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.

She's already fenced it and a Man Cave is currently being erected

And a bloody great excavator could have that fence and man cave down in second...

You might want to explain to them that impersonating a solicitor can land them in prison in Scotland: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/47/part/I/crossheading/unqualified-persons-acting-as-solicitors

It's breathtaking how the neighbours haven't even considered the possibility that OP and her DH might actually want to use their own land themselves.

It would be slightly more reasonable (minus the Latin and the lies) if OP owned 20 huge fields, didn't use any of them and the neighbours had no garden and thus were desperate for her to sell them the one field closest to their own house (for its market value).

At the moment, they seem to be going on the basis of deciding what they might want for themselves, completely regardless of who currently owns it and might also want to use it, and then thinking that it should therefore belong to them to the exclusion of anybody else.

As a PP said way upthread, it's not really any different from them taking a fancy to OP's car and then deciding that she should just give it to them, because they want it. By all means ask if somebody is interested in selling, but if the answer is No, accept it - maybe say "let me know if you ever change your mind" - and leave it at that.

If the opportunity arises, I wonder if it's worth casually mentioning to them that any neighbour disputes have to be declared to future buyers and can seriously affect your ability to sell.

If it were me, and it did come to them invading the land, I'd go to the local paper and get it on the front page (would have to be the biggest story of the week by far) - and then keep copies and note/cache the paper's weblink to show to any future buyers.

If the neighbours have already declared war, you can't really avoid the fact of a dispute on record, but you can have it in black and white that the 'dispute' arose from you owning land and them simply deciding to try to steal it. I'd also mention the 'disagreement' to the other neighbours as a kind of insurance, before they tell them twisted lies about the situation in Latin.

By the sounds of it, you live there because it's your home and you love it whereas they've moved in because they're hoping to turn a quick profit. If they're thwarted and exposed, I'd expect them to be looking to move on long before you might decide to, so they have far more to lose from a noted 'dispute', especially when it's on public record that it was their crime rather than any both-maybe-a-bit-to-blame genuine dispute.

Zaphodsotherhead "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..."

If they even tried this the OP has a Land Registered title, the CF NDN would never be able to sell the bit they stole and an solicitor worth their salt would advise against buying the property.
They shouldn't have to put fences and cameras up.
If it ended up at the lands tribunal the NDN would have to pay the OPs costs, how ever it wouldn't go that far as the OP has SG backed guaranteed registered title!

It’s interesting that the neighbours mentioned that she’d need planning permission to build the mancave on the land - as though they’d already thought of building..

“Daisydoesnt

I'm sorry but I don't see how the idea that they're planning on developing the plot stacks up. If they were really doing this on the basis of making money, they would have had the purchase of the land tied up with the house, including a price (development only works if your revenues exceed your costs, and if they don't know the cost of the land how would they know what they could expect to make??) Plus they would have planning permission put in place first. I know I would, if I was buying a plot of land with the express intention of developing it. “

They could be concerned that the value would increase dramatically with planning permission, and not be too concerned about it not going through. Some developers boast on their websites how they manage to get planning passed even in contentious areas.

OP do you have an update? Any cheek from the CFs today?

I do wonder if installing a cheap camera might be worth it just to keep an eye on the sight....

If they had applied for planning the OP would have had a neighbourhood notification letter through her door.

Please do give us an update OP! Has Daddy arrived?!

Firstly op, what a lovely gift you’ve been given.
Thoughtful and lovely.

My guess is dads a builder, daughters bought the land to develop and you've fucked it. I bought a newbuild plot and they put the fence in the wrong place, so the garden was smaller than initial viewings. But we just went “oh that’s disappointing” because it was, but it wasn’t anymore then that. There’s a reason she’s googling Latin.

That solicitors email is hilarious. Even if it was real it only says you might sell it and you might sell it for a small amount.

But you might not sell it, and you might ask a million for it. The peppercorn bit makes me laugh the most, because you were gifted it the assumption you should sell it for fuck all.

There's some scurrilous comments here about planners being bribable. I have to say in 40 odd years of working with them I've always found them highly reputable.

In any case they have to work to published policy and the local plan and contentious schemes are debated publicly and decided by committee. Contrary to what you see on the telly, you don't just slip a planner a bung and you get planning permission.

I think they're hoping to acquire 'that useless bit of old wasteland' before 'suddenly realising' its potential as building land and then applying for planning permission afterwards. They might have 'ways' of getting around planning laws or even know somebody on the council who is a big fan of manila-covered portraits of the Queen.

They know full-well that an agreed PP application will significantly increase the value of the land that they want for peanuts and would give the OP the idea of doing the same. Because they almost certainly want to build on it, sell and make money, it won't have occurred to them that OP and DH would already very much realise that this would be a possibility, but have nevertheless decided they want to keep it as it is, for their own enjoyment, with maybe just a modest outbuilding on it.

People who always go around with pound signs in their eyes cannot fathom other people deliberately making balanced lifestyle and even business decisions that don't just involve using something up, wringing every last possible penny out of it and then casting it aside. They think that they must be stupid for prioritising quality of life over maximum potential profit.

I would definitely fence it off if it has already not been done, as they will "move in" to it otherwise. Apart from that I would do precisely nothing, except tell hem ever so politely when they next speak to you, that you do not intend to sell it and that is the end of the matter. Nothing they can do then.

There's some scurrilous comments here about planners being bribable. I have to say in 40 odd years of working with them I've always found them highly reputable.

You can always find some people in all professions who are willing to go 'above and beyond' and do whatever is in their power if there's something in it for them - even if it's just a case of using their deciding vote differently from how they otherwise might have done.

Have you considered that you may never have encountered any dishonesty personally because you yourself have never approached anybody with such thoughts in mind (and brown envelopes in hand)?

None of it makes any sense, even the wording, as someone who speaks Gaelic (Scottish) and Latin (similar)

This is between your neighbour and their solicitor,nothing to do with you at all.Reprt the for harassment if they escalate.

Hopefully OP is not updating because she’s busy telling the cheeky feckers to do one!

@Honeyroar

It’s interesting that the neighbours mentioned that she’d need planning permission to build the mancave on the land - as though they’d already thought of building..

That's exactly what I thought Honeyroar...

How can 13 people believe you are being unreasonable

Hoping Mafia Papa hasn't taken op hostage...
Released after ownership papers have been transfered...

Sorry posted too soon

disputationibus translates to discussions.
Potentia translates power
considerabam translates inspected.
donatus translates conferred.

Even if lawyers used Latin phrases (which is rare and law specific) there aren't many Latin terms in use today in Common Law jurisdictions and the use of Latin phrases in law has been outdated since the 1998 onwards.

Purely for the silly pleasure of this MNer, OP if you do decide to go back and have a little fun, please use Latin in the style of Biggus Dickus "weleasing woger and woderick"etc