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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbours put cable into their house from my side passage (pic)

119 replies

Neighbourscable · 03/02/2019 15:53

Detached house, with one side passage 3ft wide, so my side passage has neighbours sitting room, dining room and extension along one side, my own house on the other.

[Backstory] When neighbours put their extension up the builder encroached into our side by a couple of inches, put up capping stone which extends over a couple of inches more, plus they put a vent out of the dining room into our side passage without mentioning they were going to do this.
We let this go as we didn't want to fall out with them, although there was a sharp corner where the new extension began and we asked that this be cut back at an angle.

On Friday the neighbour asked my husband if we could leave the side gate open as the cable guy was coming to fix their internet and would need to work around the area above our side gate where the cable comes out from the ground. We said ok, both of us were out yesterday morning. Neighbour was a bit fudgy about what was going on, and what happened since has me very pissed off.

When I got back I realised the cable was going to be brought along the top bit of the brown area, and then above into the lighter area. I wasn't best pleased but asked the guy if he was going to chase the cable into the wall so it coudl be covered over. English wasn't his first language but I thought I was clear. He said yes and that he would be back.

A while later neighbour called to say all done, and I went with him to look and was not pleased to see what it looked like. Hope pic attaches ok. I mentioned to neighbour that cable guy was to come back to finish it, and he said no, that was it. I explained I wasn't happy about it protruding into our space, if we caught against it bringing bins or whatever out then we'd be taking out their internet. He said that would be their problem and I pointed out it would affect us too in terms of repairs having to be done and needing to take extra care in our own side passage.

Fact is, if we'd realised what they were planning we would have said they needed to find an alternative way. In our own case we had cables brought up over the roof rather than via the other neighbour's side passage.

I know it's their house and they have a right to tv and internet, but I don't see why they should be able to do it via our property, installing something permanently that we have to be careful about. Given what happened before, I feel like they're slowly spreading into our space.

I plan on going back and asking them to follow up to have cable chased into the wall.
Or am I being unreasonable?

Neighbours put cable into their house from my side passage (pic)
OP posts:
user1471528245 · 03/02/2019 16:17

Ok so firstly you need to check the boundary line, if the boundary line is the line of the wall then they are in the wrong, if the boundary line is the wall then the wall Is what is known as the boundary face.

The heaves the guttering and the footings can go over the boundary however the airspace from the boundary face belongs to the neighbouring property they cannot hang anything including cables on the boundary face.

Vents are different, you may find that it is written into the deeds that they are alowed to vent through the boundary face as many homes built with s boundary face wall have this written in the deeds

JustHereForThePooStories · 03/02/2019 16:17

You’re being petty.

The cable encroaches onto about 2cm of your air.

Pick your battles.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 03/02/2019 16:18

I also wouldn't be bothered by that but I would be bothered about the extension.

Neighbourscable · 03/02/2019 16:18

Sorry if I'm not clear. the wall on left is neighbours house. Pic is taken from my side passage. Their side passage is on other side of their house. Maybe drawing attached might clarify? So they had 3 sides to bring the cable in to their house but chose the one side where the only access is from our property.

The encroachment from the extension isn't noticeable. At the time we said it shouldnt have happened but we weren't going to fall out over it once the sharp angle was made safe. If that situation hadn't occurred then I probably wouldn't be bothered about this.

Neighbours put cable into their house from my side passage (pic)
OP posts:
FannyFifer · 03/02/2019 16:18

They are perfectly entitled to have a cable going into their own wall.

FannyFifer · 03/02/2019 16:20

They chose the side where it can go directly into the room in their house that they want it in.
You are quite strange.

RomanyRoots · 03/02/2019 16:20

You should have complained about the other things like the extension and vent.
There's nothing wrong with this.

Quartz2208 · 03/02/2019 16:20

Cable people dont always give you a choice and do it the easiest way

Still I dont really understand what the issue is if its on their wall?

Neighbourscable · 03/02/2019 16:20

Thanks @user1471528245

OP posts:
Justaboy · 03/02/2019 16:21

Thats quite neat by the standards of Virgin and Sky installers!

I doubt if you went to court over this they'd find in your favour.

However if its that annoying they might or a compent DIY person could put a bit of cable capping over it to protect it.

It could be chased inot the wall too bit thats a PITA if they ever have to repair it.

Look on the bright side at least your in an aera where high speed broadband exits some poor saps I know are paying a small fortune for a farmer to let them run a fibre optic cable to get them high speed broadband:)

Maelstrop · 03/02/2019 16:23

They are perfectly entitled to have a cable going into their own wall.

Yes, but it’s not a shared alley, it’s the OP’s. She’s right, if they ever drag bins through and catch it, it could be damaged. I’m forever dragging through a builder’s bag of garden waste, ivy, confier boughs etc. That would annoy the crap out of me. I understand they didn’t want cables out front and their alley is the wrong side, but I would insist on that being chased in.

CasparMum · 03/02/2019 16:26

They will continue to push the boundaries (literally here) because you have shown them that you will allow it. Go to the council and complain about the extension being on your land. They are CFs, but only because you are allowing them to be.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 03/02/2019 16:26

The cable is reap ally no big deal. The extension and vent however I would have pug my foot down over.

gottagetbetter7 · 03/02/2019 16:27

Perhaps this is a straw breaking the camel's back situation for you but personally I would not fall out over this and hope there are no further encroachments if building works are finished. It would not be unreasonable to ask them to put an external cable cover/cap on it to reduce possibility of snagging the cable with bins or ladders.

lilyheather1 · 03/02/2019 16:32

Looks like your gate is attached to their wall though? Surely if they can let that go, you can let this go.

LIZS · 03/02/2019 16:34

Or is this a reverse?

Neighbourscable · 03/02/2019 16:34

@Maelstrop, yes, you're right, it's my passage, not the neighbour's.

To be honest, the extension isn't noticable and it happened long enough ago that the council wouldn't do anything.

But I feel neighbours chanced there arm on this and didn't make clear what they were planning. I know if we asked the neighbours on our other side if we could do the same thing they'd tell us to fuck right off.

OP posts:
mumsiedarlingrevolta · 03/02/2019 16:34

We had similar but I am the other person in your scenario.

We were installing a downstairs loo and asked the neighbours if we could run a small pipe down the wall (of our house but same sort of thing where it would be on their side.

They said it was fine.
We did it, they decided they didn't like it after the work was done.

The builders suggested he was after some money to compensate for having to look at our pipe but we felt it was not something we wanted to be involved in so we ended up digging up part of newly installed kitchen to run pipe under floor.

It turns out he is very litigious and had problems with previous owners of our house.

I could probably live with the wire but I think their previous behaviour re extension means that they are CF and will do whatever they can get away with...

3luckystars · 03/02/2019 16:35

They own the wall.

arethereanyleftatall · 03/02/2019 16:35

Are you serious? I'm sorry but you are being absolutely ridiculous. A cable on a wall?!? My goodness me.

user1471528245 · 03/02/2019 16:37

To those who are saying it is their wall they are entitled you are mis-informed, if the wall is the boundary face they cannot put anything on it, no opening windows (window yes opening no) no satelite dish no tv aerial no pipes no cables.

Vents are different if written into deeds, regardless of whether it bothers you or not they are breaching the boundary face and are in the wrong

Redglitter · 03/02/2019 16:38

I doubt they'd get a choice of what wall the cable went in. The cable company will put it where its most convenient and needs least wiring

That alleyway looks a reasonable size. Realistically how often do you bounce your bins off the wall. I cant see why its an issue really

Neighbourscable · 03/02/2019 16:38

@lilyheather1 Yes gate is attached to their house on one side, just as their gate is attached to the house on the far side of them, and the neighbours on our other side have their gate attached to our side ... ;)

OP posts:
FigandVanilla · 03/02/2019 16:39

From the pic I can see it looks very neat and I can’t see how it affects you at all? It’s clipped tight to the wall of their house. Unless there’s a second picture I don’t get the issue at all.

JasperKarat · 03/02/2019 16:40

This can't be real 😂😂