House purchase, relatives items left in, now involving solicitor

Edi30

Hi everyone so background is my grandmother died and I along with my aunt were both beneficiaries of the will 50:50 including the house to which I used a personal loan to pay her off, so past 6 months house has been mine and my partners. The whole process was a nightmare as she wanted us to buy the house before my gran had died anyway thinking she could get more money from us. 

Anyway she left a load of possessions at our/ grandmas house from when she moved out 28 years ago, and now wants them back, a lot where damaged in a major roof leak a while back so they got binned other items I said she could collect but she refused and wanted them delivered to her house which I refused and told her to pay someone to collect and deliver again she refused but now I messaged her saying I want them clear and she’s refusing to collect but says I can’t bin the items and making threats to inform solicitor (don’t know what they can do?) nothing is worth anything as it’s mainly old clothes etc and my view is she had 28 years to move them and never bothered. So my question is what can she actually do? 

Also as a side question is her house over looks ours and every time we look she’s watching us and people who come round etc, is there anyway we can put a stop to this as it’s invasive of our privacy and family life to a point where we don’t open blinds to stop her looking in. 

I should add since everything with the house we no longer speak to her.
Many thanks.   

HampshireH

Your arguing over items in the house that you could go and put on her doorstep? 

Why don't you just take them round there if she literally lives right next to you?

Bag in into bin liners and drop them round? Surely that's the best approach rather than costing you thousands in legals costs

I'm probably missing something here but I'm not sure what.

Get blinds you can leave half open half closed so you still get light but they are always across the window

thegreenone

How close is her house?  I think I would box up her stuff and leave it on her path/driveway.  It's hissing down with rain here so may be a good day to do it, if you have waterproofs.  You've delivered it as requested.

As for the privacy, mmmmmmm................ perhaps have a go at staring back or pretending to take photos.  Sorry, a bit flippant but perhaps she's used to looking out for 'Mum' and finding it a bit difficult.  A note through her door asking her to stop?

Flugelhorn

she probably overlooked her mother's house for decades and still thinks of your house as hers. possibly struggling with the loss of her mother. having her stuff in "mother's house" means there is still a link for her. Might be easier to offer to take it round for her and yes vertical blinds can be very useful for stopping people nosing in

bargainbetty

Honestly, I'd bag up the lot, take them to her doorstep and leave them there, then install a nice high fence with added trellis at the top so that she can't see over. If you see her watching you, give her a big cheesy grin and wave. how her that you don't give a toss (even if you do). 

If she lives that close to you, there won't be much in the way of costs. if you struggle with heavy lifting, hire a man with a van for a morning and get rid of the stuff and her. For the sake of £100, wouldn't your peace of mind be of more value? 

She might feel she has won, but the reality is that you will be rid of the stress and any residual control she has. At that point, you can instruct her not to contact you again and get her out of your life. 

youth_leader

I think Covid has left a lot of people with a lot of time to reflect, and she probably is feeling sentimental having lost her mother.  I'd be kind and take it round too.  

TripleH

Invite your friend Big Hairy Steve over for some naked airguitar when you're away and remove the curtains if the houses are back to back, bin bags and a homemade caterpillar?

It's a pain, but I agree bag the clothes up and leave on her doorstep, don't leave in the rain as suggested. Take the high ground and consider that as the matter closed.

Curtains /blinds or even a hedge are possible solutions. I would also ignore her. Get on with your lives and pretend she isn't there.

canaldumidi

Frankly unless there's more to the back-story this is a non-issue: Tell her you'll leave her possessions at her front door on Sunday (or whenever). Sorted.

What made you buy her half of the house and live next to her, rather than selling it?

Edi30

Already got vertical blinds but I shouldn’t have to keep them closed because of her, can’t use fence etc as it’s our front looking toward her back. 

Can’t see it being sentimental about looking out for her mum as even when she lived here before going in a home I often got a call at work to go and help her because she couldn’t be bothered. 

When the house was going through she cost us £5000 in solicitor fees as she wanted to evict us as I refused to pay full price for house knowing I was left half, at that time we had just had our son, he was only month old at the time yet she did her best to evict us despite not having any legal power too. She’s not a nice person who I have no intention of helping, spent my life helping her before all this and no gratitude at all so don’t want any dealings with her. 

But regards her junk here what can a solicitor do for her? 

canaldumidi

Your post adds nothing to the story and does not alter the advice.

A solicitor can write a letter to you for her (cost her £100-£150) claiming.... well, whatever she wants toclaim. Solicitor will initially offer her advice, but if the insists they write, they will.

What can she realisticaly and legally claim? Nothing provided you abide by your duty of care for her belongings. See

https://www.landlordzone.co.uk/information/abandoned-possessions/

https://www.possessionfriend.uk/abandoned-goods/

SavingPennies_2

How sad that things have turned sour after your grandmothers death. Your aunt looking over is annoying (I get it I really like my privacy too) but the fact she lives opposite her mother and has lived there since she left the home 28 years suggests they were close, and that perhaps she is alone and misses her? At the end of the day you have benefited with a new home, the fact you chose to live there would suggest you didn't own a home before or you would have just sold it and kept half the money, so it seems churlish not to fork out a few hundred pounds for a man and van to pack up the stuff and drop it off. I know there is probably more to this, but honestly, grudges and solicitors help know one, be the bigger person, give her the stuff back and either mend the broken bridges or move on and leave her to it.