Allowing neighbour’s contractors onto our property.

[Greyhop]

Our neighbour (about once every couple of months) has requested that her contractor accesses our property in order to clean her conservatory roof/clear gutters.

We were fine with this until neighbour took down her front wall and damaged our wall in the process. She refused to admit fault.

We are now concerned that if there is an issue/damage to our property it will be difficult to sort out.

Also - one contractor came onto our property unannounced while my daughter was changing in the living room.

I think the law is that neighbour can access our property for maintenance. But it’s difficult now that our relationship has broken down.

I think I need to know that her contractor has insurance (should an issue arise) - and is CRB checked?

I’d be interested to hear your views!

Hell no. Our previous neighbour told us that he would be removing several slabs of our patio so that he could put up scaffolding on his wall to do his extension. He didn't ask, just TOLD us. He was most affronted when we said no. He claimed he'd pay for repairs but how were we to know he would? It still didn't stop him removing the wall and taking an angle grinder to our patio the day before we moved out though. He wanted to put in a soak away on OUR land!! I still feel angry about that. Cheeky fucker.

Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992 gives a right for your neighbour to access over your land to maintain her property. They do need to prove that they are unable to do so from their own land or that it's substantially harder. Therefore if you refuse her access she could go to the courts for an order allowing her.

This is not the same as allowing access for an extension or an improvement to the building, but for maintenance and or preservation.

You need to decide whether you want to take things further with the damage to the wall. You can also write to tell her you want written notice before anyone accesses your property and that it is limited to x? times a year. As the law is in place for the preservation of the building you could argue that you will not allow access for a window cleaner every month etc. I would make it clear that you will allow access, this will be on your terms and formally organised otherwise you will force the courts to decide on the terms.