Cheeky neighbours and their wet washing - Part 2.

[QueenofmyPrinces]

I posted a few months ago about one of our neighbours using our adjoining garden fence (which is about 7ft high) to hang their wet washing on and how I was fed up of being faced with their wet clothes hanging over into our garden each day or picking up their pants and trousers when the wind blew them off the fence and onto our lawn.

We tried numerous strategies:

• Repeatedly pushing the clothes back over their own side of the fence therefore them landing on their garden.

• My son taking his water gun to the sides of the clothes that were hanging down over our side of the fence.

• Keeping any of the clothes that blew off the fence and landed into our garden.

They seemed to get the hint and invested in a clothes line but rather than buy a rotary line they just bought a cord and tied one end to the fence post that belonged to their house, pulled it diagonally across their garden and then tied the other end to the final post of our adjoining fence. They then pegged all their clothes onto it including their wet towels which obviously were very weighty.

Unsurprisingly the repeated use of this clothes line with heavy items caused the adjoining fence post to buckle and separate from the other fence posts. Once this original weakness had occurred it obviously got worse and worse as they continued to hang up their wet washing.

As it stands now the end post of our garden fence is heavily leaning over into their garden and the weight of that is causing the end third of our fence to bend inwards over their garden too.

(A diagram can be provided if this doesn’t make sense)

Anyway - yesterday, one of the neighbours had the bloody cheek to put a letter though our letterbox to complain about our fence impeding over into their garden and therefore could we please replace our fence!!!!!

My husband couldn’t believe it! I was at work thankfully because I would have hit the roof. My temper isn’t quite as calm as my DH’s.

I mean what the hell?!

We don’t quite know how to respond because all I want to do is to tell them to piss off and if anything they should be the ones to replace the fence!!!

I’m off out for lunch in an hour and I really hope I bump into one of them as I walk to my car so I can tell them what I think of their suggestion!!

Oh my word if they're leaving the washing out for days the weight of 'the darken' will be adding to the strain

The trouble with renting is that it’s a landlord’s resonsibilty to do maintenance and provide facilities. Tenants aren’t allowed. So if the landlord hasn’t provided a washing line secured to properly cemented poles then the tenants are just trying to dry their washing. It’s the landlord you need to communicate with. Ask them to repair your fence and then provide a proper washing line for their tenants .

Contact the agency/landlord. They should contribute to repairing the fence.

Unfortunately you have to make it their problem before anything gets done. Keep contacting them until you are satisfied with the response.

Hmmm. I wonder if they are overfilling the washing machine, which will probably damage it. 'LL might be more interested in that.
I think you need to make this the LL's problem. Hopefully you have photos.
Also to those saying about the fence post being defective. It is a boundary marker and if used as intended is fine. It was not intended to support heavy wet washing for days.

I fear the thought of them going back to using our fence to dry their washing if the washing line goes.

I don’t know what’s worse....

Having a buckled fence and it cosmetically looking awful, or facing my garden each morning with next doors clothes lying all over my lawn.

Hmmm. I wonder if they are overfilling the washing machine, which will probably damage it. 'LL might be more interested in that.

I often wonder if the landlord actually knows how many people are living there. Are they obliged to know or can they just rent the house out and it’s to the main tenants discretion who lives there?

Their landlord has a responsibility here, he can't just ignore it and hope it goes away.
Their behaviour is unsociable and he put them there.
Write a strongly worded letter to the landlord (or call him and remind him of his responsibility). Get an estimate for the repair and send it to them both, letting them know they are both in receipt. This is damage to your property despite requests to cease and desist. They can settle outside small claims court or in it with additional costs but make it clear you are prepared to take that action.
Your post is on your property and it is not acceptable to attach a line to it without your permission.
The landlord should make a drying facility available for them or authorise them to make the change themselves. The lack of drying facility is not your problem. The deliberate destruction of your property is.

How many bedrooms do they have

Depends. In my experience as a 'LL and student parent the lease specifies the adults but not always children. All tenants are named on the lease and are financially checked as are any guarantors.
If'LL uses a letting agent they would deal with that aspect. If he does the admin himself it may be less prescriptive. Depends how knowledgeable they are.
In you next missive to the LL be specific about the quantity of washing for x adults and Y childen with photos . How big is the house. It sounds a bit overcrowded if they are not one family.

I believe they are one family. Four men, two women, a child who looks about ten and another that looks about 7. There is also an infant who looks about a year old.

It is a 3 bedroomed property.

On one occasion there were 12 pairs of jeans, 8 hoodies and 5 big towels draped on the line

That's a LOT of weight! No wonder your post is toppling! My line is a strong steel core one. One end is attached to big metal screw in the garage wall and the other tied around a tree. Max I hang is 4 jeans and maybe one bath towel or two small towels.

Doesn't their washing end up filthy again when draped on a fence and blown around a garden?

TBH, its not going to dry anyway at this time of year. I had washing out all day yesterday and it came in almost as wet as it went out. What do they do when it rains for days at a time? They must have an alterative system for then, like draping in the garage or house on racks?

The landlord needs to stick a couple of poles in for the washing line. I would follow the route of letters and threaten small claims if it is not resolved.

I would also report to the Local Authority if it is overcrowded and talk about HMRC as it sounds like it is a non declared let - so his mortgage co if there is one might also be interested

That's a LOT of weight! No wonder your post is toppling! My line is a strong steel core one. One end is attached to big metal screw in the garage wall and the other tied around a tree. Max I hang is 4 jeans and maybe one bath towel or two small towels

Exactly!

The cord they use for the line is simply looped around one of our fence posts about four times and then tied in a knot.

The diagrams show how the garden/lines look at from a birds eye view. The black squares show where they have tied the ends of the washing lines.

The second picture demonstrates how the fence has been pulled over to their side of the garden.

I have no idea what they do when it rains, I imagine they just drape everything over radiators, doors, stair bannisters etc, who knows.

It’s just so annoying!!

Ok, assuming you own the fence (Paid for and erected by you) then it is illegal for your neighbour to:

1. Paint stain or render your fence or wall

2. Attach anything whatever to your fence or wall

3. Pile or lean anything whatever against your Fence or Wall

4. Grow ivy or other climbing plants up your fence or wall

5. Allow Balls or other objects to be thrown or kicked against your fence or wall

6. There is no Law which requires the "good side" of a fence to face a neighbour it is purely an old convention

Keep snipping that rope and pushing washing off the fence. Have a read over at Gardenlaw which should help, then perhaps send a note to the neighbour cc'ing the Landlord outlining the above.
Good luck!

www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=6&sid=60419f5572c944003c468dea953055f1

Cut the line every time you see it, push the washing over onto their side when it's on your fence - every single time. Cheeky bastards

Just been out and cut it down!

It was tough stuff - we had to use pliers and a serrated blade!!

OP have you also sent a letter to the landlord?

I'm a little concerned that cutting the line is going to escalate things.

Have you taken photos of the washing on the line? Did you take photos of the washing line wrapped round your posts?

I really think making this the LL's problem is the best way to approach it.

I guess you just have to repeat that. They do need to dry washing but like most people renting without an outdoor line they could just buy an airing rack or two, which is all we have.

We have got photos yes of the washing on the line and then being looped around our fence.

I have also cut down the line that is wrapped around our top fence post so they know that we aren’t prepared to take it anymore. That section of fence may still be stable now but we aren’t risking them damaging that part of the fence too.

My husband is going to ring the letting agency this afternoon so we will see if that gets us anywhere.

Well done Queen. Please don't let these people walk all over you. Treat them with the same contempt they are obviously treating you.

Let it bloody escalate, its your fence why on earth should you put up with it.

How the heck are they drying clothes in this weather?

They're definitely overcrowded by law as well, make sure the letting agent knows that too.

Send them a letter stating.

" Hi Neighbours. The damage to our fence is because it isn't designed to take to weight of your washing line. I have removed your washing line again to prevent further damage and will ask you again not to continue to tie a line to our fence. I have also contacted your landlord to request they pay for the damage and repair our fence and to request they provide you, their tenants, with a properly installed drying facility (i.e. concentrated metal posts designed to take the weight of a washing line). In the meantime perhaps you could buy a rotary clothes airer and install it with a metal spike hammered into the ground and ask your landlord to reimburse you?In all circumstances, please do not continue to use our fence to dry your clothes, Best Wishes Your Neighbours"

namexhange - that’s a great letter but English isn’t their first language, (I have only heard 3 of the adults and the eldest child talk in English and it wasn’t easy to decipher) and they tend to talk in their native tongue so I’m not sure how well they’d comprehend the letter

They can get it translated I'm sure. Or if you know their language then translate it yourself through google translate.