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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour putting up extension

539 replies

BigPaperBag · 27/03/2021 21:26

Ok, our neighbour has informed us that they are going to be putting up an extension. No problem with that, their house and all that. What really riled me was when he just said ‘and we’ll be putting the scaffolding on your patio so we can rebuild the wall’ (in total it will be there about 6 weeks) Please don’t anyone ask me why it’ll be there so long as I genuinely don’t know, this is just what he said.

Anyway, AIBU to say that he can put scaffolding up but only if he rents my patio space? Do people do this? It’s my first owned home so I have no idea, just asking for opinions really.

OP posts:
DorotheaDiamond · 28/03/2021 12:44

I just want to know how you force scaffolders you remove things when they put it up on your land without permission? They are all terrifying!

PurBal · 28/03/2021 12:50

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Quotes withdrawn post

2021Vision · 28/03/2021 12:52

Once the scaffoling is up on your land you cannot remove it or have it removed. It's like someone parking on your driveway, you can't get their car towed away. The police or council will not want to get involved as it will be a civil matter. The best bet is to NOT get yourself into this position in the first place.

ArcheryAnnie · 28/03/2021 12:58

@DorotheaDiamond

I just want to know how you force scaffolders you remove things when they put it up on your land without permission? They are all terrifying!
I'm not recommending this as a course of action, to be clear, but I wonder what the outcome would be if you told the scaffolders that they had 7 days to remove their stuff from your property, or it would be disposed of, and then when they didn't, you contacted another scaffolding firm and said "free scaffolding - just come and collect".
SoupDragon · 28/03/2021 13:00

@billy1966 Where on earth did you get all that from? That's a huge reach from the info on the thread 😂

WallaceinAnderland · 28/03/2021 13:02

a van with a misplaced apostrophe Grin

TaleOfTheContinents · 28/03/2021 13:05

Even if you have a clear agreement in the event of damage to your patio, how will you enforce that? If your patio is damaged and he refuses to pay to fix it, I'd imagine your only option would be to take (costly) legal action.

It's a tough one though, because you're setting a precedent so they probably won't help you should the need arise.

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 28/03/2021 13:06

@BigPaperBag

We’re attached as we’re a semi and he’d need to access it through our back door. He doesn’t want to get a party wall agreement as it will be ‘costly’ but I don’t think it matters. Surely it’s not my problem. We’re not benefitting at all from this. In fact we will probably lose a small bit of light in the corner of our garden.
No. You don’t give His builders access via your house Why are you even typing that as a sentence. You really need to be more assertive. Say no and mean it

He can’t traipse through your house by back door

Devlesko · 28/03/2021 13:06

Just say no, go round and tell him today.

Erkrie · 28/03/2021 13:07

I would just say no, you're planning on using your patio over the summer, and so that scaffolding can't be there. As he does have another option, then that's the one he'll need to take. It's not a dispute. Just a refusal to give him what he wants.

Erkrie · 28/03/2021 13:08

And absolutely no to someone else's builders traipsing through your house. You'd be a complete doormat to agree to that. Anyone would.

Lochroy · 28/03/2021 13:10

He's being cheeky of the highest order. You are fully entitled to party wall provisions and should make sure they are all in place.

Separately, the scaffolding sounds like they are looking for the easiest and therefore cheapest route. You don't have to agree to this.

His attitude stinks and would fully put me off being at all amendable or trusting a damn thing he says. Perhaps if he'd involved you considerately from the outset I'd say differently but he's the one who has chosen the behave like a knob.

MollyButton · 28/03/2021 13:12

"Would this count as a ‘dispute’ that I’d need to mention when we sell though?"

No saying No to someone else accessing your land is a good thing, and anyone seeing next door has an extension would presume you had a PWA in place - and actually it might slow/stop things if you didn't.

billy1966 · 28/03/2021 13:16

Read the OP's posts., it's all there....

Her husband doesn't want to rock the boat.

They have been shafted before for not standing up for themselves.

He is annoying the OP by repeatedly asking why they need something that will protect their property, and she is repeatedly trying to explain it to him.

So the OP is trying to get information because she has seen how unbelievably cheeky and entitled her neighbour has been.

Her husband didn't challenge his neighbour telling him that he was going to put scaffolding up on his property.....because he doesn't want to rock the boat EVEN if it ends up costing him money.

If all of the above isn't indicative of a wuss I don't know what is.🤣

LowlandLucky · 28/03/2021 13:23

My Dh is a Scaffolder and he says your neighbour needs you written permission, he say's he would need to actually see you before he put his foot in your garden. He says tell your neighbour to "fuck off" as he is a cheeky twunt

2021Vision · 28/03/2021 13:27

Another thing OP, he may quote the Neighbouring Land Act 199 however this is for repairs and renovations not extensions.

It would be extremely dangerous to remove scaffolding yourself, besides you don't own it so would be liable for damage.

DartmoorDoughnut · 28/03/2021 13:35

Just as a good point re scaffolders we’ve used the same scaffolding firm a few times and they’re lovely, I’m sure there are some horrendous ones out there as with all trades/people but I don’t think the firm we’ve used would even think about putting scaffolding up on someone else’s property without written permission/talking to the property owner!

Skysblue · 28/03/2021 13:42

Don’t agree to anything OP. Say you need a Party Wall Agreement to keep things simple. Is then up to the neutral surveyor how the work done. I don’t know your layout but I’d be surprised if there was any reason to have scaffolding on your patio.

In the unlikely event that anything goes on your patio, the patio will need to be fully boarded first with chipboard. But even then the builders using the scaffold would drop waste into your property. Not ok.

Original poster
BigPaperBag · 28/03/2021 13:43

@billy1966

Read the OP's posts., it's all there....

Her husband doesn't want to rock the boat.

They have been shafted before for not standing up for themselves.

He is annoying the OP by repeatedly asking why they need something that will protect their property, and she is repeatedly trying to explain it to him.

So the OP is trying to get information because she has seen how unbelievably cheeky and entitled her neighbour has been.

Her husband didn't challenge his neighbour telling him that he was going to put scaffolding up on his property.....because he doesn't want to rock the boat EVEN if it ends up costing him money.

If all of the above isn't indicative of a wuss I don't know what is.🤣

Am I am wuss? Or just someone who is just asking for advice?
OP posts:
Original poster
BigPaperBag · 28/03/2021 13:43

@LowlandLucky

My Dh is a Scaffolder and he says your neighbour needs you written permission, he say's he would need to actually see you before he put his foot in your garden. He says tell your neighbour to "fuck off" as he is a cheeky twunt
Love it, thanks 💗
OP posts:
VanGoghsDog · 28/03/2021 13:54

The scaffolders who put the scaffolding in my drive never saw me. They don't have written permission either.

Though I'm not sure it's not just some scaffolding the builders themselves are using, it doesn't seem to be a separate company at all.

billy1966 · 28/03/2021 14:03

No OP,
If you read my posts, you will read my sympathy.

CoffeeBeansGalore · 28/03/2021 14:06

Your neighbour has started with his entitled behaviour, expecting you to just bend over backwards to do what will benefit him.
No is what he doesn't want to hear.
He won't care about your inconvenience. He won't care about your patio. He won't care about the mess in your garden. He will not pay for any damage.This will cost YOU a lot of money.
Yes he will be p*ssed off. Yes he will be unpleasant (already is so no loss). You plan on moving anyway. It will make him think twice when you stand up to him and follow through. It is time to say no and mean it.
You will have a summer of disruption with noise and dust anyway.
BUT protect your property, protect your future legal status for when you come to sell. Protect your peace of mind with the correct legal bits of paper.

raincamepouringdown · 28/03/2021 14:14

@CoffeeBeansGalore

Your neighbour has started with his entitled behaviour, expecting you to just bend over backwards to do what will benefit him. No is what he doesn't want to hear. He won't care about your inconvenience. He won't care about your patio. He won't care about the mess in your garden. He will not pay for any damage.This will cost YOU a lot of money. Yes he will be p*ssed off. Yes he will be unpleasant (already is so no loss). You plan on moving anyway. It will make him think twice when you stand up to him and follow through. It is time to say no and mean it. You will have a summer of disruption with noise and dust anyway. BUT protect your property, protect your future legal status for when you come to sell. Protect your peace of mind with the correct legal bits of paper.
This.

Just say no and stand firm.

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 28/03/2021 14:16

Op, I’ve no knowledge of your previous threads. You’re coming across passive and a wuss yes
You’ve not definitively written that it’s a no There’s an aspect of handwringing
You do not have to let the builder use your patio or access via your backdoor

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