Help For My Mum - Anyone Urgently

TroysMum

If there isnt a party wall agreement in place and he goes ahead with his builders, phone the police and say she has tresspassers on her roof, find out the non-emergency number before they come and as soon as they are there phone straight away.
Nasty obnoxious bully, picking on a vulnerable lady is just not acceptable!
Good luck and let us know what happens.

alice's_mum

Thanks for that Ormus, this is very much a case of once bitten twice shy, last time as I say it was a nightmare, the walls in the garage where running with water. They let the mortar stuff fall down the drain pipe, which blocked that and their ladders made holes in the tarmac felt stuff that is on the flat roof. It cost a lot for mum and dad to get fixed years ago - dad had mates in the trade but it still cost. And now mum is on her own there is no way she could manage to get it fixed on her pension.

Thanks for all you helpful comments, we are going over to see her tomorrow and I will probably try and have a word with the neighbour - he's usually decent with me, and try and find out what exactly he is planning and when - and then see if we can take it from there. Mum has appointment at local "free 20 mins advice" solicitor on Wednesday morning. So well see what happens.

Cheers for all your help. I've been reading all the replies out to her, and she is amazed at how hellpful you all are,to someone you don't know. And she is now much happier that other people say she is in the right to say no to them going on her roof.

Liz

ormus

generally speaking in english law. only the utility companies have access rights across your property. no one can stop them accessing their services or routing pipes/cables etc...

margaretclare

There is actually new party wall legislation - the Party Wall Act 1996, see:http://www.england-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/Ukpga_19960040_en_1

This legislation AFAIK supersedes any informal verbal or written agreements made before 1996.

We had a brick garden wall built between us and next-door (other half of semi) a few months ago, and although it was all perfectly amicable and neighbours wanted it as much as we did, we still had to go through all the steps listed in that document: write to them with a copy, enclose a copy for them to sign, the whole thing.

You can't just step on to someone else's garage roof no matter what someone may have said 10 years ago!!

Margaret

BobProperty

annie123 wrote: »

Should this not be sorted before the builders arrive, explain to them that they may not use the garage roof to walk on, (put in letter to them aswell).
They will nor want to get involved in a dispute. If they have been told not to go onto the roof they wont thier insurance wont cover them for any damage caused.

the neighbour is trying to avoid scaffolding costs. It is expensive.

i know, we paid for scaffolding to go over a neighbours garage to get work done on the side of my mils house.
Our builders said unless we could prove that the building roof was built to take people standing on it, should one of them fall etc they would not be covered on the insurance for the workers or damage caused to neighbours garage.
So we got quotes for scaffolding.

I question the quality of his builders!

Completely agree with the above. I'd be tempted to hand the builder a letter saying things like don't do it, you don't have permission, the builder will be responsible for all damage and trespass if he goes on there, you want to see their insurance, you will be checking their practices with HSE, etc. etc.

On a lighter note: Are there any helpful MSEers nearby to "clean" up after this builder with a high pressure hose?

rustyjemma

make sure there is somebody with your mum when the builders are due. so that she feels supported & has witnesses.

lilac_lady

Don't let anyone stand on your mother's garage roof. A painter I employed to paint the outside of my house stood on the garage roof (I wasn't in at the time) and the roof began to leak soon afterwards. It was a fairly new roof.
Did the neighbour have permission to build right up to the very edge of her property? Check his plans with the Council in case he's built too near your mother's property. If so tell him that your planning to ask for his extension to be torn down as it doesn't comply with the building regulations...

PasturesNew

lilac_lady wrote: »

Don't let anyone stand on your mother's garage roof. A paitner I employed to paint the outside of my house stood on the garage roof (I wasn't in at athe time) and the roof began to leak soon afterwards. It was a fairly new roof.
Did the neighbour have permission to build right up to the very edge of her property? Check his plans with the Council in case he's built too near your mother's property. If so tell him that your planning to ask for his extension to be torn down as it doesn't comply with the building regulations...

It's been there years now. Too late for this.

lilac_lady

It'll still give him a twinge of anxiety and the bother of checking up to see if his extension can be taken down!

sarah.l.smith22

annie123 wrote: »

Should this not be sorted before the builders arrive, explain to them that they may not use the garage roof to walk on, (put in letter to them aswell).
They will nor want to get involved in a dispute. If they have been told not to go onto the roof they wont thier insurance wont cover them for any damage caused.

the neighbour is trying to avoid scaffolding costs. It is expensive.

i know, we paid for scaffolding to go over a neighbours garage to get work done on the side of my mils house.
Our builders said unless we could prove that the building roof was built to take people standing on it, should one of them fall etc they would not be covered on the insurance for the workers or damage caused to neighbours garage.
So we got quotes for scaffolding.

I question the quality of his builders!

I agree with advising the people who turn up to do the job in writing, as long as they are a genuine firm that they are not to walk on the roof, my boyfriend is a roofer and therefore sometimes needs to walk across someone elses roof to get to the one he is working on and he would always ask permission and certainly never cause any damage. I wish your mum all the best, neighbours are a right pain - Mine are Bulgarian and are blasting out some sort of Bulgarian music right now so loud that the living room wall is vibrating, no point going round there to ask them to turn it down as they have no idea what I am saying!