Neighbour drilling into my wall?

MysteryMe

It's a shame the full story was not given at the outset rather than an edited version because some have taken umbrage on your behalf.

For all we know the neighbour could have asked the previous owner for permission and it was granted. If they were wanting to affix anything else,  then your permission should be sought beforehand and then up to you whether you agree to it.

By the letter of the law you may be able to ask them to remove the items but do you really want to create a dispute and an unpleasant atmosphere as soon as you have moved in over something like that?  Was damp identified on that wall? Is the brickwork damaged, was anything identified in the survey?  

I should imagine most people have something drilled into an outside wall of the house be it a gate post, hanging basket bracket, awning etc. The risk of water ingress is a possibility but it's unlikely so use of common sense is the best way forward IMO.

grumpy_codger

Mutton_Geoff said:

grumpy_codger said:

How exactly? E.g. I don't see how small claims court can help as the monetary value of the damage is negligibly small. The police usually don't want to know as it's civil matter, not crime (?). They are far too busy with more serious problems.

... Enforcing something doesn't mean legal redress at the outset, it simply means ensuring people around you know where your boundaries lie.

I disagree, and so do dictionaries.

enforce

to make people obey a law, or to make a particular situation happen or be accepted

"to inform" isn't the same as "to make". And I'm saying this from my personal experience of dealing with my neighbours (more serious matter than some washing line). In my case it was about £250 wasted on a letter from my solicitor that was simply ignored.

jj_home_80

If the wall is part of your house and not a shared boundary wall, your neighbour shouldn’t be drilling into it without your permission. If they do and cause damage, they’d be liable for repairs. Might be worth having a friendly chat first to make sure they understand it’s your property.

casper_gutman

Strictly, they shouldn't attach anything without permission. If the stuff was there when I bought the house and isn't causing problems, I couldn't see myself trying to get it removed. That just sounds like a recipe for causing bad feeling.

I might mention to the neighbours that I am content to allow the existing attachments to remain but please speak to me first before adding anything else. Quite possibly they'd do this anyway (I asked my neighbour before adding a hook for my hammock to their garage wall), but no harm in making sure expectations are aligned.

ic

"hey mr/mrs/ms/mx X, lovely weather!  I spotted you'd attached a washing line to my house - I'm fine with it, but in future please can you have a word with me before attaching anything else?"

no need to mention police, contractors, etc.