NEIGHBOUR CROSSED THE BOUNDARY BEFORE EXCHANGE

Going to guess this all fizzled out @MummyToBeAgain1 ?

@MummyToBeAgain1 Did you finally sort this out?
Have you moved in?

Any news, @MummyToBeAgain1 ?

I’ve only seen this thread today and became very invested in the outcome.
I was very disappointed.

10k seems like a very small reduction, especially if you are expected to pay for land reg. Obviously this reduction is dependant on the value of your property, but regardless it seems low.

The amount of land that has been stolen is actually very large.

I am very happy you have the property of your dreams but I am concerned this will cause you more issues in the future.

I believe that in most places you have to have a meter when the bill payer changes

When I switched last year, I was told I could switch back within the first year if the bills were higher. As it turned out, they were about one third lower. We have the same number of bedrooms as people.

For a bit of fun, here is a water meter calculator www.ccw.org.uk/save-money-and-water/water-meter-calculator/

Have you exchanged & completed now?

We live in a very expensive area for water. The water rates were massive and our water bill approx halved when we switched to a meter. It's gone up massively since - we are home a lot more, the small children are now teens who no longer share bathwater. But the meter and rated charges are designed to motivate you towards a meter, and we had many years of saving hundreds of pounds a year by switching.

When we switched you could switch back again in the first 2 years. I don't know if this is still the case.

Interested to see how meeting them pans out.

I’m happy with our water meter. We use water when we need - we flush our toilets every time; at least three showers (power shower) are taken every day (3 adults); washing machine 4/5 times a week; dishwasher everyday; automatic irrigation system in the garden; flush tanks with water changes…..

BUT our bill is still lower than my neighbours in identical house on old water rates system!

It was some time back now, but during college and Uni I worked part time for United Utilities. The general guidance was based around number of bathrooms, people in the household (particularly children) and habits such as washing cars/watering lawns etc.

If you have a number of school aged kids, with lots of washing of school uniforms etc, prefer baths over showers and usually wash your car every weekend with a hose, it will likely be more expensive to move to a metered supply vs being on a rateable value.

I suggest calling your local water company as they will be able to give you the latest guidance, pros and cons etc. Although just be aware, similar to smart meters for gas and electricity, water companies do seem to be pushing the adoption of meters more and more - I think due to regulatory pressures, encouraging customers to use less to conserve water for security of future supply and to get better visibility of supply issues (e.g. leaks) so they can intervene sooner and save themselves getting hit again with multimillion pound fines!

I like my (smart!) water meter but that's because my water use is very low - only 2 adults and I rarely water the garden (treat 'm mean - the plants). If there are more of you and you regularly wash cars, water the garden, fill ponds and swimming pools - don't have a meter.

We have a water meter and have never had any problems; I prefer to pay for what we actually use.

I think the received wisdom is if there are more bedrooms than people in the household, a water meter is the way to go.

This is why I said upthread that I think the sellers have also been CF. Made it OP’s issue to resolve. Potentially the seller is in cahoots with the neighbour too, maybe they even sold the land cash in hand, saying ‘it’s an auction property and there’ll be no time to fix it/we won’t be inclined to fix it.’ The seller’s unwillingness to take ownership of the problem seems off to me.

Why were the vendors concerned about you changing the deeds at the Land Registry? Surely it makes no difference to them? If it were me I'd be happy to leave it to you as the buyers, rather than just give the land to the neighbours.

…. But sweet when you win

Better to spend a few pennies and get a solicitor to do it. With the promise that if this cannot be resolved you’ll be instructing barristers and the costs would be reduced satiated to he 50k - payable by the losing party. Make sure the case is out that the deeds are clear.

you could also get a signed statements from other neighbours who’d probably be happy to dob in the CF.
we used all these weapons against our own CF. And the boundary is now in its rightful place.

if you can be arsed of course. It’s exhausting dealing with these people

I'd move in - send a note saying 'since viewing the property and looking at the deeds, you appear to have put up a new wall/fence. Please remove it by X date or I will'.

If they don't, remove it and place the materials in their garden and build your own.

There is a VERY good chance they won't fight it beyond some effing and jeffing, but you do need to be pretty bold and forthright in this approach.

(My Dad did exactly this when, 4 months after buying his property, he went on holiday and the neighbours build a wall 4ft into his property, replacing HIS fence to do so. They didn't have the balls to fight it and backed off sharpish, though this about face did coincide with him bringing a small tractor with a bucket on onto the property - was actually for other purposes but they didn't know that.)

So technically after moving in you are meant to sort land regs. But as the house and land are now yours you could dispute the land grab and claim it back.

The thing is though the final agreement was a price reduction and that we would change it on Land Reg post-completion. Not sure where that leaves us going forward?

@MummyToBeAgain1 I think there has been some serious confusion here and bad legal advice and it's not too late to sort it out.

The sellers should have approached the neighbours but if they didn't want to do that because of speed . . ..

What should have happened is that you agree with the sellers to buy the property at the reduced price on the understanding that both parties are aware of the neighbours attempted seizure of the strip.

the reduced price reflects the strip dispute.

you accept that and that in the event it transpires the neighbours keep the strip, you have no right of action against the sellers.

and so far as necessary, any right of action in respect of the neighbours land grab vests in you.

Then you write to the neighbours saying land registry says this is ours, youve taken it unlawfully, put it back.

There is ZERO need for you agree to loss of land and changing the land registry.

Have you actually read any of this thread?

1., Are we sure the neighbours aren't right? We have had 2 people in my area who DID own land but had a fence for various reasons further into their own land and when someone was selling next door they then rightly took back the boundary to where is used to be.
2 Are we sure the neighbours have not acquired the bit of land by adverse possession anyway?
3 It sounds like a small bit of land and I bet the title plan with the property is not clear as to exactly where the fence line is as they are usually as clear as mud.

Adverse Possession.

Lots of people saying just sit it out, wait and see etc.....

If this issue is not dealt with promptly, in around 10-12 years CF neighbour can claim adverse possession to this piece of land.

Just something else to consider OP.........

You don’t need time to get the gist of what they’re like, you already know exactly what they’re like. They’re the sort of people who would steal from a grieving family and cause a massive amount of stress for loads of other people to further their own ends. I just hope you don’t have any other problems from them in future. Personally I would completely blank them because I couldn’t bring myself to speak to them and not mention it. What nasty people they are.

Congratulations on your new home. It sounds like the layout is such that you’ll be able to avoid and ignore CF neighbours. I hope you can put it behind you and enjoy making the house your own.

I suppose it depends on whose selling first. If this is their forever home as it is for my friends, and no intention of moving on, depending on age, they could be there for another 30 years.

If the neighbours are older it could well be them who will blink/sell first and find THEY have the issue with land that is not theirs.