Neighbour dumping her rubbish in communal garden...

[TheLastNigel]

We live in an old pub-our house is at the front in what would have been one half of it-neighbours 1 live in the adjoining half-there is an arch between through which neighbours ,2, 3, 4 and 5 access their houses and our communal car park (their houses are converted stables and the car park would have once been the yard). Neighbour 6 lives in a newer house the top of the yard.
Behind her house is a large communal garden shared between all the neighbours except number 6 who once would have had part of the communal garden but in 1985 (she has lived here a long while) fenced her 6th of the garden (took the bit that immediately backs on to her house) off. Possibly not legal but it was ages ago and it bothers no one-no one else's house could open direct to the garden-we have to go up a short path adjacent to neighbour 6's to access.

We all pay into a communal fund for the upkeep of communal areas-including neighbour 6. This covers exterior painting, any communal plumbing or drainage issues etc.
Some of this fund was recently put towards new fencing around the garden. What we had before was old, falling down and annoying the neighbours on either side.

After this I've been doing some gardening (no one else bothered before bar mowing the grass) and generally tidying up the garden because it was a bit wild before. I've undertaken to do this at my own cost, just because I quite like gardening and it seems a shame to have such a potentially nice garden go to waste-plus all the neighbours can then enjoy it more.

Neighbour 6 has been redecorating her house.
I came Home last week to find she had chucked a load of old carpet into the communal garden.
Yesterday she had thrown a rotting old bench out there, a broken washing line, some bits of painted timber and a rotten old chest of drawers.

This is annoying on two levels- one she'd been watching me all afternoon doing the gardening so is obviously aware I'm trying to pretty it up for everyone.
Two-who does she think is going to get rid of her rubbish?

Admittedly in the past no one cared about the garden too much-but for the last month I've been working on it and a couple of the other neighbours have removed some junk etc.

I don't want to annoy her-everyone else in the yard seems a bit nervous of her-but at the same time AIBU to be a bit pissed off?
And what to do?
She won't take it well if I challenge her about it I don't think. Do I just suck it up? I've organised a man to come and get rid of some other bits of old junk-maybe just pay him a bit more to take hers (I will claim this back out of the communal fund)?

It's tricky as I don't want to cause any arguments within the yard.
Last year I parked in 'her' parking space (spaces aren't marked out or officially allocated, we all just tend to stick to the same spot).There was someone else in 'mine' and she was out. When she got home she parked in my space as the person has gone-which is two cars worth further away from her house (she is no way disabled). Her daughter came tearing down the yard and had a strop to my other half about it .
He said I'd move it in the morning when I went out given that everyone was parked fine and it was 10 at night. 🙄

Report it as fly tipping to whoever administers the communal fund and let them sort it out. Don't identify her,it will cause you problems.

Ps. Don't start a fight with neighbour or years of grief lie ahead of you.

Ask her outright when she plans to take it to the tip and remind her that “obviously your rubbish can’t stay in the garden”
Nip it in the bud or she will just keep getting worse.

its fly tipping on land which is illegal for which she can be prosecuted - get everyone to sign a letter stating that

There's no point in reporting officially as the Council won't remove the rubbish from private land and there's no need to start any fights, but it's time to stop this one individual from bullying and riding rough shod over everyone else and their enjoyment of communal facilities.

First off she's not entitled to fence off part of the communal grounds as her own, let alone do that unofficially and yet try to retain rights over the rest of the garden. She has to be asked why she thinks she can have it both ways and she also needs to know that this issue will be brought up when she comes to sell. Making a private garden increases the value of her property over and above those who share communal space. This doesn't negate her obligation to pay her equal share into the fund though.

Secondly she needs to be brought to task for fly tipping her rubbish and the cost of that must be laid firmly at her own door, not everyone else's.

The way to do this is through a meeting, preferably of the board members when it will be two opinions to one but not like the other houses are going in mob handed.

I'd chuck it straight back into her garden.

She has been let away with too much already. No way would I have allowed her to fence off communal land - the rest is she sees ‘her garden’ as private to her, and the rest has no ownership. You need a committee to challenge and enforce clear rules or you are storing up trouble.

I would tell her to move it or you will take legal steps re her portioning off her part of the garden and will ensure that the challange is officially logged to prevent her getting sole ownership.

Ps you will have to go in strong with this one Imo, her and her dd are obviously stroppy bastards

Why on earth did everyone allow her to fence off part of the garden?
She's sussed that the rest of you are pushovers and she's being a cheeky bitch dumping her rubbish, especially when she watched you working hard trying to make the garden presentable.

You need to stand up to her now!

If she isn't back before the man comes I'm just going to send her stuff with him and if she asks say I assumed she wanted it disposed of.

Why would you do this?

Put it back in her garden ffs.

Definitely need to grow a back bone. Fuck the woman. She’s just one of “those” people. Honestly. She’ll make you’re life a misery one way or another so best to step up and fight back.

The garden was fenced off in about 1984 when I was about 4 and long before we lived here-we've been here two years. So I'm
Not about to start fighting that battle with her to be honest.
By way of development, she called over the fence today whilst I was in the garden digging- 'someone's busy' (with a trademark mumsnet tinkly laugh I might add-first time I've heard one in real life 😁). So I bit the bullet and asked her as nicely as possible if she was going to get rid of all the stuff she'd put out. To her credit she did look a bit embarrassed briefly and muttered that she 'supposed she ought to' and then sort of shuffled back inside. Her dd gave me an evil later on when she passed me in the car park but I can live with that...

good for you. glad you arent letting her walk over you and becoming her slave.