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

So now need photos

Ah ok! No that’s not on

I'm with up.
Our garage extension forms next doors border, they paint it whatever they like, they are the ones looking at it. Its maintained we don't care. None of the people who have lived next door have ever asked our permission just got on with it.

So to make it clear they paint the side of our house - we don't care

I'm guessing there is a lease? It's quite possible that the walls are owned by the freeholder. In which case it's more complicated than is so far being made out. I'm assuming that the original poster is "Up". It all sounds very petty. I'd wait for Down to send a solicitors letter before engaging with this sort of pointless bickering.

I wouldn't be happy about this. Brick is porous and should be able to breathe not have moisture trapped inside. I had a friend who had a damp problem rectified by stripping all the paint from her stonework.

You can't go around just painting someone house! 😂

@Hilda40 agreed!

I'm assuming you are Up, like the thread running about the fence it's only neighbourly to let Down know what was planned.

I don't really understand the diagram but Down in being a little petty unless there is some history between then that's relevant.

That's crazy! To paint someone's actual house. It's not comparable to painting the side of a fence that faces your garden.

I don't think Down is being petty at all. You can't paint other people's houses.

The two flats own each other's leases. So a peppercorn lease situation. There is no external leaseholder.

Well that's a bit odd. Was the offending wall painted before it not?

It's like pooping out and painting the house opposite pink because you are the one looking at it.

I said Yanbu but I thought it was a shared wall down the middle of the garden.

Can you tell us who you are now OP it gets annoying when it is drawn out for pages and pages

my over the road neighbour has painted the external garage wall of their next door neighbours garage because it faces onto their drive. I wouldn’t dream of painting my neighbours garage wall because it’s not my garage.

UP shouldn’t have painted the walls belonging to Down but I think demanding the pain be removed is a bit extreme.

Is the freehold owned by a company? If so it depends on the directors, shareholdings and articles of association. And the terms of the leases. It's more complicated than can be solved on here!

I think painting a wall is one thing, painting the side of a house/flat is another.

I wouldn't be happy if someone did this without talking to me about it. Removing the paint would be difficult.

I'm neither Up or Down. I am the NDN of them and separately, friends with both. It's getting a bit ridiculous having to listen to them each bang on to me about it. Figured I'd put it to the vote.

Personally I think Up was BU for not approaching Down about it, but it looks way better so I'm kind of siding with Up as they are the ones who spend the time out there.

Down has their own yard painted a sort of nautical theme so can't actually criticise Up for painting the main walls as there done it too, only issue is they aren't Ups walls to paint.

Also depends whether you're asking am I being unreasonable, or am I being unlawful

My own flat is the same situation 're lease hence how I know. I own my downstairs neighbours lease and they mine. They run indefinitely. No money exchanges hands.

Down is right and up should pay for the paint to be removed properly. Painted walls are a pita. I presume that down is worried that they'll now be responsible for maintenance of the painted surface and doesn't want that responsibility or expense when the paint starts to flake off/ get scuffed etc. I really wish people wouldn't paint brick.

If fencing or walls are not yours then you need to ask permission before hanging, altering painting etc

If someone painted my house I’d be so mad, I’m a very very laid back person but come on!!

The walls of the building should not have been painted without permissions