Which neighbour is right here?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Two neighbours live in a pair of flats (like a converted house). Two flats only. Two neighbours only. I'll call them Up and Down.

Up has access to a private yard to the right of the property. Down has access to a separate private yard to the left of the property.

Down has windows which overlook both their own and Ups yard. Ups windows overlook both as well but from above.

Up has repainted their yard, it was white along outer walls previously which have been repainted white, but in addition, Up has painted the walls which belong to Down. So outer walls of Downs property, meaning all walls facing into their yard are now white.

Up thinks this is reasonable as Down cannot see these walls, cannot access them without permission of Up, and the paint is an improvement.

Down thinks this is unreasonable as the walls do not belong to Up and to do so was not on, and that Up should pay to have the walls stripped of paint.

So....who is right in this situation?
YABU - Down is correct, paint should be removed
YANBU - Up is correct, paint should stay

If the walls belong to Down then Up should not have painted them. However, i think it is a bit petty now that they have been painted to insist on the removal.

Diagram please!

I'm not sure of the legalities but should Up have asked permission of Down before painting? I'm assuming so.
Personally I wouldn't mind about the paint if I couldn't see it but would expect to be asked first.
But on the basis of what you have asked I would say YABU - Down is correct, paint should be removed.

Just say who the fuck you are, these threads really piss people off.

Down is correct in law I guess but why would they care if they can’t see or access it?

Motive?
My aunt had a white house.. Ndn had a cream house. Ndn wanted to have both houses the same colour - cream - at their expense.. Aunt wanted hers to remain white to look like her house not an extension of the ndn's house....

Up should have asked permission from down before painting. I would imagine it will be hard to remove the paint now.

Permission should have been gained before painting the walls. That is the law.

However, as it is an improvement I think the owner of the wall is being ridiculous to ask for the paint to be stripped. But legally they are in the right.

Up should not have painted the walls without Down’s agreement. Up is wrong and should remove the paint if Down insists although Down is possibly being a bit petty. What does it actually look like? I’m imagining a brick house where the lower half of one side is randomly white which would look really weird.

@LokisLover

Diagram please!

Seriously!? 🙄

So it's a wall between their yards? Like a shared wall? Or is the whole wall belonging to one of them? If a shared wall surely they can paint the inside walls whatever colour they like as long as the other person doesn't see it. If the wall is solely owned by one side then they should have asked permission.

Ok. Really poor diagram. House runs down the middle. Garage each on either side. Top yard with green outline is Downs yard. Bottom yard with green outline is Ups yard the red line shows which walls have been painted.

Downs kitchen and second bedroom overlook Ups yard.

So I’m picturing the wall as being similar to a fence separating two gardens. Would you ask your Neigbour before painting the side of the fence that faces your garden? Is this any different?!

Did Up also paint the top half of the wall, ie right up to the roofline?

So the wall is not shared? Can’t quite imagine layout

The paint should be stripped and f the owner doesn't want it.

Bloody auto correct!

Two of the walls are external boundary walls . One of the walls is Ups garage. One of the walls is Downs property (their kitchen and 2nd bedroom are on the other side if the wall).

Would you ask your Neigbour before painting the side of the fence that faces your garden?

Of course you have to if the neighbor owns the fence.

Sorry, if I was rude about the diagram request. I thought the OP was really clear.

Did Up also paint the top half of the wall, ie right up to the roofline?

No. The walls are all painted to the height of the external boundary walls.

Ah ok not really how I pictured it in my mind! So it’s part of the building that’s been painted not just the perimeter wall. Yeah I’d think it’s wrong to paint the building

So Up painted part of the exterior of Down's flat? Up is definitely in the wrong here unless the lease says otherwise.

Diagram has made even more unclear!

So they painted the actual house? I would have said down was being pretty but I'm not sure I'd be happy of my actual house had been painted but I probably wouldn't lose sleep over it

So imagine the exposed brick part of this picture painted white to match the adjoining wall.