To let them just jump over?

[violetwaters]

NC for this. My extension crosses over my neighbours boundary so my house is their garden wall basically. My workers need access to clear the guttering and fix one of the pipes but the neighbour isn’t in and the gate is padlocked. I’ve no idea when they’ll be back and can’t be paying my workers to stand around for nothing.

AIBU to let them jump the locked gate to carry out the work that needs doing?

Yes. You should have arranged access in advance.

This has to be a reverse!

Sod’s law says they’ll break something or your neighbour will come home. Even if that doesn’t happen you can’t let them jump the wall.

It’s an emergency call out as the pipes have only just broken this morning and is causing a spill of water into said neighbours garden. It would be benificial to them as well but they appear to have gone out yesterday and not come back yet

What does the workers PLI say about them jumping into a garden they’ve not secured approval to access?

If the wall is the boundary, does it mean the pipe is actually in their property?

If it's an emergency repair then, as long as you've tried knocking their door a few times, I'd say to jump over. I would put a note on the neighbours front door warning them there are 'emergency workers' in their back garden to give them a heads up if they return, it can then be removed if the workers leave before neighbours return. Also be prepared to put right any damage caused by water or the leak. You can then tell the neighbour what happened on their return.

If enough water leaks into their garden it can cause significant damage so it is in both yours and neighbours best interests to sort out a problem asap. (Your neighbour might just be out a few more hours, or they could be on holiday for a few weeks so you can't necessarily wait for their return.)

I wouldn't mind this at all if I was the neighbour

It’s an emergency situation, not the same as having DIY completed.

Write your neighbours a letter explaining you had to call out workers to deal with the emergency and you were acting to avoid water damage on both properties. Make clear that you haven’t seen them since yesterday and wondered if they were on holiday.

I wouldn’t mind this. It’s only an issue of access, you are not having work carried out on their property.

Ask them to get in touch if any problems arise.

Wouldn't bother me at all as the neighbour. Depends on your relationship with them I guess. We're not close at all but always pleasant and not had any run ins.

If the alternative is that their garden floods, I'd say they'd be more upset if it didn't get done!

Loving the idea that you said to the builders “hang on, let me just ask MN and get back to you”.

I’m assuming you didn’t do this, but still!