To give you an update on the Backyard Bungalow saga?

[OhDoAdmitMrsDeVere]

I have kept quiet over the last few months not from any wish to be mysterious but because feck all has happened.

Well I say nothing has happened, the neighbours are now living in the bungalow and their house is occupied by a bewildering array of people. They are fairly quiet in the house but do many annoying things outside including talking on mobiles early in the morning and late at night and having sex in cars.

Anyway, got a letter from planning today telling me that planning permission for the mahoooosive fence they put up after they did all the annoying, noisy and intrusive building work, (the bastards) has been REFUSED.

Yes REFUSED! This is in no small part to the amazing letter written for me by MrsMarjoribanks. I can just picture their faces when they received it, their bemused looks as they tried to marry up the vision of ME with the letter in front of them

So the fecking feckers have to take down their ugly fecking 10 foot fence.
I hope they dont, I hope they continue to think they can get away with anything they like, thus drawing more attention to themselves and getting their just desserts. SO NER!

I always like it when someone sticks their name on the bottom of a letter I write too.

Good result MissM.

Great work, Miss M and Mrs DV. I too read the Guardian article and thought of you. Horrifying, the thought of a forest of slum housing springing up in the backgardens of London, in lieu of anything approaching a humane and decent social housing policy

Bugger it all!
After yet another night of being kept awake by lodgers standing in the front garden talking for hours I just cant bear it any more!

I have sent an email to housing standards regarding the house being a HMO.

The fact that the lodgers have to stand in the front garden to talk suggests that they are pretty over crowded inside.

Also that they are not allowed to use the back garden incase they disturb the people who own the fecking house

If the noisy is loud, do also try environmental health.

I have no faith in eh I am afraid.

The builder worked 7 days a week, 12 hours days and they didnt do anything.
It wasnt all their fault to be fair.
He knew exactly when the office was staffed and took full advantage.

They just ignored the noise warning they got and nothing happened.

I wouldnt dream of reporting just to cause trouble (well I do dream of it but I wouldnt actually do it for that reason).

But I know the house is in poor repair, it is really hard to tell how many people are living there and they change all the time. The house is exactly the same as mine (pre improvements) so I know it has a tiny bathroom and kitchen. I worry about the state of the boiler, fire regs etc.

The lodgers are not unpleasant but they are thoughtless. They change so often, I might get through to one lot that they shouldnt chat on their phones outside my window at night, they apologise and then another lot move in.

I dont wish them ill. I am sure they are nice boys but FFS its like having a hostel next door and it really is a small house.

I will admit to being fecking fuming that the back garden appears to be out of bounds to protect the landlord from any bother.

MrsDV YAY for the fence being refused but BOO for the noisy buggers keeping you awake.

I would suggest getting a hose and squirting them but you might get in trouble for that.

So glad that something has gone right for you at last Mrs DV... Can we expect to see Arnand on your profile pictures ... pleeeese ?

wizzler I dont really want to get banned for life from the YMCA.
I am sure taking cheeky snaps of young men and then posting them for MNers to have a quick perv contravines membership rules

McK I dont think they realised that they were being so loud. They are young men and were having a chat and laughing. It was gone 12 though! They did say sorry and shut up but I hate having to yell out the window every few weeks as a new lot move in and do the same thing

I hate the animosity. My neighbours are such inconsiderate, grasping arses though. I cannot forgive what they put us through last summer and how they are just taking the living piss out of regulations, laws and US.

Grrr.

Thanks for the update.
There was a recent Radio 4 programme all about rogue back yard buildings being built illegally to house people, especially illegal immigrants & other vulnerable folk, overcrowded unsafe conditions, etc. Made me think of you.

There is nothing in the world that smells as bad as burning broccoli stems

just a thought to pop on the BBQ when you are about to go out for the day and the wind is blowing towards them

YAY! Great news :)

Good luck on the HMO stuff.

I'm so glad you're back with the updates MrsDV!

please please please keep us up to date with arrival of the burly enforcement officers

Great news about the fence, hurrah!!

Shame the gymgalow is still there/ occupied but hopefully something can be done about that too (and sooner rather than later). It's so frustrating that ignorant arseholes like your neighbours can bull on with total disregard for the law and yet the law has to pussy-foot around them, notifying them of this, investigating that. Keep up the good fight!!

How about a direct approcah to the Fire Officer? The house is obviously an HMO but almost certainly does not have the adaptations necessary for it to be a legal HMO. The Fire Officer could close it down on safety grounds?

Gymgalow

oohhh MrsDV - really feel for you esp in this weather and you want to leave windows open

i second WetAugust and the Fire Officer - to rent out a house it has to have fire doors, extra smoke detectors, etc

I do like a good enforcement case about boundaries... of course I'm normally on the side with the fence (the last one was a wall that was objected to by a neighbour who apparently was a peeping Tom - not sure he was pleased when we got the OK to rebuild it just a foot back from where it was so he still wouldn't be able to see the children in the back garden ) and happy to help with any comments - particularly regarding overshadowing matters.

I have just had to tell my neighbour that he needs planning consent for his new 'office' at the bottom of the garden - he didn't think he did, but he definitely does as its 3m high just 80cms from the boundary. However, I don't have any problem with it as his garden's slightly lower than ours and our gardens are big enough for it to not impact upon our house or garden significantly.

I would see if you can get the Planning Department to carry out a few more unannounced visits to the 'gym' as the last one was announced.

I would also get in touch with HMRC re rents and planning re HMO.

ooh, look at all the planners on this thread. there really are loads of us sprinkled about the country with people normally thinking we're the most boring people in the world until something like this.

Wish you the very best of luck. Never dealt with any of this kind of thing as i was always on the 'dark side'........

yay planners!

I'm on the dark side too but they've made me welcome on the MN planning team

I'm on that side too

There do seem to be a lot of planners on MN

I'm not sure that we're more numerous than we should be Jins - just that this thread has made us declare ourselves!