Next Door Neighbours new boiler

AndyMc.....

ruhe wrote: »

I'm wondering if the neighbor is a thug or thug-like because that would explain the hesitancy and it would also explain why the neighbor didn't bother asking. Unfortunately there are thugs and bullies around who have no respect for anybody and it may understandably explain the reticense

So are you going to stand up to him or roll over?

Norman_Castle

silverchoice wrote: »

No. Wouldn’t that mean moving the whole boiler ?

Possibly not. Installing it over your drive may be the easiest but not the only solution.

Davesnave

Surely the new installation is ultimately the responsibility of the installer, who should know the basics of where encroaching isn't allowed?


It's up to them to sort it now, which is probably why they were so keen to comply over the relatively minor matter of the condensate drain. They have messed-up.


A boiler can be quite an annoyance to neighbours and a householder might not realise the potential for this. I only found out when we converted an outhouse into a boiler room and installed a fan-flued oil-fired Grant. I can hear it 200' away, at the other end of the garden on a quiet day.

silverchoice

ruhe wrote: »

I'm wondering if the neighbor is a thug or thug-like because that would explain the hesitancy and it would also explain why the neighbor didn't bother asking. Unfortunately there are thugs and bullies around who have no respect for anybody and it may understandably explain the reticense

I don't get on with the neighbour. I bought the house nearly 7 years ago and the sellers told me there was a problem with the neighbour but they said he didn't like builders. When I moved in I spoke to the neighbour who said that the builders had piled soil against his wall causing damp in his basement !!??

He got a solicitor to write to us asking to remove soil from his wall. I managed to get photos from google street view to show that a few years ago the soil level next to his house was the same.

I needed the land between my drive and his wall to park on so I had trees removed and removed some soil, putting in hardcore and gravel to park on. I managed to level off the drive which lowered the soil level next to his wall. While I was doing this he was always coming out of his house and watching what I was doing and saying I would damage his property by parking next to his house.

The solicitor then wrote asking permission to test for damage to their house so I agreed. I have heard nothing since so I assume they couldn't find anything. That was over 5 years ago.

So now you dears tans why I want as little to do with this neighbour as possible. I will wait a few days to see if the condensate is removed if not then I will speak to the neighbour.

Aylesbury_Duck

I can see why you're reluctant to have to deal with him, he sounds a character. However, do heed the advice about the flue. If you're going to tackle the condensate issue with him you may as well tackle the flue as well. If it really does trespass over your land it will cause a problem at some point. At a basic level, if he gets his boiler serviced the flue needs to be accessible for the gas expert. Are you willing to make sure you don't park your car there on those days? At a more problematic level the existence of the flue prevents you building up to that wall should you wish to do so at any point in the future. If a future prospective buyer of your house spots it, or it appears on their survey it will cause problems for the same reasons.

You really need to get the neighbour to come up with another solution for locating his boiler where it doesn't trespass on your property. He hasn't been shy about getting legal in the past, so I don't think you should feel bad about asserting your rights.

Davesnave

silverchoice wrote: »

The solicitor then wrote asking permission to test for damage to their house so I agreed. I have heard nothing since so I assume they couldn't find anything. That was over 5 years ago.

So now you dears tans why I want as little to do with this neighbour as possible. I will wait a few days to see if the condensate is removed if not then I will speak to the neighbour.

Why did the neighbour need your permission to test for damage to their own house?


Oh, of course, because it meant they understood it was your land they'd be trespassing on, just the same as they must have realised their flue would also encroach into a space which you, or someone in the future, might need to construct a garage on.

Rollinghome

Neighbours can be a bit wacky.

A friend moved into an old terraced cottage and found a plastic waste coming through his bedroom wall, running diagonally across for a few feet, then back into the wall.

Didn't seem to go anywhere and he assumed it was redundant' so took a hacksaw and chopped it off. About 6.00am he was woken by water pouring from the wall. Seems his neighbour thought it a good way to hide an ugly pipe from his basin and installed it when the house was empty.

He rammed a couple of plastic bags in the holes, plastered over, and the neighbour found a new way to route his pipe. Job done.

If the op is reluctant to rely on advice from an internet forum then if there's still a Citizen's Advice Bureau in his area he might speak to them. They can usually make reasonable suggestions in disputes between neighbours.

Alex1983

I think your all worrying too much about this, you just need to tell them it's not install correctly, the installer needs to move the flue off your boundary and if they choose to ignore it you will have to pass it to gas safe. Give them the installers name and address and they will take care of it.

Davesnave

Alex1983 wrote: »

I think your all worrying too much about this, you just need to tell them it's not install correctly, the installer needs to move the flue off your boundary and if they choose to ignore it you will have to pass it to gas safe. Give them the installers name and address and they will take care of it.

I agree. It's more neighbourly to advise the person next door about the complications their gas fitter has created, than to keep quiet. They might not see it that way, but the OP's duty is to make the ituation very clear.


While the householder may have chosen the location of the boiler, it was surely for the skilled person they employed to point out any complications that might arise with that choice. The fitter ought therefore to assist with relocation.


However, whose fault it was and what % of the blame might be laid at whose door is irrelevant; the situation as it stands is unsatisfactory. Indeed, it sounds as if the erection of a simple wall or fence on the OP's own land might well make it totally non-compliant.

silverchoice

Alex1983 wrote: »

I think your all worrying too much about this, you just need to tell them it's not install correctly, the installer needs to move the flue off your boundary and if they choose to ignore it you will have to pass it to gas safe. Give them the installers name and address and they will take care of it.

I've just spoken to Gas Safe who aren't interested because it's not a safety issue. I asked them if they would inspect it and they told me only the neighbour can ask for an inspection. He told me they shouldn't have installed the condensate soak away in my drive and have advised me to seek legal advice.