How’s this for a whole new level of cheeky fuckery - someone has token our allotment!

[YaMuvva]

Moved into our new house in January. Bought off a lovely lady who was a widow and something of a popular figure in the street (relevant).

We were pleasantly surprised to find that in the deeds it came with a garage across the road (which we’d seen at the viewing but it wasn’t clear it belonged to the house) and an allotment plot. We’ve actually been on an allotment waiting list for years so it was nice news.

We’ve already had aggro with the garage - when we got the keys we went to open it and found that it was rammed full of full boxes! I called previous owner directly as she gave us her number (as assumed they were hers) and she said she allowed our next door neighbour for years to use it. He was most put out when we told him to clear his stuff as we needed to use it. This was 3 months ago, and only last week did he finally clear it out, and only did so when we had to get shitty with him and say if he didn’t clear the garage we would do it for him (don’t want to get off an a bad foot with the neighbours but he was taking the piss).

Anyway we have never checked out the allotment before now (it’s not far about a 10 min walk from here) just because of time constraints and illnesses and crappy weather but decided to finally today go and find it as the sun is shining here.

Anyway, when we got there we looked on the sheet of paper we’d been given and found the plot - and a person sitting next to a full and lush patch sitting on a chair having a cuppa! There is also a shed full of tools coffee cups newspapers etc in it too . We asked the person if we’d got it wrong as we are new owners of number 8 on X Street and thought this was our new allotment.

Apparently she is our neighbour down the road (never yet met her) and yes whilst it is the allotment belonging to number 8, the previous owner (a “very dear friend” of hers apparently) let her use it, she’s been using it for 10 years.

My DH, still stinging from the garage debacle, said well I’m afraid your very dear friend doesn’t live in no 8 any more we do and we are reclaiming the allotment, thank you for looking after it but it is OURS to enjoy.

She bloody said no! And that she’s cultivated this patch for several years, she grows all her veggies here and it’s her sanctuary so if we want it we will ‘have to fight for it’! She also said she paid for the shed.

DH said that’s fine, expect a fight then, and we shuffled away in shock. I then rang the old owner and she said “Oh yes it’s Barbara’s plot really she was good to take it off my hands and it would be awful to take it off her”. To be clear - the plot has NOT been sold to Barbara.

I just can’t believe the piss takery of this. DH thinks we should just go and take down the shed, leave it at her front door and dig up everything and chuck it all in a bin.

I feel like the neighbours just took the piss out of the old owner and think they genuinely have a claim to the stuff she was kind enough to let them borrow.

It’s not an allotment! It’s a plot of land, separate from the garden, colloquially referred to as ‘the allotment’ because it’s often used for growing veg.

I know it is. I was commenting back to the person who said her daughter rents her allotment a council one to someone else so she doesn’t lose it.

Not if they are all individually owned. I knew there was a problem calling it an allotment - it's a plot of land. The same as a private garden but not attached to the house.

Could you fence it in with a locked gate and cctv?

Sorry - it’s doing my head in, all the people going on about Allotment Rights and renting from the council, etc etc. Apologies for not spotting you were replying to someone else.

💯 this. The absolute brass neck of Barbara (was she dressed a bit like felicity Kendall in the Good Life as well as having a wanker cup OP?!). She’s got balls though.

It’s hard work isn’t it 😅

Kind of but not quite.

@YaMuvva "unless we physically throw her off (which we’d probably get arrested for) we can’t stop her from putting her 2 feet on that land Without legal intervention"

That's not really correct. In fact, the British laws are not too dissimilar to a lot of US laws (apart from the criminal part). In fact, we have more rights than those in some US states, eg California.

In the UK, if you tell a person to leave your property and they do not immediately turn around and start making their way to the nearest public highway or footpath "with reasonable expedition" then they become a trespasser.

If a person is a trespasser on your property and refuses to leave then you can use reasonable force to make them leave. Asking Babs to leave your allotment is no different to security staff or bouncers asking a person to leave an event or nightclub etc.

It is probably best to ask her to leave several times first. Then escalate it to a warning that if she does not leave then you will forcibly remove her. If she still does not leave then that is the time to remove her. You can push her, pull her forward and essentially use the necessary amount of force to get her off the allotment.

If she returns you repeat the process.

Things get a bit different if she starts damaging your property or tries to stop you enjoying your allotment. If, once you've started using your allotment, she comes onto it and starts harassing you or starts doing things to obstruct you from using the allotment then that becomes a criminal offence of "aggravated trespass", Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 68(1).

Just as an aside, if she were also to park a caravan on your allotment and decided to live in it then that would also be a criminal offence if she did not leave when requested by a police constable, particularly if she were to use threatening words or behaviour, Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 60C.

Yes where I live and grew up allotments are all council owned and it’s hard work getting one and easy to lose them if you don’t keep them up.
i have heard of people owning land, such a thing has been described to me in hushed tones, but allotments have always been patches of rented council land to me. I thought maybe Barbara had kept it in trim in the old owners name to save her losing it.

Thank you, @PamPamPamPam

Also wish those nattering on about the definition of "allotment" would read all of OP's posts.

Op called it an allotment purely because it’s growing food

she could of called it her farm land. Or just part of her land. It’s not council ran. It’s not council owned.

it’s her land purchased fair and square that someone else is growing food on.

Are you always this much of a pushover?

Threads like this really make me understand why there are so many nightmare neighbours these days: people can get away with literally trying to steal your land and you'll just take it!

And she didn’t think much about us. She didnt try and understand our situation either.

I think you’re completely ridiculous saying that we are dicks.

@BettyBardMacDonald honestly I am amazed at some these responses and it perfectly illustrates how far we still have to go as women. Be kind! Be nice! Think of her mental health! Her feelings! Her friendships!

Is the OP supposed to take responsibility for a complete stranger's health, well-being and social life now?

She's been mis-sold a property and SHE needs to be understanding?

I'd be down there pulling up her produce and dismantling her shed right now and leaving them on her doorstep. After all, you're not stealing from her, you are returning property to its rightful owner. Property that has been left on your land without your permission...

I really won’t be buying her a new shed!

Agree @PamPamPamPam !!

Also the notion that a 60-year-old woman needs such coddling and deference is highly offensive.

This isn't really a 'be kind' situation. This is a legal right to your property. Which Barbara is illegally occupying.

Barbara is barking mad. It’s simple - she knew the plot belonged to that house as the previous owner gave her permission to use it. She knew the house was for sale, therefore the plot was too. She also knew that you had moved in and obviously you would know from the deeds that it was yours. She should have discussed with the previous owner what would happen and then approached you upon moving in.

I would approach her with a simple ‘sorry if we were harsh with you the other day, we were just a bit shocked. We understand you have put a lot do work in, but we have plans for our plot of land so can we work out a transferral please?’

@PamPamPamPam, I am amazed that an adult like you has next to no understanding of law, or much else to boot.

If this type of land arrangement is usual in your area then Barbara would have known the plot was now your when you moved in.

As she’s already put so much work in I would say I wanted 50% cleared within say 2 weeks (your DH can offer to help) and she can rent the other 50% for her own use.

Review the situation around October time when the growing season has slowed down - decide whether 50/50 works or you want the whole plot. You may find that 50% is enough at the moment.
If you want the whole plot give Barbara a notice period that ends before the spring growing season starts.

Barbara’s mental health doesn’t change the fact that it’s the OP’s land

No idea. I’m not sure if all the houses on the street came with a plot.

@YaMuvva I only meant if it was easier not to move the one currently on your land. Definitely not otherwise …! Sad for her but you need her off and to have your fresh start.

Why should the OP and DH endure this awkwardness?!

Barbara has a huge garden, and, supposedly, friends in the area. Let her use her own property and/or prevail on people she knows, not squat belligerently on strangers' property.

It's April; plenty of time for her to transplant her crops elsewhere.