of your land? Nothing. How would you feel if a year or two down the road you start to receive silly maintenance charges for its upkeep?

greatgimpo

Whatever you decide, MrsM71, please subscribe to this thread and come back in time to keep us updated - this is interesting and I for one want to know the outcome. Thank you.

KRB2725

Considering they lied about the reason it became registered to you then I would be inclined to tell them you are not willing to sign anything.

If they can't even be honest and admit that the error was in the conveyancing rather than blaming the land registry then how are you supposed to believe what they tell you about their reasons for wanting it back?

MrsM71

Hi everyone

Thank you all for you comments & advice.

We are going to wait for the builders to contact us again & will ask why they want the land back.

I think our default position will be we'd like to hold on to it.

I will keep you updated with developments. &#55357;&#56898;

greatgimpo

A Google Earth snapshot or builder's site drawing (redacted) would help us to maybe figure out the relevance of this parcel.