Neighbours wall has been tampered with by tenant and has collapsed both ends ITS DANGEROUS

Jacquja19

please can someone help ,neighbours garden wall has been in disrepair for last 25 years , and as my garden is naturally higher I’ve made the tenants aware mainly as they have a small child , and over the years l have maintained what is there because of this , however the wall has collapsed by my back doors and took my tree with it , and the only thing stopping complete collapse is my concrete flower bed , 
to my horror l have discovered the tenant next door has took it upon himself to remove coping stones and replace with “ bricks “ and the wall has collapsed completely beyond that it’s on the floor , and the tenant Denys doing this , the landlord is tenants uncle and the tenant refuses to give me his direct contact details , the tenant believes that my trellis caught in the wind has caused collapse , has no building or homeowner knowledge whatsoever , and is inapt to understand how dangerous this is , but instead asked me if l like ivy ??! ( just so you grasp what sort of person the tenant is a DIY expert he told me ) , l have told him he is not the owner and still he refused to allow me to speak / contact directly , instead he has spoke to landlord , and of course would not admit that he has known for three years since he moved in the wall has been dangerous and urgent need of repair , or that he’s altered the structure and planted a fresh wisteria at an angle to disguise the fact the wall is on the floor beyond his “ brickwork “ , 
the landlord sent a message through him saying a “professional “ ( that’s all  he said ) will be out Monday 
he has not even asked if l will be home , as the wall is collapsed my side , or anything l don’t believe he’s landlord is aware of the danger myself and my property are in , or their child ! , all l have is a postal address for the landlord , but it’s owed by a ltd company and I doubt it’s the landlords personal address , all though all seems above board re filing etc as per companies house ., please see pictures , lm so worried and does anyone know what l should do from here please ,the tree / wall been like that since February , but l had no idea that the wall had collapsed completely the shed end until last Sunday , tenant refused to tell me when he placed bricks or when pillar fell , he’s done it to make patio area and placed two rocking chairs under the loose bricks .. he’s dangerous .can anyone help please ?

Archie_Duke

I’m struggling to make out what’s going on in the photos and what your description of a wall that’s collapsed has got to do with the wall that looks fairly tidy - by the shed and chair - is that their garden or yours? I don’t see a Wisteria in a tub having any relevance.
In the photos where the wall has collapsed your side looks very badly maintained, ivy and whatever was growing on the trellis could easily have contributed to the wall falling over in your direction.

eddddy

If you believe the wall is a danger to people (i.e. there's a risk of injury or death), you can report it to your local council.
You can start here: https://www.gov.uk/report-dangerous-building-structure

If you believe there's a risk of damage to your property, you need to inform the neighbour and/or the landlord - ideally in writing, so that you have evidence that you've done it.

Then, if the neighbour and/or landlord don't take reasonable steps to prevent damage to your property, and then damage occurs - you can make a claim against the neighbour and/or landlord for your losses.


(But more generally, if your concern is that the tenant is damaging their landlord's wall - that's not really any of your business. But you can choose to tell the landlord, if you want. Maybe the landlord will be grateful.)

UnderOffer

So you neighbours garden in the first photo is the one with green shed, chairs and decking?

The wall has collapsed your side and your grey trellis can be seen in last photo? To be fair you seem to have a lot of items of wood and other items leaning against wall, plus the ivy can be seen that your neighbour refers. 

Your landlord/a professional is due out Monday to look at collapsed wall? I’d wait and see the plan or proposal going forward for repair. Yes it needs attention but they probably feel it will be a big job if they/you need to move all the debris currently leaning against wall. 

Wait and see what is said after Monday. 

Jacquja19

The items are lengths of oak to hold the wall at the bottom , the ivy is NOT in my garden it’s theirs up to three years ago l would make sure it was cut back every November to coping stone level , so that it didn’t grow too high and develop huge branches because the wall cannot take the weight, the tenants planted a black sambucca there , and means their ivy cannot be cut back l cannot do it from my side anymore it’s too high , heavŷ and their new tree runs through it , the ivy only grows on top of wall , the trunks trying to get through to follow the light , are a good 8 “ thick now . He mentioned ivy , because he admitted it was causing issues , he hadn’t realised how much my side or how important it was to do it , our gardens are on completely different levels , all l want is the wall not to fall on a child , and the tree not go through my house , the debris “ oak “ is holding the lot up from ground level , sorry l don’t think you understand and l was about to have some pointing done to the foundations of my house and new patio the wall is a big job, it was dangerous when we moved here 25 years ago , and still is , l have done my job well so that it didn’t fall the other side 6 foot drop and a four year old playing in the sand pit daddy put directly below . 

jonnydeppiwish!

So it’s your wall and it’s been dangerous since you moved in?
Do you own the property?
If so, shouldn’t you be ensuring that it’s maintained?

Shaztastic3000

Sounds like you’ve cocked up. You will be facing a hefty bill to fix now, but such is life.

Slithery

If yours is the higher garden then it's usually your responsibility to maintain the wall in a safe condition.

canaldumidi

What has your 'professional' (landscaper? structural engineer?) advised as to

a) liability/responsibility

b) defects and risks

c) solution

theoretica

I am also worried about what you say about the tree going to fall on your house - I would have expected a tree that size to withstand a few blocks tipping onto it and fear you may have a tree that was weak to start with and now needs urgent looking at by a tree surgeon.

eddddy

It's a bit hard to follow your posts.

Are you saying...

• You believe the wall belongs to you
• You believe the wall belongs to your neighbour
• You believe the wall is a party wall belonging to both you and your neighbour, or
• You don't know who the wall belongs to?

In general, it's the owner of the wall who is responsible for repairing and maintaining a wall.

You need to be very careful. You've said that you know the wall is dangerous and might fall, and you know that a child plays beside the wall. If the wall belongs to you, and you do nothing about it, you're probably negligent. (If the worst happens, there could be a question of whether you've committed manslaughter through negligence.)

I think you're saying that you've warned your neighbour and/or the neighbour has done things that make the wall even more dangerous - which might lessen your responsibility. However, if it's your wall and it's dangerous, you really should urgently consider getting it demolished or made safe.