Neighbours boundary dispute

[Drumgilken.]

@Drumgilken, Dee, if possible I would suggest you edit your photo so your car reg isn't visible. It may mean deleting that post and re-posting with the reg blanked out. Anyone looking on this thread may be able to glean some info from it. I'm not saying the regulars on here would/could but there are some very strange people in this world.
Could you take a photo directly in line with the central fence and the edges of both windows? One other point. I notice on the roof there are a number of vents along the ridge line. Are the three on show connected to your property? Does your neighbour have the same arrangement on his side? If the answer is yes then I would suggest counting the number of tiles between the two centre vents, find the centre line between them and then follow that line down the tiles. From this you should be able to see where the centre line would be on the front wall. From this you can then see if the bricks are equal each side and, more importantly, if the line falls in line with the fence position. Hope that makes sense.

Hello Conny,

Thank you for your reply & advise. I had a builder visit today for other reasons &
discussed this situation with him. He is of the opinion that the white guttering is
definitely on my property & has advised me what to do. & other things as well.

I will take some photos myself & repost, minus my son's car. Had not realised
his no plate was visible.

This stupid matter has taken over my thoughts this past week, when I have more
important things to deal with.

Why do some people always look to disrupt other's people's lives with petty matters.

I am determined that I shall win this silly battle.

Thanks again.

Dee

 

[Drumgilken.]

@Drumgilken, Dee, if possible I would suggest you edit your photo so your car reg isn't visible. It may mean deleting that post and re-posting with the reg blanked out. Anyone looking on this thread may be able to glean some info from it. I'm not saying the regulars on here would/could but there are some very strange people in this world.
Could you take a photo directly in line with the central fence and the edges of both windows? One other point. I notice on the roof there are a number of vents along the ridge line. Are the three on show connected to your property? Does your neighbour have the same arrangement on his side? If the answer is yes then I would suggest counting the number of tiles between the two centre vents, find the centre line between them and then follow that line down the tiles. From this you should be able to see where the centre line would be on the front wall. From this you can then see if the bricks are equal each side and, more importantly, if the line falls in line with the fence position. Hope that makes sense.

Hello Conny,

Thank you for your reply & advise. I had a builder visit today for other reasons &
discussed this situation with him. He is of the opinion that the white guttering is
definitely on my property & has advised me what to do. & other things as well.

I will take some photos myself & repost, minus my son's car. Had not realised
his no plate was visible.

This stupid matter has taken over my thoughts this past week, when I have more
important things to deal with.

Why do some people always look to disrupt other's people's lives with petty matters.

I am determined that I shall win this silly battle.

Thanks again.

Dee

 

[Drumgilken.]

I was going to ask the same, however if you look at the line of the roof tiles it appears the fence may not be perpendicular to the wall.

Sunray & Conny,

I will take some photos tomorrow. I had to remove the original photo.

Thanks. again.

Dee

 

[charliegolf]

Lots of good info here, and a few of thoughts from me (bloke with sister and a neighbour from hell) who's been involved in recent nonsense...

1. Don't spend a penny on legals. If you get a 'threatening' solicitor's letter, just write back saying you'll need more time to respond. Mention Covid! Then another will come agreeing to that. Now he's down £500, instead of £250. Good news. Have you checked your home insurance for legal cover? Might be useful way down the line. But string his solicitor along for a bit. Let him stew.

2. Do not get a survey. It'll be the thick end of a grand, and if it suits you, he'll just say it's wrong- just as you can his. Unless he has (he won't) a determined boundary with his title plans at the Land Registry, his survey proves nothing.

3. Google Earth is free, and has a history setting where you can go back and look at how the ground has changed. Just as his unsubstantiated claims hold no water, neither will Google Earth really. But it WILL show that the planter was there when you said it was; and that it hasn't moved. Ditto for fences and hedges.

 

[Drumgilken.]

Sunray & Conny,

I will take some photos tomorrow. I had to remove the original photo.

Thanks. again.

Dee

Hello again,

Five days since I promised a few photos. Nothing too fancy. One is a still image of a video taken by mistake.
Lots of advice from friends & family, telling me to ignore him & not to put anything in writing & wait for him to
approach me again. All so easy for all of them, as I am the one who lives next door to him.

I have asked for advice from a Legal Website.

Will keep you all updated on any further developments.

Once again, Thank you all for your help & advice so far.

Dee

 

[Stivino]

IMHO the fence line doesn't follow the line of the dividing wall from inside the house (see my previous post #2) To me, it looks like his driveway in in your garden.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

IMHO the fence line doesn't follow the line of the dividing wall from inside the house (see my previous post #2) To me, it looks like his driveway in in your garden.

It certainly doesn't loo symmetrical. As above, their driveway appears to impinge on your garden space and it looks as if they have a door in the front wall, you just have a window - like your other neighbour.

It looks as if the gutter joint is aligned on the fence line and both are offset from what I would judge to be the boundary line.

 

[Drumgilken.]

I had a similar thing happen to me.
The long and short of it was; if he bought the property with something in his property, i.e. a boundary out of place, then that is what he has bought. For instance, if you had moved the boundary to make your garden bigger and his smaller, then he's lost it.
That's how it worked for me.

So are you saying that in my case I am on the losing end of this situation, whereby he has
got his white guttering overhanging my party wall. My fence should probably be further to the right.
I was planning on replacing the fence with a dwarf concrete on in the right place. Would i get
away doing that now?

Thanks for your further information.

 

[Stivino]

Going by what I experienced in the past, I would expect the boundary line to be an extension of the dividing wall of the two houses.
Don't you have the title deeds?
I have a copy of mine.

 

[Drumgilken.]

It certainly doesn't loo symmetrical. As above, their driveway appears to impinge on your garden space and it looks as if they have a door in the front wall, you just have a window - like your other neighbour.

It looks as if the gutter joint is aligned on the fence line and both are offset from what I would judge to be the boundary line.

The houses were built in this style. He has a door on the front & mine is on the driveway.
My fence should be right under the party wall divide. (which we have measured from inside
the lounge party wall to the window edge & added 4 inches (100mm). Taken that exact
measurement to the outside, from the window edge to the 3.25 bricks. (almost exact centre)
The driveway was built like that. I can now see my fence is not straight. Also if you zoom
in on the still video photo, you can see that he is way too left of the right central chimney cowl.
Hope you understand what i am saying? if it makes sense.

Thanks again.

Dee

 

[Drumgilken.]

Going by what I experienced in the past, I would expect the boundary line to be an extension of the dividing wall of the two houses.
Don't you have the title deeds?
I have a copy of mine.

I do have a copy of mine, but, it does not show very clearly. I must get it out & let my
friend look at it tomorrow.

Will let you know what he comes up with.

Thanks again.

Dee

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My fence should probably be further to the right.
I was planning on replacing the fence with a dwarf concrete on in the right place. Would i get
away doing that now?

Your priority, is to start by marking the centre of the party wall, on the outside. IMHO he bought it as seen, he cannot later claim more garden area. Likewise, you bought what you saw - if the fence was where it was when you bought the place, that is the garden boundary. However the building and garden boundaries may not be exactly the same. I'm thinking the garden boundary (fence) may have been offset, to allow them more front garden, as a large part of their garden is taken up by the odd angle of their drive - I'm guessing it is probably an inside corner plot?

You have the 'fair' side (best face) of the fence on your side, which usually means the fence is your property and your responsibility. The vertical posts should be entirely within your property, so the extreme back of the fence (the back of the posts), is a good indication that you, as minimum, own all of the land to the left of that back edge.

Your house deeds should indicate precisely where your boundaries are, if you own the place outright, you should have those - if you have a mortgage, the mortgage company will have them.

 

[Drumgilken.]

Your priority, is to start by marking the centre of the party wall, on the outside. IMHO he bought it as seen, he cannot later claim more garden area. Likewise, you bought what you saw - if the fence was where it was when you bought the place, that is the garden boundary. However the building and garden boundaries may not be exactly the same. I'm thinking the garden boundary (fence) may have been offset, to allow them more front garden, as a large part of their garden is taken up by the odd angle of their drive - I'm guessing it is probably an inside corner plot?

You have the 'fair' side (best face) of the fence on your side, which usually means the fence is your property and your responsibility. The vertical posts should be entirely within your property, so the extreme back of the fence (the back of the posts), is a good indication that you, as minimum, own all of the land to the left of that back edge.

Your house deeds should indicate precisely where your boundaries are, if you own the place outright, you should have those - if you have a mortgage, the mortgage company will have them.

When I bought the house in 2008, there was no front fence. I had it put in later. It is not in line
the party wall. The front & the back of the posts are totally on my property, but, should have been
lined up properly at the time. The 2 adjacent bungalows to the right of mine are identical, except
my immediate neighbour to my right, has almost no garden. Very little anyway, but, have quite a large
one at the rear of the house.. Their attached neighbour has 99% of the front garden & a large rear
garden as well. All built by Wimpey in the 80's & slung up by the look of it. I will look at the situation
tomorrow, as I am now fed up with the nonsense.

Will let you know the outcome & many thanks for your comments & help.

Dee

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

When I bought the house in 2008, there was no front fence. I had it put in later. It is not in line
the party wall. The front & the back of the posts are totally on my property, but, should have been
lined up properly at the time.

In that case, you put the fence in the wrong place - it needs to be realigned to begin at the party wall, but yet with all of it (posts as well) on your side of the centre of the party wall and done ASAP. Nothing your neighbour can do about it - it is your land you are reclaiming / your fence. It seems when you erected the fence you were on good terms with your then neighbour and you were generous.

I would suggest as a precursor to doing any work, you write to your neighbour explaining that you are moving the fence to it's correct location in line with the party wall, as is your right.

 

[IT Minion]

"Dear neighbour,

Thank you for alerting me to the incorrect position of some of the features in front of my house. It seems that your driveway is on my land, move it.

Yours faithfully,

Drum"