How do you deal with annoying neighbours?

[gnougnoume]

Since we started our extension the old man next door has been a right pain in the neck. everytime he sees us looking at the work he comes out in his garden and start moaning. Yesterday the building regulations guy came to advice us on how to do a new connection from our house to the sewer as we are getting of the manhole but it was the neighbour who was telling building regulations what to do! He moaned about his gutter because we had to diaconnect it as it will be re run on the roof of the extension. Everyday when the builders are there he is outside watching them and commenting on their work. I know he is not happpy because we are touching the sewers and the manhole and he keeps on saying that we are causing problems, we will be overfloaded and the worse is too come.I would love to tell him to f.. o.. and stop harassing us.
And if you look at the pictures you will notice some pink flowers on the left, believe me he checks on them everyday!!

Untitled

• gnougnoume
• 11 Jul 2012
• 1

Untitled

• gnougnoume
• 11 Jul 2012
• 1

 

[rjm2k]

And if you look at the pictures you will notice some pink flowers on the left, believe me he checks on them everyday!!

and why not, if they are his and someone is building an extension next to them it's his right to check on them. Personally I would try to make sure that you do no wrong, if anything happens that affects his property then make sure it's fixed as a priority. you may think for example, oh they are just some small pink flowers we destroyed, but they are his property, no doubt you wouldn't be happy if it were the other way round.

 

[gnougnoume]

And if you look at the pictures you will notice some pink flowers on the left, believe me he checks on them everyday!!

and why not, if they are his and someone is building an extension next to them it's his right to check on them. Personally I would try to make sure that you do no wrong, if anything happens that affects his property then make sure it's fixed as a priority. you may think for example, oh they are just some small pink flowers we destroyed, but they are his property, no doubt you wouldn't be happy if it were the other way round.

WE did tell him before we started any work that we would compensate him for any damages to his grass, pink flowers or else!! but when we started digging the foundations some of his plants roots were in the middle of the boundary foundations so it was not an easy job.
One day it was raining a lot and the builders had to walk on his grass which of course because of the raing was muddy. He wanted us to fix it as of yesterday!!! He even came with a tape to measure the wall when the builders started to do the brick work and warn them not to build in his property!!I mean he is 82 but really annoying, when building a boundary wall he has to understand that even if we take all the necessary steps it is going to be rather difficult not to touch one inch of his soil.

 

[JohnD]

he has to understand that even if we take all the necessary steps it is going to be rather difficult not to touch one inch of his soil.

you seem to have the mindset that "he has to understand that he will be inconvenienced and his property damaged for our benefit"

I can understand why from his point of view that is not particularly appealing.

Can't you?

Are you under the impression that you have the right to inconvenience him and damage his property?

do you have some reason to think that he enjoys the dust, the noise, the mud and the mess? Or the sight of your horrible building site? Do you know for a fact that the garden was not planted by his late wife who died after sixty years of happy marriage, and do you know if he watched his children and grandchildren grow up in it?

Who is the annoying neighbour here?

Are you a selfish inconsiderate git?

 

[^woody^]

Perhaps using the Party Wall Act may have helped with a situation like this

 

[gnougnoume]

he has to understand that even if we take all the necessary steps it is going to be rather difficult not to touch one inch of his soil.

you seem to have the mindset that "he has to understand that he will be inconvenienced and his property damaged for our benefit"

I can understand why from his point of view that is not particularly appealing.

Can't you?

Are you under the impression that you have the right to inconvenience him and damage his property?

do you have some reason to think that he enjoys the dust, the noise, the mud and the mess? Or the sight of your horrible building site? Do you know for a fact that the garden was not planted by his late wife who died after sixty years of happy marriage, and do you know if he watched his children and grandchildren grow up in it?

Who is the annoying neighbour here?

Are you a selfish inconsiderate git?

When you do some buildings work yes it is like you say horrible to look at but the building site is not in his garden but in mine.
So far we have not damaged anything in his property at all but this guy comes and check my property as if the garden belongs to him.
What am i suppose to do? make the site more attracttive for his eyes?
Me selfish? why are you saying this, I do not have to make my garden pleasant for him. Am I going to stop my extension because of a few flowers in the way of the foundations? We offered to replace his grass, trees and flowers at our own cost. He even complained about the choice of colour we chose for the bricks.As far i am concerned if his property (which is council owned by the way) is not affected he has no say of what i am doing in my garden if i follow the regulations.

 

[gnougnoume]

Perhaps using the Party Wall Act may have helped with a situation like this

Before we started anything we came to see him, we showed him the plans in details, the letter from the council. His porperty is council owned. Still the next day he started annoying us saying we had no right to build an extension even after we showed him the letter from the council. He called some of his so called architect friends who came to check our property and sayed we could not do this. When we started the work he called the council to complain. He even told us that we shouuld build it on the other side of the house!! He also asked us why we wanted an extension and we did not need one!
Even after the Council told him we could do the extension and that we had a certicifate of lawfullness he carried on and on. Now he complains to buildings regulation and tells them what to do.
We used to inform him of the progress of the work, even when we applied to Thames Water for the Build over sewer, there again he complained to the ocuncil gain that we stopped the work, but we had to wait for TW for an answer.
We even told him that we could paint the inside wall of his garden in a colour of his choice if he wanted to. What more are we supposed to do?

 

[^woody^]

What more are we supposed to do?

The Act would have formalised it all and he could not moan and disrupt the work, else be in breach

The Act is pretty lame in most respects, unless access or neighbours are suspected of being a problem, and then it is worth considering as it grants specific rights and assurances

 

[gnougnoume]

What more are we supposed to do?

The Act would have formalised it all and he could not moan and disrupt the work, else be in breach

The Act is pretty lame in most respects, unless access or neighbours are suspected of being a problem, and then it is worth considering as it grants specific rights and assurances

But who do you serve the part act wall? him or the council who owns the property.

 

[^woody^]

Is too late now by the looks of things, but you would have served notice on the council, and they would be obligated to 'control' their tenant to comply with the Act

 

[gnougnoume]

Is too late now by the looks of things, but you would have served notice on the council, and they would be obligated to 'control' their tenant to comply with the Act

Exactly and that's what we did. Still he is harassing us, the latest was this morning. As my Hubby was leaving for work he stepped out of the house and asked him what was going on. My husband asked him what he meant and his reply was that he needs to know the progress of the work. My husband said that as long as he is not affected (and he is not) then he does need to know and if he wishes to complaint he can call the council.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Sounds like hubby has it sussed. What more is there to add? Nosey and annoying but not harassment.

 

[Nige F]

[. His porperty is council owned. . What more are we supposed to do?

Shouldn`t have bought a council house . Thatcher`s bitten your bum............. " "Maybe it`s because you`re a Londoner "

 

[Nige F]

Sounds like hubby has it sussed. What more is there to add? Nosey and annoying but not harassment.

But the old boy is .........A council Tenant Where`s Joe 69 when you need a bigot

 

[indus]

he has to understand that even if we take all the necessary steps it is going to be rather difficult not to touch one inch of his soil.

you seem to have the mindset that "he has to understand that he will be inconvenienced and his property damaged for our benefit"

I can understand why from his point of view that is not particularly appealing.

Can't you?

Are you under the impression that you have the right to inconvenience him and damage his property?

do you have some reason to think that he enjoys the dust, the noise, the mud and the mess? Or the sight of your horrible building site? Do you know for a fact that the garden was not planted by his late wife who died after sixty years of happy marriage, and do you know if he watched his children and grandchildren grow up in it?

Who is the annoying neighbour here?

Are you a selfish inconsiderate git?

Or perhaps the old boy is just an annoying cantankerous old sod?

I think he has a duty to be a good neighbour as does the op. I for one wouldn't give my neighbour a hard time over his works if it was all legal and he promised to rectify any small damage that might happen in the process.

People of this age are often suffering from mild dementia/cognitive impairment and find anything out of the ordinary very difficult to cope with