Painting party wall (garage)

misterbarlow

We have a garage joined on the side of our house that runs right to the boundary, and so the side wall of the garage faces onto my neighbours front garden and drive.
His house is offset back so his drive goes past my garage and his garage is about ten foot behind, and the side of his faces onto my back garden, with a fence between the two.
I am furloughed til end of June so we decided to repaint the house and garage while I am off, gone for a very light grey colour, its not far from off white with a hint of grey.
We are not great mates or anything but have always got on with them, we say hello etc.
When I did the garage I went round the side and also painted the side of it facing onto his garden, or it would just look odd. 

I was in the garden this morning when he drove up, as he got out the car and walked up the path he waved and said hello, then said,
"My wife doesn't like that colour so i'm painting over that white ok" and just walked in the house and shut the door.

Anyone know where we stand with this?
Its my property but faces onto his garden. 
If the one wall is bright white and the rest light grey its going to look odd in my opinion but I can see him just going ahead and doing it..

TELLIT01

What makes you think it's OK for you to paint both parts of the wall, but not for him to do the same? 

-taff

If it's your garage he needs your permission to paint it or he will be committing criminal damage.

misterbarlow

TELLIT01 said:

What makes you think it's OK for you to paint both parts of the wall, but not for him to do the same? 

Because its my building!

Hasbeen

misterbarlow said:

TELLIT01 said:

What makes you think it's OK for you to paint both parts of the wall, but not for him to do the same? 

Because its my building!

If its your wall then they can do nothing to it without your permission

If it is a party wall then you / them can only do things if both of you agree. 

My opinion. Perhaps speaking to a part wall surveyor might help? 

Before paintbrushes at dawn?

shaun_from_Africa

Does the wall run along the boundary line? If so, it is a party wall.
If however it runs on your side of the boundary line, it is your wall and your neighbour would be breaking the law if they were to paint it without your permission.

SeaVixen

For what it's worth, while this is your building, I think this is more of an emotional situation than the law of the land will be able to deal with adequately.  

Your neighbours will be the ones that see this more than you. They are probably more annoyed that you have made a permanent change to their view without considering them, than they are about the specific colour you have chosen.

It sounds like you went from brick to paint. Flaking paint can look so unsightly, and shades of white get dirty fast!  You could chat to them about how regularly you plan to clean and repaint the wall, to try to alleviate that concern.  Maybe even ask them what it is about the colour that's bothering them (the brightness might be visible from a window somewhere that has disrupted their usual view of things) that you could think about next time you paint it (maybe). 

Even then, if you move house before they do, they have no guarantee that your predecessors will keep the wall clean and well maintained, so I can understand their annoyance, but I also appreciate that it's your property.

It sounds like you would have needed to be stood on your neighbours property in order to paint your garage. On that basis alone, I'd have probably notified him beforehand. I know you have no legal need to consider them, or notify them, but it would have been neighbourly to even just let them know that there will be wet paint they might bump into!

Try talking this out with him before he spends any money on paint (that he has no right to use), and see if you can come to an agreement. He might even think the wall is jointly owned (doubtful, but until you've confirmed otherwise....) 

It sounds like your neighbours garage is visible from your garden but not his. Make sure you resolve this amicably, or he might decide to paint something unsavoury on the side of his garage just to annoy you.... 

EssexExile

Be friendly, apologise, let him do what he likes to it if he can see it and you can't. Perhaps lockdown is getting to him.

rach_k

I'd just let them do it.  Grey and white, with a crisp line in between should look smart.  

Aylesbury_Duck

Did you notify the neighbours before going onto their property to paint your wall?
Courtesy at the outset might have avoided what looks like the start of a dispute.  Address it now, before it gets out of hand.

SeaVixen

Would love to know how this is getting on Misterbarlow, if you're still around?