Damp caused by neighbours

sma1990

The answer sounds obvious here but I want to check before I rush in...
I have noticed damp in my living room on an external wall - I live in a detached house so looked outside to see if there was something obvious. The neighbours have some items up against the wall to my house right where the damp is. To confirm this isn’t a structure or building, just a trailer flat against my wall and a couple of other bits. 

Am i ok to ask them to move it and are they obliged to?

Thanks

Apodemus

Does their property come right up to your wall, without you having access round that side of your house?

sma1990

Yes, they have that area as a driveway - my property doesn’t extend beyond my house on that side

Jeepers_Creepers

That is what's known in property jargon as a bludy cheek.

Yes, you can ask them to remove it. Tell them you are having damp problems on that wall, corresponding to where the trailer is positioned. (The trailer will likely be preventing proper ventilation of that area, so it'll remain damp from rain and external condensation long after it would otherwise have dried off).

Do you anticipate them being difficult in any way? If so, caaaallllmmmmllyyy and matter-of-factly let them know that you are 'putting them on notice' of the damage being caused, and you will reluctantly have to take action. Take a photo of the trailer and stuff there.

Do you have LP on your insurance? Call them up for advice.

A couple of provisos - does the damp patch correspond with where the trailer is? Could you post a pic? A well-built house should be able to cope with this - that's why there's a cavity - but I have heard of such cases where leaving things leaning against walls for a prolonged time caused damp.

Phil4432

Tell them the issue, and ask if you can have a look at your wall from their side to see if there are any issues with your external wall.

A normal person would then offer to store his/her things elsewhere, so as to avoid issues with neighbors and potentially be held liable for damage to someone else's house.  They might even be decent people and simply move their things. 

Best be prepared though.  Start documenting everything, take photos of your wall if you can inspect from their side.