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AIBU?

To tell my neighbour to fuck off?

25 replies

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 08:00

Basically we had our conservatory built before summer and now she thinks that all the rainwater from our conservatory is collecting on her patio and expects us to do something?

Let me explain further, before we had the conservatory there was on our side a patio then some soil for a flower bed, then the dividing fence then on her side some soil and her patio.

Now there's my conservatory then some concrete up to the dividing fence then about 18inches of soil then she has erected a seperate 6ft fence (to stop us looking over the fence I guess from our conservatory) so she now has an inch of soil then her patio.

When she moaned before we attached some extra guttering to the downpipe and along the gap between our conservatory and the fence thus taking the water further into our garden into a bed of stones. Now that works fine, there is no excess water in our side, nor between the fences but in her side there is puddles on the other side of her new fence.

AIBU to think that the water building up in her patio is nothing to do with us? I suspect that the water used to run away into the soil that isn't there on my side anymore and with her building a new fence and cutting off her soil from her patio this is causing the excess rain to collect on her patio?

I scared she will take it further and they will make us take it down even though we aren't draining any water directly onto her land!

OP posts:

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SoupDragon · 23/10/2013 08:03

Well, you could tell her to fuck off or you could discuss it like a normal adult.

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 08:07

Well we have discussed it this is the second complaint, she won't come round just posted a letter through our door which we responded too with a letter back as again she won't come round! X

OP posts:

29chapel · 23/10/2013 08:22

I would get your builder round to have a look at the potential cause - i wouldn't imagine she would make it up? Obviously something has happened for her to suddenly have water collecting on her patio. I would remain calm and try not to wind her up - if someone's building works had made my patio leak i wouldn't be very happy!

SnozzleWobbleson · 23/10/2013 08:36

Well if you're scared she will take it further and you will be made to take it down then telling her to fuck off is not really going to go in your favour and help get it resolved.

I agree with 29chapel, you need a professional to come over and assess the situation then take it from there.

valiumredhead · 23/10/2013 08:37

If you have proper guttering that leads into a drain it shouldn't be a problem. How odd

spongebob13 · 23/10/2013 08:39

well tbh i'd be pissed off if my patio was flooded. then again does she sit in a lounger in the rain?

what about how it looks will it cause damage to her property with pools of water not draining? has she slabs or decking?

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 23/10/2013 08:42

I suspect you're right and it can't run into the soil anymore. Surely the way to sort it is to remove the second fence

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 08:43

Well we think it's because her patio used to drain onto our flower bed. Obv that isn't there now so it can't. So I believe it's not our fault as it shouldn't have been draining in our side anyway. Since she built her new 6ft fence away from the boundary line her garden is full of puddles!

OP posts:

whois · 23/10/2013 08:43

So she erected a new fence closer to her patio, thereby stopping the rain running off her patio onto the dirt? Yeah tell her to fuck off. Unless you can actually see rain water running off your side onto her patio it is obviously water from her side with no run off now.

valiumredhead · 23/10/2013 08:46

Could you arrange for a builder to come round and talk her through the issue? Then they could high light the problem if there is one.

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 08:48

Yes we do have proper guttering and it's draining away into the soak away as I say there is no excess on our side or between the fences only on her side. I think if she just made a bit of a gap under her massive fence it could drain off in the middle soil.

OP posts:

29chapel · 23/10/2013 08:51

Dont tell her to fuck off! you have to live next door to her. Resolve it like adults. If your builder can confirm that it's something to do with her second fence, job done - no need to fall out. If it's not, he can fix the issue (that his work created) then you're all good too - swearing is not the answer here.

Laurel1979 · 23/10/2013 08:57

I don't see why the OP should have to pay for a builder to give advice about a neighbour's patio that is likely flooding due to the neighbour's new fence!

limitedperiodonly · 23/10/2013 09:05

Sorry, does the downpipe lead to a drain, or is the water spilling on the ground?

Telling people to fuck off generally escalates matters in a way I find is quite unhelpful.

quoteunquote · 23/10/2013 09:11

we attached some extra guttering to the downpipe and along the gap between our conservatory and the fence thus taking the water further into our garden into a bed of stones

That water is required to go into a drain, a soak away is not the appropriate way of dealing with this run off.

Put in the proper drainage and the problem will resolve itself.

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 09:12

The down pipe is connected to guttering that runs along the ground into a soak away underground further down my garden about half way. :-)

OP posts:

SingySongy · 23/10/2013 09:16

We've built a conservatory onto an old patio, in what sounds like a similar set up. We had to relocate a soakaway which had been underneath the patio (didn't know it was there until the patio was dug up - wasn't marked in the deeds or anything like that). Could it be because of something like that?

Only musing - I have no real building knowledge!

SingySongy · 23/10/2013 09:18

Sorry, just crossed posts with you - your soakaway set up sounds the same as ours. Passed building regs, so it must be ok!

Finola1step · 23/10/2013 09:18

Can you attach a water butt to the down pipe and collect the water?

JennieR60 · 23/10/2013 09:29

Yes sounds exactly like ours! No soak away under patio, but have one further down, we can't fit a water but between our conservatory and our fence we could do that if we moved the down pipe though.

Tbh even if the water did just spill out of the downpipe it would run into the soil between the 2 fences as the fence is boards with gaps Inbetween. Her second fence doesn't have gaps and buried in the soil so even if it was running there (it's not we've stood out there in the heavy downpours yesterday & Monday) it would build up at her new fence first thus rotting it before any substantial water could build up on her patio. Which is what I believe is happening on her side the water is collecting against this new fence x

OP posts:

UriGHOULer · 23/10/2013 09:41

The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella;
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust steals the just's umbrella.

valiumredhead · 23/10/2013 09:57

The OP shouldn't have to pay for a builder in an ideal work but that's preferable ime to telling one's neighbour to fuck off. It's better not to have pissed of neighbours seeing as you have to live next door to them.

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12thmonkey · 23/10/2013 12:10

i would wait until a dry day, get a hose out and spray the roof of the conservertory, film the event and watch to see if here patio gets we as a direct result of the run off from the patio,

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 23/10/2013 12:16

'That water is required to go into a drain, a soak away is not the appropriate way of dealing with this run off.

Put in the proper drainage and the problem will resolve itself.'

Soakaways are proper drainage. In fact they are the first thing you should try and do when dealing with rainwater. Putting it all in a pipe leads to an increase in flow downstream, and potential for flooding etc. One conservatory clearly won't make a scrap of difference, but if everyone did it then it would do.

fluffyraggies · 23/10/2013 12:21

She's written to you asking you to 'do' something because she believes you are in the wrong somehow.

You are scared she will be able to make you take the conservatory down.

For your own peace of mind i would ring the council, perhaps, and ask them if the building regs inspector would come out to look at your conservatory now it's all finished and asses what you have in place re: rainwater drainage. If he/she says it's fine then you dont have to engage with your neighbours rantings - just politely say that you think it must be down to her fence, and that if she feels otherwise then you are afraid she will have to prove it, as you have had your conservatory inspected and approved.

Dont have a massive falling out. If you ever have to move you'll have to declare the fact.

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