Would this annoy you too? I'm sure it isn't allowed...

[TruJay]

The house next door was repossessed about 2 years ago and stayed empty for a long time. It was bought by a family, mum, dad and I think 3 children around 6-8 months ago. At first the family would come up to the house every couple of days or so and do bits and bobs at the house (it needs a bit of work) but have never actually moved in.

We have talked briefly, said hi, the usual. They always say they'll be moving in in two weeks but it's still months later and no furniture has been moved in and no one is living there.

About 3 months ago cars started to appear on the driveway and at the moment there are 4 (we have large driveways) the cars are clearly bought at auction as they have the writing on the windows of dates/price etc.

So now the house looks like a garage with deliveries of car parts, beaten up cars on the drive and loads of people turning up for their cars valeting, fixing etc.

Sometimes the home owner is not there and it's just his friends.

It looks a mess, the noise is driving me mad, hammering at half 9 at night last night so went out and asked them to be quiet which they did but with a snappy response. He later came round to apologise for snapping and asked if we could agree a time when noise has to stop to which I said the kids are in bed at 7 and he replied "so it's ok to be as noisy as we want til 7 yeh?" I replied no, it isn't. I don't want to listen to constant noise especially when it isn't even the home owner but his random mates.

The guy said that "well I have a business to run"
Surely this isn't allowed though, you can't just buy a house, make it look as if you are moving in you and your family and then actually just use it at junkyard/garage.

I don't want to listen to bikes/quads/cars revving through the day up to and after 9 at night.

I've read up online and there are lots of things in place that is needed to change a residential property into a business and that a car garage due to noise, mess etc will not be granted so I know they don't have any permission as it says letters will be sent to neighbouring properties.
I think they are testing to see what they can get away with, trying to sort it myself before going to council.

The guy just can't see that we worked our ass off to buy our house in a quite place and when DH has worked all week we don't want our evenings and weekends disturbed.

I'm sure it's great having somewhere to store all this crap and carry out all the noisy work and then go back to your tidy quiet house elsewhere but it's not right and I'm sure this isn't allowed by what I've read online.

Sorry that was long.

AIBU?

No YANBU.

I would report them to the council.

yanbu I have every sympathy with you and I would do whatever it takes to get it stopped gooud luck.

YANBU, I'd be furious. Report them to the council.

They can't run a business like that or even an extension of a business like that from home. Speak to the council.

Report them to the council and maybe HSE too.

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/raising-your-concern.htm

Def report, that's not acceptable.

www.hse.gov.uk/contact/authority.htm

Definitely report them.

If he bought the house with a mortgage even that might be dodgy, as I think you have to declare that you will be running a business from the property on that.

That sounds really annoying op, I hope the council can help.

We have a similar issue, the man in the next street from us bought an end terraced house next to the garages at the end of our street. He turned his fence into a gate and parks his van against it, so it is no longer possible to turn round in the garages as his van is in the way. This is inconvenient as the garages are the end of our cul de sac so tricky to do a three point turn otherwise.
He's also dumped lots of wood and grass clippings at the garages and in the woods behind them, which is inconvenient as I walk my dog there and now have to climb over a mound of wood shavings and grass to access the woods. It's also piled around an electricity sub station which causes me concern.

I haven't received any letters and thought he had a right to set up a business and I had no right to complain about the inconvenience he caused, and I didn't know if I could report the dumping as I've only witnessed it a few times and it would be my word against his.

I have to say I wouldn't mind at all if he hadn't been so inconsiderate to everyone else around him, collected his waste and parked considerately.

Oh thank you, I just needed someone else to say this isn't allowed.

I grew up in a shitty area and have put up with a lot (cars burnt out on the street, diggers being stolen from the site a school was being built and driven into cars and gardens and many many more delightful examples) so I'll be dammed if I'm having this on my doorstep of a house we have worked hard for and bought in a nice area.

Think I will call the council tomorrow and see what is/isn't allowed and what can be done.

Thank you.

You need to go to the council. I think it is environmental services (they deal with noise pollution), but might be other departments too. Planning department perhaps, or whoever else deals with what permissions are needed to change the designated use of premises or land.

You cannot sort it yourself. He doesn't sound the polite and considerate sort, so he is unlikely to listen to polite requests from neighbours. Go to the council straight away rather than beat about the bush.

If he has a business to run then he should have bought/rented suitable business premises. Maybe it was cheaper to buy a house, but it is not fair on neighbours, he does not have the correct permission in place to do what he is doing and he is very unlikely to get it. It could also be mortgage fraud, as the mortgage company will probably have lent on the basis that it is to be a family home first and foremost. He may need the shot across his bow of you going to the council, as that is precisely what he doesn't want to happen.

You can't just set up that sort of business at your home.

There will be a clause in his deeds which defines what use he can put the building to. It's fairly certain that business use will be excluded.

hygee I did think that too re mortgage.

coffee that's it, it's the inconsideration of it, and completely bizarre how they can't see its a pain to others.

Thank you for the links I will check them out later tonight with DH.

I do have a bit of evidence already (excluding all the cars on the drive and bumpers and others parts you can see throught the house window) I accepted a parcel for them a month ago and on the label on the parcel was to the house address but with a business name not a person. Like this,

ABC motor services
123 my road
My town
BE QU1ET

I took photos of it for future reference.
not the real address

"I took photos of it for future reference."

Sneakily well played!

Haha why thank you diddl

topseyt totally get what you're saying, I have just let him know in no uncertain terms that it isn't going to be tolerated. Obviously I know he won't now just up and move all the cars etc and the family all live their like us normal folk do. Will call the council tomorrow when DS at school and dd napping.

The thing is the homeowner was in the driveway with two other blokes the whole time I was at my door talking to this bloke and home owner never said a word, just kept his head down.
The guy I was talking to doesn't own the house and will not be 'moving in (in two weeks) with his family'

I said why not take all the crap to his house and he couldn't say anything but he's (homeowner) my business partber and I have a business to run.

well run it elsewhere pal

*there not their

Hi Op, I'm sorry you're having all this hassle.

A few years ago I had a similar thing when a neighbour decided to start selling second hand cars from home. At any given time he had 8-9 of them parked in the street, with big forsale signs, and big price labels on them.

We then started getting strangers, usually men, rolling up to view the cars, sometimes late into the night, which was really unnerving, especially a couple of times I saw someone walking up my drive and looking at my car.

So, using my camera without flash settings on, I photographed these 'buyers' complete with salesman neighbour over several nights from an upstairs window.

The neighbour got wind that someone had reported him and moved all the cars beforethe council visited, but I had photograpic evidence which was dated and timed.

It worked. He got stopped and was hauled over the coals for it.

stedmunds thank you, that's reassuring.

I will update once I've made the call tomorrow.

Thank you all for your comments b

Planning permission is required to change the use - but to take enforcement action the council will need evidence. photos and a diary is useful. I would start documenting it now and report the business use to planning enforcement and environmental health for any noise etc.

You can run a business from a residential property without planning permission but it has to be ancillary to the enjoyment of the dwelling house, ie the main use of the house has to be residential but one could (for example) work from home or use a garden office or study to run an office based business, or part time beauty treatments etc but only if the main use stays as residential. That doesn't sound like the case here.

Best of luck!

You can't just run a garage from a house he will be breaking allsorts of health and safety laws and I' ll bet he's not declaring tax on earnings. Just let the council know what's been happening and get photographic evidence. Is also be tempted to inform HMRC

This sounds horrendous. You should be able to relax in your own home. It must be really stressful. Your neighbours are really taking the piss. I hope this gets resolved quickly when you've spoken to the council.

Have spoken to the council who directed me to the planning office. The neighbour has no current planning in place to do this (already knew that as we would have been notified so we could object) The guy on the phone took down details of the address and complaint and someone is going to call me back.

It was slightly annoying though as when I was asking whether it's allowed and people can actually do this, he wouldn't give a yes or no answer!

They are definitely breaking the law. You can't change a residential property to a business or vice versa without permission.

That's my knowledge too plastic and surely even if they do ask for planning permission surely it wouldn't be granted in a residential area especially when the house has no occupants, just an empty house and a garage run out front in the driveway.

Why can't people just live normally! You wake up, take kids to school, go to work/run errands/tidy house/sahp to young children delete as necessary and then come home, have tea, enjoy your home/garden and repeat!