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.

No
Don't sell, it's yours, don't let anyone bully you into selling something you don't want to sell.

CFs. I wonder how cheap they thought they were getting it for and how much value it will add to their property.

I agree with @goingoverground

Don't back down. There's nothing to discuss once you put them right about whose misunderstanding it is.

Bonkers and of course they can’t do anything. I would suggest they are trying it on and their solicitors told them it wasn’t for sale but they bought anyway and thought they could bully you j to it. You can bet they want to erect some building in it which even if you did sell would mean a deterioration in your enjoyment of your home.

Cheeky fuckers.

I still have the email and letter. We moved the fence to include the land just before lockdown.

DH has been outside with both DSS building an outbuilding on part of the land. The female new neighbour came over to ask what we were doing and that the outbuilding would require planning permission. It doesn't. We got a certificate of lawfulness from the council to confirm this.

DH has agreed to email them a copy of the letter and our response to their solicitor. She seems to be more willing to sort this out peacefully. DH told her to ask her solicitor for all correspondence between us and him including any agreement. Not that there would be much.

We aren't going to sell the land.

You are definitely not obliged to do anything. Their complaint is with their solicitor, who appears to have negligently misled them.

This says it all

How dare they.

It seems odd to me that they even knew the land belonged to the house at one stage. Surely you’d view the house and see the garden that is part of the plot and leave it at that.

I wonder will you get an apology😊

You don't need to show them anything, you don't need to contact their solicitor. Imagine if someone asked you if their clients could buy your car. You said no. Clients turn up and demand your car. You'd laugh in their faces.

To be honest, I wouldn't even bother forwarding a copy of your reply to the e-maill to their solicitor. They need to speak to their solicitor who will know the position and will need to put them straight. Just tell them verbally that their solicitor asked if you were interested in selling and you confirmed that you were not. Unless and until they can come up with something they think binds you legally (which they won't unless you signed something in your sleep......!!!!), don't engage with them in written correspondence.

Congratulations - a gift of land is wonderful and your elderly neighbour clearly thought a lot of you.
By registering with the land registry you have safe-guarded your title. Keep all documentation from the elderly neighbour's solicitor regarding the gift and perhaps ask for a copy of the will if that is possible. This will be useful if you have further problems with the new neighbours or if there is ever a query if you choose to sell your own house in future.
The new neighbours are either naïve or crooks. As a pp said, they may be lying about their solicitor - he/she may have told them no but they are trying to bully you in to it. Either way, anything their solicitor says is immaterial - if you choose not to sell then the land is unavailable.

Don't be bullied - neighbours came to me in great excitement with plans that they had stayed up all night discussing. They wanted to buy a 'neglected' corner of my land (my wildflower garden). They were quite taken aback when I said no. They tried various other cf stunts but eventually moved and their replacements are lovely.
Good luck!

How weird that they’d only buy a house on the basis they can buy the land beside it..... that isn’t even for sale....

And how even more bizarre that the solicitor appeared to tell them porker pies and sold it anyway?

What trumps it all for weirdness is that they are going off their nut with you....

Mental really

What CFs! Such entitled behaviour.

Although... you could have a good giggle here OP and set a ridiculous price - £100000 per square foot sounds about right 😂

Definitely don’t sell of you don’t want to!

But to help keep a good relationship with them I recommend being really sympathetic plus openly outraged on their behalf towards their solicitor. They’ll be looking at someone to blame here and if you have a common enemy it might help your neighbourly relationship.

Don’t sell the land if you want to keep it, you are under no obligation. They have a problem with their solicitor if their solicitor misled them (I highly doubt that this actually happened though). They think they can steamroller you, they were aware of what they were buying and are now thinking they can force the issue.

At least from your update that is a step forward if the neighbour seems to be "more willing" to be peaceful about it all ! Really once you have passed over the documents of letter and email reply there is nothing else to be said frankly. Well done you for having a certificate of lawfulness from the council confirming no planning permission required for the outbuilding. At least the new neighbours can now see that you are not to be "trifled with" as it were.

Don't sell.

I wonder if their solicitor said something along the lines of 'they might be prepared to sell the land...' and the CF neighbours heard it as 'with enough pressure they will sell us the land', or assumed that the solicitor was dealing with the land sale. Some people do hear 'might be possible' as a definite 'yes'.

I would be disinclined to share with them the emails again, it is not your responsibility, but their solicitors.

They sound absolutely outrageous. Ignore them.

You say the neighbour seems willing to sort it out peacefully, but there’s nothing to sort out. You own the land perfectly legally. She’s a stranger who has rocked up and made demands concerning it. The pp who gives the car analogy is right. Just don’t get involved.

I bet their solicitor told them that the land wasn't for sale/available, but they decided to buy the house anyway, thinking that they could try and force you to sell it.

Stand firm, that was a lovely gift from your old neighbour, hope it brings you plenty of joy.

I hope they apologise to you!

Cheeky fuckers, what absolute garbage, they don't have a leg to stand on legally and they know that full well which is why they are getting angry and threatening you.
It is also NOT your problem, none of their nonsense or "false" perceptions are your problems.
Tell them to get stuffed and walk away.

I find it hard to believe that their solicitors mislead them. Either they misunderstood something their solicitors said, or they are simply lying to try and trick you.