Guttering advice - Neighbour has put downpipe in without permission.

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robbo1987

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Hi All,

Hoping someone may be able to give me a bit of advice please. it's a bit of a sensiive issue for my mother in law and before we start speaking to councils etc would just like to get a bit of advice if possible. Don't want to waste time if what they have done is legal. It does however feel a little bit like they've waited for her to go out to then do the work, as the neighbour knows she would have been out asking them what they were upto.

she is in a semi detached house and the gutters share (did share...) one downspout which is at the end of the mother in laws property down the side/corner.

The neighbour is having an extension at the front (on the opposite side so not near the border etc) which is just a big porch and does include a small toilet so i'd imagine new drainage on that side has been installed. which also begs the question why they wouldn't just put the downspout down that side. Anyway, she's gone out today and come home to find that they have fitted a new downspout very close to the middle of the property boundary , they've not mentioned/asked and whilst it's marginally on the "Neighbours side" of the boundary, it is very very close and the way the gutter has been put in , it goes right to the top of the concrete post for the fence and is then diverted into a drain on an angle.

I've attached some photo's which hopefully explain a bit better. I've checked the planning document for the extension and other than it stating gutters on the new porch to match the existing, there is no mention anywhere of a new downspout being installed. (this extra downspout isn't actually anything to do with the extended porch anyway which you can't see in the photos)

Either way, looking at it, and it is my very non expert opinion, it may have been easier/tidier for them to put the down spout further across towards their own window and onto the verge/roof to then run off into the existing guttering there? instead of forcing/squeezing it into that gap and above the fence.

Is there anything "legally" wrong with what they've done here? is there a minimum distance from the boundary that the downspout should be? Is it worth going to the council?

many thanks in advance.
 

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I cannot see what has been done, unless you mean the entire fall pipe has been replaced with new, and at the lower end they have dog-legged it more onto their side - which begs the question of why did they dog-leg it at all? Have they repositioned it, over to the right, shortening your gutter, bring it down the boundary line, to clear the extension?

Any work on the boundary, ought to have been discussed prior to the work being done, even if just a matter of being neighbourly. Though not much you can do about it now, just ensure there are no leaks when it rains heavy.

Our next door neighbour, long ago, employed a clown of a replacement gutter installer. We had not very old half-round, along comes the installer and fitted new soffits, facias, and square gutters - botching the shred fall pipe joint between their new, out original, flooding water down our walls. He refused to call the installer back, to remedy, the mess. I had to fit matching soffits, fascias, and gutters, to resolve the situation.
 
It's a brand new fall pipe that has been added rather than a replacement for any existing guttering, There was no downpipe there previously. I just wasn't sure if adding a brand new downpipe needed certain rules/regs to be followed etc.
 
I don't see a problem tbh. How would she / have had them do it instead? They've obvs chosen this to have a vertical to the side of the porch and then as you say, dog-legging back into the drain. I don't see an issue. It's not affecting you / her. I think, people just don't like change.
 
To the OP, she should be pleased. You say that previously there was only the one downpipe for the two properties and this was at her end of the gutter run. We'll now there are two and so she is no longer having to drain off next door's run-off as well as hers ie less likely for overflow and flooding.
 
RrogerD said:
To the OP, she should be pleased. You say that previously there was only the one downpipe for the two properties and this was at her end of the gutter run.
Click to expand...

That's the bit I missed! Yes, if they have added a second downpipe, to relieve yours, then they have done you a bit of a favour... You will not get their moss, from their roof, blocking the pipe and drain at your side.
 
Agreed with the others that they have done her a favour. Looking at the bricks they have put it on their property and then tried to angle it as much as they can further to their side but that is still not enough to clear the fence so going by that - the fence is not on the exact dividing line between the two properties and the fence is actually more on their side than hers so that her garden is actually "nicking" some of the neighbours. So I would keep quiet and be happy they have added an extra downpipe.
 
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