AIBU to object to neighbour using my garden as their main access?

@Deepblueokay check what the deeds say.

If the neighbour has access, that doesn't mean that all their visitors can have access.

A friend of mine had the same at a terrace house. They were the end terrace. They put a yale lock on the gate but low down so you couldn't reach over the fence and unlock it, and it needed a key from the outside.

They gave their neighbour a copy of the key so they still had access, but it meant that no one else could just walk round.

You could use some sort of RFID card system and give your neighbour an access card, or finger print access. It just means if they want to let someone come to their door, they will have to open the gate themselves from the inside.

The other option is sectioning off a side bit of your garden, so they have to walk all the way down your garden, across the back of it, then have a gate at the back. If you have kids then you can say this is for the kids safety. It just means it will be quite a faff for anyone walking all the way round.

Oh, come on, this is Mumsnet, why find the facts?
Let's all play barrack room lawyer and tell OP the first thing comes into people's heads or what they have in their deeds.
No fun otherwise. 😊

An easement is a legal right that allows someone to use another person’s land for a specific reason, even though they don’t own it. Easements are mostly used for:

• Access: Allowing a neighbour to cross your land to reach their property.
• Utilities: Granting rights for water pipes, electricity cables, or drainage systems to pass through land.
• Light and air: Protecting a property’s right to receive natural light or ventilation.

House insurance often has a legal helpline element. It's worth looking at your policy to see if that applies to you.

If so, they'll be able to help you find out just what your obligations are.

You could see if you could padlock the gate while providing her with a key for access. This should be allowed so long as you aren't preventing her access.

She won't be able to provide all and sundry with copies of the key, so that would at least reduce the number of users. If she does give out lots of copies, change the padlock, again with one key for her. She might eventually get bored if this repeats as often as necessary. Padlocks aren't particularly expensive.

You basically need to make it awkward for her, while still allowing the easement that she is entitled to.

I used to live in a terraced house in a northern city and this is very normal. None of us used our front doors as they went straight from the pavement into the living room. Neighbours had 2 annoying dogs and teenage sons. Once one of the came home pissed and puked all over our garden path. His mum was mortified, tore him a new one and was out there scrubbing it clean at 6am!

I know it’s annoying but it’s likely to be completely legal. It’s no use saying “why did you buy a house like this with a dog and young kids?” as you’ve done it now. But honestly? I’d move

Yes would there be room to make a shared path that is fenced off from your garden? I have some friends who bought a bungalow that someone had basically built in their garden for their parents. After parents passed they sectioned off a long drive at the side of their garden and a separate garden around the bunglow.

Well that's fair enough - but check your deeds and get legal advice if needed. People are suggesting locks on gates and alternative walkways - I don't think either of those override the legality of the easement on the deeds.

It will almost certainly be a marked path on the deeds.
Creating a walkway elsewhere has legal implications.

Doubt that's allowed

Can you partition off a walkway for them so you can have some privacy? It would really pee me off as well.

See I have access through my neighbours gardenThere aren't any restrictions

Check the deeds. Then stop access according to the deeds. You have a right to privacy and a private life too. And it’s as you point out security. Lock on the gate would sort it.

Bad idea as it's creating a new easement not on the deeds.

I moved into an end terrace house with exactly this scenario. Unbeknownst to me all neighbours were exercising their right to the easement on a very regular basis. We locked the adjoining gate as we had dogs that were regularly being let out onto the road. This felt like a safety issue. Long story short, the neighbour employed a solicitor, ran up huge bills, I could only defend myself in the week long court case and ended up in circa 100k of debt as a result. If I could have stopped this in advance of the legal action and put the for sale board up I would have done. If this situation is untenable for you, then I would leave. Although do this before any argument ensues or you will have to declare a neighbour dispute when the conveyancing solicitor do their paperwork . Good luck and please feel free to ask me anything, I know an annoying amount about easements. 😆

Is there any way you can section off the bottom bit of your garden into a passageway just wide enough for them to get the bins through, and then put a locckable gate into your actual garden? If you made it a high enough fence they would not be able to see into your garden proper.

You're right. Was just about to say the same. Title deeds need checked.

I would agree with the people saying check your deeds. I know several people who use their back door as their main access. For this reason, I would hope that it would specify what access rights she has, as I don't think it is far fetched to think that someone might try to do this. I would hope, in your type of arrangement, it would specify how much access she has. Don't lock the gate unless you are absolutely sure you legally can. There might be some clause about allowing emergency access which might mean you broke the law if you were out and the gate was locked. (Although there might not be as lots of house don't have access to the back at all, and back to backs don't even have a back entrance!)

Lots of people are saying this, but legally you cannot lock a gate in an easement.

This is crazy and would drive me mental! Agree with others she is taking the mick massively. I would put a lock on the gate and inform her she can only have access for her bins or some kind of emergency. She will have to use her front door like a normal person or go buy a house where she has her own free access to her back door. What a strange woman!

Definitely check your documents, it really ought to be only the occupants and only for specific things. I have heard of people only using front doors for births marriages and deaths so maybe that’s her reason for not using the front.

Agree with PPs that you need to read your deeds to be clear what access she is entitled to. This would honestly drive me insane and no way could I have held it in for a year!

What does it actually say in the legal documentation?