Long time lurker here, just wanted some perspective on a somewhat unique situation with my neighbour to see if I am being unreasonable to say no to his request.
DH and I are moving house at the end of the month - the reason for our move is due to a sad and upsetting family situation, which has caused so much stress and worry over the past six months that it has affected my health to the point that I have developed a serious autoimmune disease (am currently awaiting treatment).
The houses in the area we are currently living in are all attached to each other by garages, however this particular neighbour has converted his into a living room, which means he has no other access to his garden other than directly through his house.
Pretty much as soon as we moved in a few years ago he sidled up to my DH whilst he was outside and asked if we would mind him using our garage for access to his garden once or twice a year, to which we said OK as we had just moved in and wanted to be neighbourly. However, since then, apart from when he has actually come to the door to ask for access, he doesn't speak to us, has dinged our car a few times with his car door and when I have taken in parcels for him, doesn't come to collect them for days on end. As you can imagine, my patience for being neighbourly has worn out and as we are moving, DH and I said to each other that if he comes to ask for access before we leave, the answer will be a big fat no because we have other things to be doing/worrying about without him adding to it.
Anyway, cut to this morning, two weeks until moving day and neighbour accosts my DH outside again to ask for access for works that need carrying out in his garden and for his usual access. As my DH is a people pleaser and soft as shit, he completely ignores what we discussed earlier and agrees that neighbour can use our garage! As we have the house for another month after we move out to get the carpets cleaned etc. my DH thought it would be OK just to leave the empty garage unlocked for them (to which I said no, we will still be responsible for the house if anything happened). I also explained to him that I have enough to do in terms of packing and getting ready to move, as well as feeling ill, that I do not need nor want the extra hassle of dealing with the neighbour and his workmen traipsing in and out of our garage, nor the worry of an unlocked garage when we're not there (I am home during the day, DH works long hours)!
So AIBU to say no when the neighbour comes round to confirm a date for the works to start and tell him he'll have to sort out his own access?