New neighbours

[Plannergirl9]

Sorry this is a long one. TLDR: Essentially we were gifted land from ex-neighbour when they died. New neighbours who bought her house has told us we must sell it to them.

A bit more backstorey. Our elderly neighbour lived next to us until they died in late December. She had a side bit of garden like an allotment that we used to help her with (hatched area on diagram). Unbeknownst to us she gifted us that area of land in her will. The rest of the house and land was to be sold and the money given to charity.

After the will reading we have had the land registry changed to confirm we now own the land. The house was put up for sale late January. In mid February we received a letter from a solicitor asking that we sell the land to the potential buyer of the house. We emailed back saying no we won't sell. We then heard nothing more from any solicitors. House was then sold during lockdown.

The new neighbours moved in on Monday. Yesterday they came to our door asking for the name of our solicitor so the land purchase can take place. We told them we were not planning on selling the land and that we told their solicitor that. The new neighbours didn't take it well. Apparently they only bought the house on the provision that they could buy the land and this was agreed with us via their solicitors.

The new neighbours got quite loud and angry about us apparently misleading them and left to speak to their solicitor. They seem to think we legally need to sell them the land as there was a written (email) contract between them and their solicitor who confirmed to them by email prior to the sale of the house that we would sell the land.

Aibu to a) not sell the land even though we technically didn't buy it and b) that the fact their solicitor has mislead them is not our problem?

Neighbours land is in red.
Our land is in black and the hatched area is the land they expect to buy.

How on Earth have we got from a case where it appears they've been misled about the land to a mafia style hostile takeover of the land??

I've looked up Registers of Scotland's records for my own house: it just shows the purchase price from when we bought in 1999, not who bought it.

I didn't download the title deeds (as that would cost ) but I know we already have them somewhere as it's in them that the fact that the back garden is split left and right (East and West) with our downstairs' neighbours, and the front garden (and driveway) is communal while the garage is ours, even though the "boundary" is shown on line is the same for both properties.

(I also hadn't realised how much more our downstairs' neighbours paid for their half of the property, only 7 years after we bought ours! )

Indeed, SoupDragon. The OP seems to have vanished.

How on Earth have we got from a case where it appears they've been misled about the land to a mafia style hostile takeover of the land??

Because it very much sounds like they've impersonated a solicitor, displayed anger and used intimidating behaviour to get OP to 'solve' the situation: the situation being that she owns land, was asked if she wanted to sell and said No, so that's that.

Having already impersonated a solicitor, the 'you need to talk to my dad' part was a turning point, suggesting that they want to ramp up the pressure on OP to sell her land which she does not want to sell. Actually, not even sell as it sounds like they're expecting her to basically give it to them.

It's their sheer sense of entitlement and the fact that they seem determined they can get their own way with enough pressure and intimidation to get their hands on the land that they pretty much consider theirs by right already - they think they just need to sort out the legal 'technicalities' to officially claim 'their' property - that's what is drawing parallels with mafia behaviour.

Misled? I don’t think there were misled.
As it seems all the solicitors emailS are fake and solicitors company is non existing.
I mean why on earth would you do something like that?
To fake it all like that? That’s proper nutcase!
I would be scared really of them.. and what the young female expects to happen when OP speak to dad?
Will he cry and beg her to sell it to them or will he blackmail?

I was thinking if it’s some Italian style Godfather family.

Plenty of those from all parts of all countries, not just Sicily/Italy. Have you never seen the documentary series based in Liverpool called 'Bread'?

How gripping! The land sounds lovely

Misled? I don’t think there were misled.

Nevertheless, that is how the story started and now you are implying it's some kind of mafia bid for land.

the 'you need to talk to my dad' part

No one said she "needed" to speak to the father. It was "can you speak to my dad"

The jury is out on what is actually going on here but the escalation of the story from posters with no extra information is totally bonkers!

There'll be pond digging so the OP can "sleep with the fishes" and a horse's head in amongst the carrots next.

To be fair, it sounded like that at first, with the kind OP wanting to give the neighbours the benefit of the doubt, but things have since developed, including some legal professionals (assuming that they aren't all 'posing' as well!) coming on the thread and confirming that the neighbours' proceedings were 'highly irregular'.

Normal rational people will usually assume a misunderstanding initially, but once it becomes clear that people have deliberate ill intent, you have to change your stance and prepare to defend yourself accordingly.

No one said she "needed" to speak to the father. It was "can you speak to my dad"

Sorry, you are correct there, but I'm guessing there will be waterworks and/or gaslighting on the neighbour's part and pretty soon it will be 'this could all be easily sorted if only you would talk to my dad who understands how these things work'. Purely conjecture on my part, of course.

There'll be pond digging so the OP can "sleep with the fishes" and a horse's head in amongst the carrots next.

And a couple of dozen mattresses suddenly appearing in the man-cave....

*If it was intended for development then they would have pinned down the price first8

Possibly, yes - or maybe the young couple genuinely wanted the property and "dad" is actually the developer and muscled in with his own agenda later

Too many of these types are used to getting what they want and don't welcome the word "no"... helped, IME, by often having a couple of Council planning staff in their pockets too

SoupDragon we're keeping ourselves entertained until OP returns!!!!

They'll be raising an army next and launching scuds. No match for MN pitchfork tribe tho.

I do hope "Dad" makes an appearance tho.

Please come back OP 😄

Ooh, this is exciting.
Prior to us buying our house, the previous owners bought part of our neighbours garden, that for some reason was directly behind our house.
I’m always worried that they might ask for it back!

Not once did I see my solicitors use Latin in their emails to us during our house purchase. There may have been one reference... certainly not 6 or 7 in the course of one email.

That would have flagged it up for me... well done on doing your research. Hopefully they leave you alone and accept that their CFery won't work...

Prior to us buying our house, the previous owners bought part of our neighbours garden, that for some reason was directly behind our house.

However illogical it may look, the previous owners of your neighbour's house may have been really on their uppers and faced either losing part of their garden or the whole house. I can easily see how they might have regretted it ever after, if their finances later improved, and how the future owners of their house might endlessly curse them for it!

Even so, I'll bet it has nothing on this!
www.amusingplanet.com/2012/11/the-curious-case-of-baarle-nassau-and.html

shameless placemark here, because this is WILD. Hold your ground, OP, and keep your nose clean.

Will he cry and beg her to sell it to them or will he blackmail?
Probably threaten legal action to try and scare them.

My goodness, I don't think I've been this invested in a MN thread since Mexican House Thief

Never read that , this one reminds me more of the puddle saga threads

@Redyoyo

The OP has already said she has registered the land, they cannot take this land by encroachment or claim it in any other way. She doesnt have to do anything else. Why should she get a solicitor thats expense she doesn't have to pay. Tell them you're sorry their solicitor has mislead them but this has nothing to do with you and by way of advice they may want to report the solicitor to the Law society of Scotland - end of matter.

Because she may come home from work one day to find that CF neighbours have dug up the patch of land, poured concrete all over it and are claiming that they own it.

By the time it's gone that far it will cost OP money in order to prove that she OWNS THE LAND. CFs sound like the type to act first and then sort it out (in the form of used ten pound notes) afterwards. After all, it won't be worth much to OP if it's covered in a huge concrete slab, will it? Might as well sell to CF neighbours for a hundred quid...

So I'd say fencing, cameras and everything else, just in case they try this...

Please read the thread
The OP has already stated that it has been fenced, prior to lockdown, and her DH and his sons are erecting a man cave on the site