Neighbours want to dig up our drive

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  • tired_dad
    tired_dad Posts: 631 Forumite
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    I!!!8217;d prefer underground cables and would jump at the chance of getting it done at another!!!8217;s expense. I would say no unless drawn up contact to make good driveway from approved contractor and make good any internal stuff via painter and decorator plus cost of my time. I would prefer a meter in my garage rather than in my house. Don!!!8217;t like letting strangers in
  • J_S_H
    J_S_H Posts: 29 Forumite
    tired_dad wrote: »
    I!!!8217;d prefer underground cables and would jump at the chance of getting it done at another!!!8217;s expense. I would say no unless drawn up contact to make good driveway from approved contractor and make good any internal stuff via painter and decorator plus cost of my time. I would prefer a meter in my garage rather than in my house. Don!!!8217;t like letting strangers in

    I would be happy to have them underground too, I’m just thinking of the possible issues that could arise from the work. I definitely won’t agree unless there is a written agreement or signed contract. They have point blank refused to reimburse me for my time.
  • missile
    missile Posts: 11,684 Forumite
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    tired_dad wrote: »
    .... I would prefer a meter in my garage rather than in my house. Don!!!8217;t like letting strangers in

    Good point and I would prefer a meter cupboard on the wall outside the property. This may facilitate rerouting the cable to avoid digging up the driveway?
    "A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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  • getmore4less
    getmore4less Posts: 46,882 Forumite
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    is there no option that would allow the cable to your house to stay over head or routed underground and up a(their) wall and across to your existing house entry point?

    Would you be interested in taking this opportunity to have the meter moved?
  • jungle_jane
    jungle_jane Posts: 635 Forumite
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    I had something a bit similar with National Grid - it was to re-route a built over service. They needed dig up a small strip of the drive and part of the garage in order to run some cables or pipes to the smart meters. The whole thing was a gigantic pain as they were hard to get hold of, were vague in their descriptions of exactly what would be done and wouldn't put anything in writing. They left the hole for a couple of weeks and the day they verbally agreed to come and fix it they then simply never showed up so i stayed home all day for nothing.

    I would strongly recommend you get everything in writing - dates, times and extent of inconvenience. In our case the people who come to dig up and lay the cables are not the same people who then fill the hole so these are on different days. Then we had to get another british gas engineer out as they messed up the meters. I'm still fuming about the whole thing - it was weeks of stress and disruption.
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    missile wrote: »
    AFIK, you do not have to agree to the work and if you are concerned you could refuse?

    Absolutely.

    The Access to Neighbouring Properties Act (which I expect is what is at the back of their minds) is for "necessary maintenance" and not for "improvement".

    What they are doing is "improvement". Bat the ball back to them and refuse.
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    edited 11 February 2018 at 12:29AM
    J_S_H wrote: »
    Thank you for that Ms C, I was feeling like I was being unreasonable and awkward but this thread has made me realise that I!!!8217;m definitely not.

    You're most definitely NOT being remotely unreasonable.

    They, on the other hand, have quite deliberately tried to back you into a corner by springing this on you with darn all warning. Neighbours do sometimes deliberately do the "giving minimal notice - or none" in order to catch one off balance. I've had that done to me in my last house - literally 30 minutes before work involving my extension wall was due to take place and everything all set up already they came and "asked my permission". Yeh - right....:cool:

    In current house I strongly suspect work would have been done involving my property if I hadnt (thankfully) been in at the time and clearly forbidding them touching anything to do with me.

    They are trying to catch you off balance and undermine your confidence and not give you time to find out the facts.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »
    Absolutely.

    The Access to Neighbouring Properties Act (which I expect is what is at the back of their minds) is for "necessary maintenance" and not for "improvement".

    What they are doing is "improvement". Bat the ball back to them and refuse.

    However it's not the neighbour who wants to do this work, but National Power, who aren't governed by the same rules as you and me.

    Basically, if NP determine that they need to enter someone's land in order to sustain a supply, they can.

    Now, whether this is a matter of economics rather than logistics is something I can't say from where I'm sitting, but in a sense it's immaterial, because NP will want to do what's best for them.

    So the OP can push against any change on their own property, but if that will cost NP too much, or can be shown as against the interests of NP, then they may well push back, somewhat harder.
  • moneyistooshorttomention
    moneyistooshorttomention Posts: 17,940 Forumite
    The neighbour is the one behind National Power and the reason NP wish to do this.

    Put like that = neighbour has the power to "call them off" or tell them to do things in an alternative way that doesnt involve OP.
  • Davesnave
    Davesnave Posts: 34,741 Forumite
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    moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »
    The neighbour is the one behind National Power and the reason NP wish to do this.

    Put like that = neighbour has the power to "call them off" or tell them to do things in an alternative way that doesnt involve OP.
    The neighbour probably has no influence over this.

    It's not for the neighbour to tell National Power how it should conduct its alteration of the supply, now it's been agreed that changes are necessary.

    The company obviously want to put both lines underground, so I'd suggest that's the most likely outcome, unless the OP can persuade them otherwise.

    As others have said, there could be some visual advantages for the OP in having their overhead line removed, so they should consider all this carefully.
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