Neighbour issues- fence -dumping

illbeurhuckleberry

I'm sure this story is fairly common. I moved into my new home 15 months ago. My new neighbour never spoke to me and I later discovered from the previous owner and all the neighbours on the street he and his mother would scream all sorts of obscenities from stop feeding the birds-your bin smells etc. My neighbour even accused someone drilling put his mother into hospital.

This neighbour had dumped all his rubbish on my land-i own a small alleyway at the back of my garden that he has right of way. Anyway the council sent him a letter to remove it or they would take legal action. He moved it and left some asbestos and small items behind. I sorted this out and maintained and cleaned this bit of land.

so-the storm hits and both fences on my side are blown down. I fix the right side and avoid the left fence as my neighbour put this fence up. In fact his brother came onto my garden to pick up the fence that had blown in from the storm on his side. They subsequently replaced 3 panels and dumped these along with the poles and broken panels onto the bit of land I own along with some small items.

I left this for a while thinking we just had a storm and it was the right thing to do.
I eventually approached my neighbour asking him about all the rubbish he dumped and was this going to be removed. Well to say he lost it is  an understatement. He repeatedly  called me a !!!!!!-called all the neighbours bitches smashed and kicked his solar lights and threw several of them at my car. I remained completely calm and he preceeded to tell me his behaviour is all my fault. he informed me it was my fence to which I said it wasn't as you put up the previous fence and there was no need to dump everything onto my land. I explained if he needed to store some items there just ask as long as I know they will be removed.
I'm not sure how to move forward with this. By the sounds of it he is a serial complainer.

What i know now.

My deeds show we have shared responsibility but all the neighbours take responsibility for the right side as a  courtesy. I wouldn't touch his fence as I was aware he erected this some years ago. 

I'm not sure once he removed the fence and replaced it,if he is responsible for dumping the broken panels responsible? or was he write to dump this onto my land?

Obviously I'm happy to remove these items but at the same time I don't want him thinking as a woman who lives on her own im also a push over.

thanks it advance.

eddddy

So essentially, the issue is that he's dumped some fence panels and posts on your land.

Obviously, he shouldn't have done that. I guess you need to work out the best way to deal with that.

Tbh, it might be more a question of psychology than legal remedies.


You could put the fence panels back on his land, you could ask a solicitor to write him a nasty letter telling him to remove them, etc. But would that inflame the situation further?

Or you could 'quietly' dispose of the fence panels, as a way of de-escalating the issue. But obviously, you're worried that if you do that, he'll just pile more rubbish onto your land.


When I have to deal with nasty, irrational people, I sometimes find that being really nice to them takes them by surprise and disarms them, for example cheerily saying "I'm going to the dump today, would you like me to take your old fence panels?" or something similar.

But who knows if that would work in this case.

GDB2222

This is definitely not worth getting into more of a dispute over. In a few minutes you can saw the fence bits up, so they fit in your car. Then next time you go to the dump, take them.

As Eddy says, be nice!

mobileron

Put hem on facebook,free  kindling wood for woodburner stove,id break them up first

illbeurhuckleberry

I was super nice to him and he still exploded. We all have problems-im recently bereaved and I don't behave like this. But I'm of course willing to remove it myself again. Its so frustrating that people can behave like this and the common response is leave well alone. And I understand why. He will dump more rubbish there I guess for future reference I wanted to be clear if he was entitled to dump this on my property.
Agree this is more a psychological approach for now. Thanks both.

diggingdude

Contact the council again perhaps? 

In addition get CCTV to cover where you're car is would be my recommendation

Bendy_House

Of course you don't behave like this - you are normal. He is not.

In this instance, I think the advice above is best - just get the stuff cleared since you are happy to do this. And some folk might well take it away for you for nothing.

I suggest you do need to protect yourself from his aggressive behaviour, tho', and folk like this will usually continue to behave like this until tackled. The simplest way is to buy a discrete camera - £12 from t'Bay - and have it running any time you need to deal with him. AND, you deal with him as you would a normal person - do not be intimidated (you don't sound as tho' you are!), don't shy away, don't avoid.

His behaviour IS completely unacceptable, but you'll need evidence before the local police have a word and a Cease & Desist. It's up to you whether you want to do this, or whether you can live with it for a 'quiet' life, and many folk think that taking this sort of action will escalate things instead. In my experience, the opposite is true; these psychos appear to lose it completely, but they only partly do - the presence of a 'blue' would sober them up instantly. They have learned that such aggressive behaviour just makes most folk back down, and it gets them things they are simply not entitled to. Once they find it doesn't work - and that their behaviour will be challenged, questioned and addressed, they begin to behave. Usually.

You sound very 'cool' - in every sense Protect yourself with a recording device, and also remind yourself there is nothing he can actually 'do' to you - he isn't going to hit you, for example, because he knows the game will then be well and truly up. His 'out of control' behaviour isn't really.

Keep on as you are - pleasant, rational, reasonable. By all means 'question' his behaviour should he start to rant; "I'm trying to discuss this fence - why are you being so aggressive?" "Why are you shouting?" Simple stuff designed to show you are not intimidated, but do find his behaviour weird and unacceptable - and you are going to question him on it, and are expecting him to explain. Have it all recorded...

If you'd been able to record the 'solar light throwing' incident, then that would have warranted a call to the police - no question. And I'll add that, almost certainly, he wouldn't do that again.

FreeBear

mobileron said: Put hem on facebook,free  kindling wood for woodburner stove,id break them up first

Burning of treated timber (which fence panels and posts most likely are) will release toxic chemicals into the air and could damage the flue liner.

Taking them to the tip could incur costs if your local council is one of many that charge for disposal of DIY waste.

canaldumidi

illbeurhuckleberry said:

....
This neighbour had dumped all his rubbish on my land-i own a small alleyway at the back of my garden that he has right of way. Anyway the council sent him a letter to remove it or they would take legal action. He moved it ......

Not sure how you got the council to do this, but since it worked why not repeat the process. Not only will you get the fence panels removed, but the council will then have two episodes on record.

Is one or the other property a council property? Or perhaps you/he own leases and the council own the freehold? Just interested.....

bouicca21

I have a neighbour who is an ahole, some but not all of the time,  and nowhere near as bad as OP’s.  We tend to humour him since no one likes to be the butt of his rants.  We all know that this simply enables his behaviour, but the alternative is too unpleasant to contemplate.

Sistergold

The problem is some neighbours actually hear voices and are truly and medically psychotic.  Like others have said get a camera to record so that you are  safer at least.