Should I brick up the gate?

[HappyLimeHiker]

I live in an end terrace corner house and next door has just been sold. We access the house from the side and have no steps. Next door have around 15 steps to access the front and no back access. There is a gate between our front gardens which was there when we moved in, an elderly lady lived next door at the time and when she mentioned the previous owner allowed her to use our gate to avoid the steps due to her mobility issues to avoid the steps we offered to allow her to continue to do so. Unfortunately elderly neighbour passed away last year and house is now in the process of being sold. Yesterday a man knocked my door and said his daughter and partner were moving in in a few weeks and could they use my entrance to avoid the steps? Perfectly reasonable request which I agreed to but then he started in CF territory, what if it's icy? What if they're having work done? During our conversation my 2 dogs were barking incessantly as they do when a stranger is at the door. I said I was happy to allow them to use my entrance on moving day but I can't allow it on a regular basis as I work from home for a call centre and I can't have the dogs barking and disrupting me. He just ignored that and repeated but what if it's icy? (Umm buy some grit maybe) so I reiterated I was happy to allow them to use my gate on moving day but I can't have the disruption on a regular basis and he sloped away. I can't help thinking this doesn't bode well and is going to cause us nothing but problems and I should brick the adjoining gate up before they move in to avoid this. So what is everyone's opinion on this? He really was quite persistent and didn't want to take no for an answer but thankfully he isn't the one moving in.

I'd allow moving day, but inform them you are doing garden renovations shortly after after as unfortunately them using your garden as access is not going to work for you longterm.

Have you checked your house deeds - and those of the nextdoor property?
It's quite common in terraced properties to have rights of access/rights of way across neighbouring properties. If this is the case, you can't just brick it up.

If there are no such rights, then you can do what you like, but it won't help neighbourly relations.

If the legal situation is they have no right of access, then just lock the gate. Ask your solicitor and they will likely advise you not to allow ongoing access.

Go and explain the legal situation and, assuming this is what you're advised, say your solicitor has advised you to lock the gate so things are clear when you come to sell.

You need to check your deeds to see if the other property has any right of access.

We are in a similar position - our neigbour gets to the side gate into his garden by walking down the side of our house. His (very adult) son is annoying and rides his bike down the side past our cars, and the deeds show the plot is entirely ours with no right of access, so there should be no side gate (I think historically they converted their garage which would have been the access to their garden). Neighbour is elderly and has been here for years (we’ve only been here 2) so for the sake of peace we’ve decided that we will wait til he moves on and then bring our gate forward and block up the side gate to his property so that it’s clear to any new owners.

I agree you should look at your deeds - I live in an end terrace house and my neighbour has a right of way round my house to their back door and so there is a gate in the back garden fence to allow access.
If they don't have legal right of way I would go with the suggestion made by pp and allow the access on moving day. But after that I would put a padlock on the gate and not give them a key. That would mean if in future there was some extenuating circumstance you could allow temporary access.

As above, you need to check your title deeds. I am in a mid terrace and have right of access (pedestrian only) across the yard area of the neighbouring 2 terraces.

No one has right of access across mine as the the other side is the end terrace and has their own access.

If the deeds state they have right of access then you cannot brick it up or refuse them use.

There are no access rights on the deeds just to clarify. As I understand it the previous owner of my home and elderly neighbour were good friends and back and forth in each others houses so installed the gate for their own convenience. It also makes it easier for the postman when delivering mail. They have their own gate for access, they just have steps leading up to the house as do all the other houses in the street (apart from us because we are on the corner) which I understand is inconvenient but they knew the house had steps when they put an offer in.

Bricking it up seems extreme. Wouldn’t a lock do the trick?

Have you checked their deeds?

Lock it and put a sign on the outside saying ‘Caution - Dogs Running Loose’.

@BitOutOfPractice it's a wooden gate about 30 inches tall and really is quite rotten to the extent one hinge is now detached, it would probably be cheaper to just brick it up than replace it, I think it would disintegrate if I tried to attach any hardware

If it's rotten then I think you have an easy argument; you are just doing a bit of maintenance and have decided you don't want to replace the gate with another gate.

However, for the sake of neighbourly relations I'd probably mention this to them in passing, along the lines of 'just so you know to expect the noise, I'm going to be doing a bit of work - my gate is rotten and past its usefulness, so I'm replacing the bit of wall where it was. Planning to get it done on [date].'

I think if the gate is in disrepair, I'd probably just brick it up. Replacing it would give them the opportunity to ask permission to use it. Bricking it up takes away that option and what benefit would a gate give you? The dad already sounds like a nuisance. Sorry if that sounds harsh but you have to set your boundaries from the start.

People can be absolute cheeky fuckers, though - I used to rent a house that had a side access and was back-to-back with another house (so you could, in theory, get from our side access along a snicket to the back of their garden). The side access had a gate at the end. Some people moving into the house behind insisted they needed access to theirs and we, because we were tenants and just believed they had access rights, said yes.

They turned up a day later with a padlock and locked the gate so only they could use it! It meant we couldn't get our bikes out to go to work, so I had to ring the landlord - who confirmed they had no right of access anyway! - and take a screwdriver to their padlock!

Moral of the story: don't give people an inch when it comes to access. Some people are fine but some will be really cheeky fuckers.

And to add, I'd brick it up before they buy next door to be absolutely sure they have no claim

I'd have bricked it up as soon as the old dear passed. They bought the house knowing it has steps!
Brick it asap if there is no legal barriers.

@HappyLimeHiker I can see a baby buggy being pushed through your side entrance in the future!! can you do a drawing to see how they actually get in to their house. I might be replacing the gate with a higher one and putting a lock on it for your own benefit. where do they store their bin and how do they get it in and out???

The estate agent might have misled them into thinking there is step free access and some people would take the estate agent at their word..steps to main door are a pain with pushchairs, big deliveries like appliances or furniture beyond moving day and in icy weather too..

This, or brick it up ASAP.

I'd brick it up ASAP. It was originally installed to benefit the previous owners of the houses, and since you have no reason to use it yourself, all it is to you is an annoyance and an inconvenience. Tough luck for the new occupants, they knew their new house had steps up to the door.

@HappyLimeHiker alternatively build a fence the whole way between houses.

I'd brick it up now. They've bought a house with steps so that's it. This will become at least a twice daily occurrence otherwise.

Tbh I'd do it now before they move in. It's likely the estate agent has said it's an option without checking first st so they probably assume they have right of way.

If he comes again say there's no access

If you work from home and your dogs are going to bark every time someone walks past you need to brick up the gate. They will have visitors, they'll be going in and out, the postman, deliveries, tradesmen - it could be a revolving rotten gate of people. An elderly lady in not great health may have not had many online deliveries, visitors, or felt like going out much, a young couple are going to be a lot more active.

Also if the gate is rotten it will make your property look dilapidated and uncared for which neither you or the neighbours want.

I’d definitely brick it up. The new buyers shouldn’t buy a house with steps if they don’t want to use the steps. I remember hearing some lawyer talking about housing developments etc, and saying “never buy a house for the beautiful view, unless you own the view”. Basically you can’t rely on anything that you don’t own staying the same.