Neighbour harassment, can I refuse to reply to direct letters?

RAS

markin said:

Gutter 'cleaning' should be a 2hr job, They likely cant be certain of any start/end times, The company could miss a time slot very easily, Unless you think they will set up scaffold and leave it for 6 months?

I'm aware of one case where scaffold was put up to enable a minor repair to next door's boundary wall, without permission, and left there for two years or more. 

turnitround

markin said:

Gutter 'cleaning' should be a 2hr job, They likely cant be certain of any start/end times, The company could miss a time slot very easily, Unless you think they will set up scaffold and leave it for 6 months?

I had my gutters cleaned, there were 2 men and they used a ladder as there was no need for scaffolding and they were done in 30 mins. I saw all the stuff they bagged from the gutters and a builder friend had a look and said they had done a great job. 
They wont need to be on your property for the entire job, possibly 20 mins unless scaffolding is required.

Is it not worth biting the bullet and using this as a catalyst to try to actually speak to each other and move forward. They are probably as sick of the situation as you are. I once had a neighbour who we had loads of trouble with and one day I just felt enough was enough. I knocked on her door and she saw me through the window then opened the door with an aggressive  'What'. I just  burst out laughing and said 'Dont you think this is getting silly' and at that she burst into tears and hugged me saying she was so glad I had come round as she 'hated putting her washing out' because of the situation.
Im not saying it would be the same for you and in our case she was definitely the party causing the trouble but after our talk her behaviour and that of her son changed beyond belief. She had been deliberately causing us problems because we were at loggerheads. Is it not worth a try?

eddddy

If the only point of contention is the 'end time', why don't you solve the problem by specifying the latest acceptable end time?

For example "I give consent for you to enter my property on [date] starting at 9am, on condition that you leave my property no later than 5pm on that date, and no items such as tools, equipment, waste, or other materials are left on my property before 9am or after 5pm on that date."

propertyrental

Don't forget the 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1992/23

Jonboy_1984

Part of the problem with exact dates for gutter cleaning at this time of year is it is weather dependent.

I would be more interested in seeing the contact details of the contractor they are using, and their liability insurance over dates in this scenario.

insomniac-uk

I most likely have to give access its a semi detached house, I don't have a problem if they could just give me the approx times, if they need a few hours I'm fine with that (I'm only asking because I need to take time off work). Like most people are saying the gutter cleaning won't take long, had it done myself, they did say only ladders will be used.

eddddy said:

If the only point of contention is the 'end time', why don't you solve the problem by specifying the latest acceptable end time?

For example "I give consent for you to enter my property on [date] starting at 9am, on condition that you leave my property no later than 5pm on that date, and no items such as tools, equipment, waste, or other materials are left on my property before 9am or after 5pm on that date."

I already wrote to the solicitor asking for the times, if they don't give me a time, I will just do this.

Thank you again everyone

insomniac-uk

Jonboy_1984 said:

Part of the problem with exact dates for gutter cleaning at this time of year is it is weather dependent.

I would be more interested in seeing the contact details of the contractor they are using, and their liability insurance over dates in this scenario.

This is good advice, I have checked both and have a copy of the insurance.

NameUnavailable

I expect you will find your neighbours equally accommodating if/when you require similar access for your property maintenance.