AIBU or are neighbours CFs?

[Treacletoots]

We live in an old house, in a square shape with courtyard in the middle. We own the courtyard but have to allow access to neighbours over part of it to remove bins.

Historically we all share all the bins and take it in turns to put them out and bring in (some very much more than others...). They are stored, at the end of the courtyard in a separate area with sheds, in various states of disrepair.

Yesterday one neighbour has decided to claim back her bins, and put her number on etc. fair enough. This part we dont mind as she's always the one who doesn't pull her weight so this ownership is a positive step. However she's placed it in our garden, albeit, the part we allow access over.

I think she's being a CF and we need to tell her to put her bins back in the storage area. It's right in the sun all day, and as well as being our land, its directly next to another neighbours patio too. They don't own any outside space BTW, apart from the official bin store.

There's a tiny bit of history with this neighbour. They have previously wrote passivr aggressive notes to us all asking us to be a good neighbour when they deem the bins have been unfairly filled or if we park to close to their van ( parking is tight for all of us) and when we've tried to talk to them it has resulted in a "fuck off' from them.

So. Are we being unreasonable or if not, how do we approach this :/ help!

Hard to understand why anyone would want to move bins closer to their house, particularly in this weather.

In your shoes I'd be amusing myself by imagining scenarios in which I put a note through her door saying MOVE YOUR FUCKING BINS OFF MY PROPERTY. I wouldn't do it, but would while away pleasant minutes thinking about it

If you own the whole area can you de mark the other boundary leaving just a path for access to the binstore.

There was a wonderful Storyville documentary featuring a similar situation in York. "Hotel Folie a Deux" I think. Watch and learn.

Thank you. So she does benefit from having them right by her house, even though she has to trespass onto two different neighbours properties if she uses the back door.

That makes a little more sense to me about why she's done it then.

She has no land of her own, but she does have a door that leads directly onto yours and the other neighbours and that's why she's also put her bins there.

She's just decided it's quicker and easier for her than walking around the proper way every time she wants to put rubbish in her bin.

Can you and the other neighbour both speak to them, and point out that her right of access doesn't include cutting across the courtyard or storing bins in it? There might be more strength in numbers.

I have a feeling you're both going to have to go down the legal route with this neighbour at some point though.

What about building a bin store oustide the courtyard somewhere?

Parking to see how this bins out.

Laughing here at the level of interest in our little bin scenario. We've decided the course of action to be;
1 wait for her to leave the house
2 move the bins
3 write a nice note on the bins making it clear she doesn't have the right to store her bin on our garden and to quote her from previously 'be a considerate neighbour!' also to thank her for taking ownership of her own bins, given she rarely took out/ brought back in.

Realistically I'd love to stick a note on it saying 'Move your bin you cheeky fuck'

As for moving boundary, we were considering that actually, as we are planning an extension. We think we need to seek legal advice first though, just in case

@lulujakey1 if only.. this is it, and we are right on the pavement outside of these areas. Gorgeous period features come at a price of impractical living !

@hygge agree with power in numbers, hence referencing her being a considerate neighbour. Next door is away a lot but she would be on side and the other house is rented so she keeps out of any issues. The large house to the back has his own storage, lucky sod.

Do you think she’s the letter writer in the fly tipping thread? They were keen on wheelie bins too.

I wouldn't make it too personal- I'd do a reminder notice either taped to all bins along the lines of

"Polite notice - please ensure all bins are returned to the bin store and not left on the private courtyard.
Any bins found on the privately owned courtyard will be removed"

If she ignores the notice and keeps doing it you're going to have to allocate bins then number them, provide locks and then make hers disappear as per the warning notice.

Right! So we've done it. We've waited til she's out, moved the bins and left her a very polite but firm note taped to her bin.

We've also spoken to another neighbour who wasn't impressed but didn't feel able to say something. Roar! Feel better now, thank you all of you for your support and help :)

Fingers crossed OP!

🤞

If you’ve fenced the right hand bit off for your dogs safety then it’s quite clear what she’s thinking - start with a bin, then because it’s nice a chair to sit out... before you know it she has a wee bit of courtyard for herself.

@ExFury is onto something there I think.

She might be plotting a stealth takeover.

Can you put a double set of gates on the access road, like they have at the zoo? Far enough apart that you have to close one before you open the other, and then take your dog fence down?

Reclaim your courtyard.

stealth takeover

Haha, yes!

Well done!for celebrating

👍

Check the wording in your deeds, i have a similar patch off land outside my private garden, my solicitor helpfully spelt out what the deeds said and put it into bullet points for me. My patch off land is classed as garden ground so must be kept clear at all times, so no excavation or obstruction and i must allow neighbours right of way over said land to access their cars/garages. You could always refer to the wording in your deeds if neighbours get arsey!

The more threads I read on MN the more I think I must be very aggressive. I'd have done the bin-moving while she was at home, making as much noise as possible 😂

My NDN, a ll, pissed me off by taking down his front wall and concreting over the lawn - completely contrary to planning. It impacted on parking in the street, but in the interest of good neighbourliness I didn't report it, he'd have been made to reinstate the wall. But the tenants in that house decided that as they were parked and needed to back out, their bins should be placed in front of my house. I know right well that the pavement is public, but it doesn't stop me going out on a Wednesday night and firing their wheelie bins back in front of their house, every single time. Loudly.

Any response OP?

Hi OP. Your sister in Bin Wars here. 👊

Just popped over from my Honey Who Shrunk the Wheelie Bin thread to say, if your CF neighbour insists on continuing her CFery - and I think we all suspect she will - and if her rubbish bin is a black 240l wheelie one, then I will happily give it a new home for you if you want to 'lose' it.

Can't the access path be fenced off? even a really low fence should keep her away.

Or even a white line showing the access path to the bin store. She won't be the last house owner/tenant to try to push her luck. I'd be inclined to put in bollards, or some kind of demarcation to show that it's not permissable to stray onto your property.