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Neighbours

Mopalop
Posts: 27 Forumite

We have a big problem with our neighbours and don’t know what else to do . It started with a letter from their solicitor accusing us putting a fence in 1 inch over the boundary however it’s not and they have approved it flooding the property through water rain off . We answered this Solicitors letter with our own refuting these allegations we have still not heard anything back however the surveyor has visited them 4 times It’s as if they are now adding to the list of things we have done wrong
Including our driveway lighting they hang out the window to take photos they have complained about our shed dispite having planning permission and being built 9years ,they don’t like us washing our car having a bbq in fact it sounds as if we are horrid neighbours but we are very reasonable and try to get along with everyone our neighbor the other side is amazed at what we’re going through I think one of the worst things we are constantly being watched and spied on and photographed .Now we can’t even sell as we would have to report all of this Any suggestions how to deal with all of this
Including our driveway lighting they hang out the window to take photos they have complained about our shed dispite having planning permission and being built 9years ,they don’t like us washing our car having a bbq in fact it sounds as if we are horrid neighbours but we are very reasonable and try to get along with everyone our neighbor the other side is amazed at what we’re going through I think one of the worst things we are constantly being watched and spied on and photographed .Now we can’t even sell as we would have to report all of this Any suggestions how to deal with all of this
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Comments
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Some questions:
How long have you lived there and how long have they lived there?
What is the problem with the flooding? Is it coming from your side or theirs?
would've . . . could've . . . should've . . .
A.A.A.S. (Associate of the Acronym Abolition Society)
There's definitely no 'a' in 'definitely'.0 -
From what you say, these are disturbed folk. There's a lot of it about - this deluded sense of 'entitlement'.What to do? Ignore it, whilst recording and writing down everything that happens, timed and dated. When the list gets so big it can reasonably be construed as being harassment or similar, then you may have to contact the local Bobby for them to have a quiet word.By 'ignore', I don't mean 'avoid'. Don't get sucked in, but act as tho' these things don't matter a jot to you. Go about your daily business, BBQs and cash-washings. What can they do? Nothing. If they shout or harangue, then that could be the trigger to involve the police - just do it quietly with no advance warning or 'last chances'. Normal, normal, normal - then act when it can be shown to be excessive behaviour. Apologise to the officer for involving them in what might seem a trivial matter, but show them the list of what you've had to put up with, and hopefully they will at least have a 'word'.Oh, that 'list' - keep it brief, factual and objective.When you see them, don't avoid eye contact - in fact smile at them if you can bear to, or simply ignore them. Your call. Don't stop whatever it is you are doing, tho'.Do you have any CCTV set up to catch their weirdest behaviour? Worth doing, I think, or at least have a recording device to hand should they try and engage you or say anything over the fence. You keep calm. Let them rant and ramble, and then terminate the conversation whenever you want to; politely, of course, but making it clear that car-washing, having BBQs, boundary lines, a garden shed, is 'normal', and if they don't think so, they know what they can do - take legal action to change it. "Don't be silly! If you really believe what you are saying, then you know what to do!" Don't get sucked into arguments or discussions - stick to the basic sentiment. Keep coming back to this.Someone said something amusing and possibly useful (tho' you'd need to confirm) in another thread about daft/unjustified solicitors letters - reply to them all, but only asking for further details or clarification. Don't say anything that could possibly be 'used', but just ask - in your case for example - "Could you provide evidence for your claim that the fence is incorrectly positioned?". "Do you claim the fence is exactly one inch from the boundary, or could it be more or less than this?" "Is the claimed incorrect fence position parallel throughout its length, or does it have some variation?" ie - one sentence replies, keep it going, as every time the solicitor replies it'll cost them another small pile of cash. You don't even have to refute their claims, but just ask for them to provide evidence to back their claims. (There's always a danger that if you refute their claims by saying, for example, what steps you took when you put the fence up ("I made sure it was in the same place as the old fence..."), they'll find something to challenge in this, and will drag you down an unpleasant alleyway of claim/counterclaim - they'll be the ones asking "How did you ensure...blahblahblah...".Oh, do you have Legal Protection on your house insurance?
Protection from Harassment Act 1997
"When is something harassment under the Act? Generally speaking harassment is behaviour which causes you distress or alarm.The Act also says you must have experienced at least two incidents by the same person or group of people for it to be harassment."If their claims are repeated, unreasonable, vexatious, then it can be argued that their purpose is to cause distress.
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I find there's always 2 sides to stories like this.3
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Yes, but we only have one side. And we reply accordingly - unless it's 'obvious' there's a bit of, say, churlishness or preciousness going on.I don't sense either in Mopalop's post.6
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We have gone out of our way to avoid annoying them everything they have accused use off we have photos and videos to prove otherwise.we have asked for evidence of any wrongdoing but none has been forthcoming.The solicitors letter was so wrong it was almost laughable .we even got blamed for their 16 year old gate post rotting They say our fence is in the wrong place but they put it up in 2006 They demand that we put eco drains in but they have been in for nine years We have been living here for ten years every thing we have done has the relevant permission or certificate.They tried to take their other neighbours to court for building a wall with planning in fact up until now we were the only ones in our close they have not had a go at !!2
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neilmcl said:I find there's always 2 sides to stories like this.
We had cameras installed and have recorded the verbal abuse and kept the appalling letters that were regularly pushed through our door. Finally we contacted the police. They were brilliant. Neighbours had to sign a cease and desist. They were informed that their behaviour was bordering on harassment and if they damaged anything else they would be charged with criminal damage.
The strangest thing is we really don't know why. We informed them of any expected noise and never worked late or started early. All mess was cleared away daily. The police seem to think that the neighbours have watched us renovate our house and seem to be under the impression that we are loaded and decided to accuse us of anything and everything possible in the hope of compensation. They told the police they wanted compensation for our renovation?????
By the way, LP didn't want to know.
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mandy47 said:I have sympathy for Mopalop. We have been through a similar experience. We have been threatened with solicitors, verbally abused and threatened with violence. We have been photographed and filmed in our own garden and our property damaged. Our workmen have been threatened and abused. The petty intimidation tactics have been ridiculous.
We had cameras installed and have recorded the verbal abuse and kept the appalling letters that were regularly pushed through our door. Finally we contacted the police. They were brilliant. Neighbours had to sign a cease and desist. They were informed that their behaviour was bordering on harassment and if they damaged anything else they would be charged with criminal damage.
The strangest thing is we really don't know why. We informed them of any expected noise and never worked late or started early. All mess was cleared away daily. The police seem to think that the neighbours have watched us renovate our house and seem to be under the impression that we are loaded and decided to accuse us of anything and everything possible in the hope of compensation. They told the police they wanted compensation for our renovation?????
By the way, LP didn't want to know.Thanks for your experience, Mandy. Very pleased to hear the police in your area have b***s.I suppose it isn't too surprising that LP wouldn't get involved at this stage, as it is effectively an issue for the LA or police. Had, however, their solicitor actually proceeded with action against you, then I think your LP would have handled your side (provided they are confident of a 51%+ chance of winning).I also suspect that in the majority of these cases, no actual action will proceed, as it's all BS. The shame of being a solicitor...
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Thanks so much insurance are pretty sure that we have a good case and are waiting to step in at the right time if it escalates it’s just the constant stress as been going on for nearly a year now1
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Is there any neighbours they get on with? My mum lived next door to a nightmare neighbour but he got on with another one. He used to accuse my mum of running a brothel when she was only doing B&B, and so on. So I applied for some mail order !!!!!! with his name on it but addressed it to his friendly neighbour. The latter soon moved away and word had spread the Mr Nasty was a perv and no one spoke to him. He became a pariah. Job done and no more harassing my mum.
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They have fallen out with everyone, their other neighbours built a wall with planning permission and they tried to sue for obtaining planning permission . They have an annex which they have let out and sued most of the tenants after they fell out one tenant had to install secret cameras because they frequently went in the Annex when the tenant wasn’t there they were laughed out of the small claims court. There are eight of us in the close and have had a go at everyone. Nobody can sell as we have to declare about our neighbours, they are in their 80s we are hoping that they move on the whole close will celebrate0
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