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Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Property/DIY

Neighbours attaching things to my wall

60 replies

mikeb102102 · 04/08/2013 21:14

Hi,
We have a detached garage at the end of our garden.
Two of its walls cut into our neighbours garden forming part if the boundary to their land.
They have just screwed trellis to the walls of the garage without notifying us.
Are they allowed to do this??

OP posts:

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VivaLeBeaver · 04/08/2013 21:21

No.

But is it really harming you? I'd be pissed off they hadn't asked but I'd let it go. Unless they were wankers, then I'd go postal!

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poocatcherchampion · 04/08/2013 22:14

I cannot imagine having a view on this.

except wanting to see if it is something nice they are growing.

do you hate your neighbours?

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mystaplerisevil · 04/08/2013 22:15

it's better than looking at your wall no>?

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Purplehonesty · 04/08/2013 22:18

I wouldn't do it myself without asking first and I think I'd be a bit mad if someone else did it to mine. But if I liked my neighbours I wouldn't say anything.

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Ponders · 04/08/2013 22:18

Without seeing a ground plan, no idea. But nice trellis prettier than bare walls, surely? & it can't do any damage¿

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IrisWildthyme · 04/08/2013 22:19

Getting het up about such a thing is really petty. Unless they put something up which threatens the structural integrity of the wall, find something that matters to fret about.

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Ponders · 04/08/2013 22:20

Good lord, where did that Spanish upside-down ? come from???

(Baffled by iPad )

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Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme · 04/08/2013 22:21

Well the side of our garage is completely inaccessible as it forms part of our neighbours boundary and has thick hedging and fencing to both ends. I've never even seen it, I have no idea if anything's attached to it. The only way I could access it would be through my neighbours garden.

I assume it is a party wall-type thing and she can do what she likes with it. I don't think she's going to come through the wall.

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newbiefrugalgal · 04/08/2013 22:22

Will plants ruin the brickwork?

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SwedishHouseMat · 04/08/2013 22:24

If they have screwed the trellis into your garage walls, they have committed criminal damage. You can ask them to remove the trellis and make good the damage.

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SwedishHouseMat · 04/08/2013 22:28

I would also check your deeds to confirm your boundaries. If your garage is inaccessible from your property, how are supposed to maintain it? Are you sure that there isn't a path at the back of your garage that your neighbour may have incorporated into their garden?

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missimperfect · 04/08/2013 22:30

If you really think it is causing damage or something then by all means have a go at them. But otherwise you might want to speak to them along the lines of "I see you are doing this - what are your plans as this wall belongs to me" and then reach some agreement.

If you just "let it go" completely they might feel they can do more and more so it would probably be best to just say - "well that is fine this time round but in future any more changes need to be agreed with me first". And follow it up in writing "to avoid any misunderstanding, we agreed that.....".

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Ponders · 04/08/2013 22:30

Criminal damage????

Your garage not accessible from your property???

What???

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BoneyBackJefferson · 04/08/2013 22:32

unless its a shared party wall they cannot do it.

To those saying that it can't do any damage, that would depend on the construction of the garage itself.

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SwedishHouseMat · 04/08/2013 22:33

If someone drills or screws into your property without your permission, it's criminal damage. If you can't access the back or side of your garage, how do maintain the brick work, paint etc?

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beachyhead · 04/08/2013 22:37

If it is on the boundary and partially on their side, it's probably a party wall so they have shared use of that wall, so not sure you can argue with it.

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steppemum · 04/08/2013 22:38

gosh this is interesting
So if part of the wall forming the boundary around my garden, facing into my garden is actually the back wall of a garage/shed/house, I am not allowed to touch it?

I would have assumed that as it is effectively in my garden I could paint it, attach plants to it, etc, as long as I didn't damage it.

There is a fence between neighbours and us, we have plants attached to it and so do they (was like that when we moved in)

and they have a shed that forms part of boundary at the bottom, and there is a gutter on our side feeding into a rain barrel on our side (there when we arrived)

so all of that is illegal?

I am sure that most people wouldn't think twice about attaching a trellis to the wall in their garden, not thinking that it isn't 'their' wall.

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SwedishHouseMat · 04/08/2013 22:46

If it's your fence that you put up, then you can do what you like with it. If the end of your garden has a fence or wall that you didn't put up, it's not your property so you can't touch it without the owners permission. As I'm sure you have read on here and in the Daily Fail, the case of the neighbour who painted her side of a fence white. She has been charged with criminal damage because it wasn't her fence to paint!

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BoneyBackJefferson · 04/08/2013 22:48

steppemum
"So if part of the wall forming the boundary around my garden, facing into my garden is actually the back wall of a garage/shed/house, I am not allowed to touch it?"

From memory.

If its a party or shared wall then you can do pretty much what you like as its shared.

If it forms part of a boundary, that is your neighbours responsibility or on their land then you shouldn't be hanging anything from it without permission.

As an example of the second type a friend built a garage in-between his house and his neighbours, the neighbours decided to use the wall as the supporting wall for a lean to/car port. My friend was able to tell them to remove and repair the damage they had done as the wall was not their property.

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steppemum · 04/08/2013 23:00

I can understand the structural stuff - car port etc, but I am really surprised at the plant trellis.
As I said, in our garden it is as it was when we arrived, and I am not actually sure who the fence belongs to. (with its plants on both sides)

I think it just wouldn't occur to me that I couldn't stick a trellis on a wall/fence in my own garden.

Fortunately the other two sides are walls and they are ours, so I can stick up what I like

(just trying to imagine blank walls that I can't cover in plants and how bleak that would be)

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HoikyPoiky · 05/08/2013 00:19

I would not want nieghbours to do this either and I would politely ask them to remove it. You don't know what they may grow up the trellis and while the brickwork may be ok plants growing into the roofspace may cause damage.
They can put up free standing posts and trellis within their own garden if they wish to screen your garage.

Everyone should make themselves aware of what fences or walls belong to them and whether any are party walls and if you want to do something to your nieghbours property you need to ask them.

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Sunnyshores · 05/08/2013 11:09

a bit annoying, but really life's too short.....

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LookWhoTalking · 05/08/2013 16:06

You think that's bad - my MIL's neighbours fixed their sky dish to the front of MIL's house ! It's a semi - and it's so deffo on the wrong side - by about 2ft - now he's not a nice neighbour -but then I can't stand her so I'm not going to step in !! Lol !!

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mikeb102102 · 05/08/2013 21:16

Thanks for the replies.
To answer a few of the comments left:

It is not a party wall, the only party wall is the fence between our gardens.
The garage wall is a boundary.

If they had come to us to ask about putting it up we would have simply voiced our concerns about potential damp and the possibility of plants growing up into the roof space.
The fact the did not consult us and did it when they knew we were out has peeved us somewhat.

As they disappear for 2/3 days at a time we decided to just post a polite note asking that they take it down and if they wished to discuss it we were more than happy.

The man came round and stood there twitching and getting bullish about it. He then left and then decided to put music on as loud as possible (in 20 months living here we have never heard music from their house!!).

He also informed us that he building a wall around their front garden in the next week...........

I will of course rise above it all.

OP posts:

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Potterer · 05/08/2013 21:43

So let's pretend I am your neighbour, I get a note telling me to take down the trellis. And I am meant to then discuss what with you?

It is times like these that you pick your battles, you are now realising that there is something worse than trellis on your garage wall; it is called loud music.

For now you will rise above it but will they? What if they decide to do whatever it takes to get a response from you?

Sometimes hindsight is a wonderful thing. You should have a look at the GardenLaw website at their forum. It will show that these things can escalate and go on for years. Hopefully in your case this is over and done with. Maybe before they take down the trellis you could ask what they plan to grow up it.

Yes it is your garage wall, and yes they should have asked, but maybe they genuinely didn't know that they had to.