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AIBU?

to think my mil is a greedy old woman?

49 replies

cheshirekitty · 11/08/2008 19:22

A bit of background info. mil has newish neighbours, young couple with 3 kids, and 1 on the way. She objected to their planning application to build an extension, but they got it anyway.

Last week the male neighbour approached mil to ask if they could use her drive for scaffolding. He said they would keep it clean etc. Well, she has said yes, but is charging £100 per week for the use of her drive.

AIBU to think mil is a greedy, grasping cow of a woman? It is hard enough these days coping with a young family, without an extra £100 per week added to the household bill.

OP posts:

Report

WorzselMummage · 11/08/2008 19:23

she doesn't sound very nice atall ..

SammyK · 11/08/2008 19:24

I bet her neighbours are cursing her!

WinkyWinkola · 11/08/2008 19:26

Well, she'd better hope that she doesn't need any goodwill from them in future because they'd be quite within their rights to tell her to p*ss off.

What a horrible, grasping neighbour to make money from a young family like that.

I hope she doesn't have too much influence over your DCs.

Mercy · 11/08/2008 19:27

Yanbu at all from what you have said.

Is it even legal to do that? (for both parties that is, but especially your mil?)

cheshirekitty · 11/08/2008 19:28

She does not have any influence over my dd, i will not let her.

Do not know if it is legal, but neighbour has made her sign something. Hope he dobs her in to the inland revenue.

OP posts:

piratecat · 11/08/2008 19:29

lots of people rent out their driveways.

I am a bit at the fact they are willing to pay £100 to her tho.

very suss?

takingitasitcomes · 11/08/2008 19:29

YANBU this sounds pretty mean spirited. However, to answer Mercy's query, yes it's legal for her to do it. It's her drive and they have no right to use it for scaffolding.

cheshirekitty · 11/08/2008 19:30

Think they thought if they did not pay they would not get the building done. She is elderly and relies on neighbours to put her bin out etc.

OP posts:

bunchoflowers · 11/08/2008 19:35

FWIW our neighbours built an extension next to our house (against our wishes...we are going to have no privacy in the garden now) and it was a right pain up the ass - rude builders, ugly building works, just the stress of having something built right next to you which you didn't want in the first place ... and which is probably going to give us subsidence!!

God, WISH we'd thought of charging £100 a week for use of driveway, genius, ha ha ha ha!!

(sorry MIL haters!!)

bunchoflowers · 11/08/2008 19:35

FWIW our neighbours built an extension next to our house (against our wishes...we are going to have no privacy in the garden now) and it was a right pain up the ass - rude builders, ugly building works, just the stress of having something built right next to you which you didn't want in the first place ... and which is probably going to give us subsidence!!

God, WISH we'd thought of charging £100 a week for use of driveway, genius, ha ha ha ha!!

(sorry MIL haters!!)

ForeverOptimistic · 11/08/2008 19:37

But she could have said no.

WinkyWinkola · 11/08/2008 19:37

MIL haters?

Flibbertyjibbet · 11/08/2008 19:41

I think its quite normal if you need access to your neighbours property for something that you compensate them.

Grasping? Perhaps she was advised that £100 a week is the going rate.

Perhaps they paid her more than the going rate to compensate for dirt and noise disturbance.
Especially as she objected to their planning permission.

Who knows?

Who cares?

Her drive, her neighbours, both of them happy with the situation.

LazyLinePainterJane · 11/08/2008 19:54

She is mean! Our next door neighbours have recently had an extension done for which they needed scaffolding on our property (for which I happily agreed) apparently if we had said no it would make the whole thing a complete nightmare which is probably why they paid her.

allgonebellyup · 11/08/2008 19:57

How do you know this family is not really wealthy?

cheshirekitty · 11/08/2008 20:00

Because of the area they live in, he works 2 jobs and all hours to provide his family etc.

OP posts:

LazyLinePainterJane · 11/08/2008 20:29

What does it matter if they are really wealthy?

Hecate · 11/08/2008 20:33

Well, if I was (were?) them, I'd not be putting her bin out any more. (petty, moi? )

CompletelyDotty · 11/08/2008 20:37

YANBU
that is really mean! is she in need of money or just money grabbing?

Roboshua · 11/08/2008 20:42

Yes she is a greedy old woman!! £110. Compensation for what??? Unless she needs her driveway for something else or was causing great inconvenience why does she need compensation?? As H says I wouldn't be helping her or putting her bin out. Being neighbourly works both ways.

ivykaty44 · 11/08/2008 20:42

Your MIL will be paying the tax on that income - she will pay it or someone may well shop her for tax evasion and yes other people do know - the nice new nieghbours who may well tell the tax man about the £100 per week charge for use of the drive.

Ask your MIL what she plans to do about the tax

mayorquimby · 12/08/2008 10:30

i really don't see what's wrong with what she has done.
we've been blocking a neighbours extension for the past 11 years at a pretty considerable cost to us in architect/council fees as it would greatly deteriorate our enjoyment of our property. so with having no idea the nature of your mil's neighbours plans it's impossible to say who is being unreasonable.

as for charging for the driveway use,once again what's wrong?
having neighbours building beside you is a nightmare between the noise,dust,blocking of roads etc.
if they wish to use your mil's driveway then presumably it means she won't be able to use it (or at least a portion of it), so why shouldn't they pay for the use of her property over a considerable amount of time?

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zippitippitoes · 12/08/2008 10:35

it seems reasonable to me

building work next door is hellish

it is normal practice to have compensation

and also to have a party wall agreement in most cases which sets out things like this

sitdownpleasegeorge · 12/08/2008 10:38

If she is a little old lady living on a pension then I take my hat off to her for commercial chutzpah !

If you plan a building project all sorts of extra costs pop up as you go along and if £100 is going to make the project non-viable then the family next door have not planned adequately for contingencies.

If it annoys you that much and she's gloating about her financial gain/windfall, remind her that she if she takes the money she is in receipt of TAXABLE rental income (land and property income) and should declare it to the taxman and the benefits agency if she receives any benefits other than state pension.

zippitippitoes · 12/08/2008 10:47

its not rent tho it is compensation

she would be advised to get a proper party wall agreement paid for by the neighbours to safeguard her property and rights

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