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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shed dispute

162 replies

runnerblade95 · 19/03/2022 11:55

Sorry if this is a long thread, bear with me! I’m a permanent council tenant who has recently moved into a new flat. Our communal garden is fenced off with 6 sheds facing our block which has 6 flats in it.

A tenant from another block, also fenced in on their side, is using my shed and has been using my shed for months maybe even years before I moved in. I called the council and someone from the neighbourhood team told me that they do not get involved in disputes regarding sheds and that basically it’s nothing to do with them.

They asked me are the sheds visible from where you are. I said yes and that I can see them from my window and that there are 6, presumably, for the 6 tenants that live in my block. The advisor then replied well then to me that sounds like 1 of the 6 is your shed. I advise you to put a note on the shed door stating that you’ve just moved in and that this is your shed and to give enough notice for them to move their items into their own shed. Which should be situated in their fenced off communal premises.

I followed the advisor’s advice and did this with the note on the shed, only to be met with confrontation and aggression. I did exactly what the council told me to do, to no avail.

What the other tenant did let slip is that he used to be very good friends with the previous tenant of my flat and that when they moved out, that they gave him the keys Hmm

Surely, that is not allowed?

So my question is, AIBU to be upset by this and if so, does anyone have any advice as to how I should approach this matter?

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 23/03/2022 19:57

@viques you are absolutely right and only God knows how tempted I am to just change the locks but I don’t want to get into any trouble as I have a little one here. I’m going to do my best to liaise with the council and just follow whatever they have to say. Easier said than done as I’m seething to be honest. Especially the fact that he flat out denied the previous tenant of my flat (his “best friend”) giving him the keys to my shed and saying he can use it as his own! Just absolutely ridiculous and totally unfair.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 23/03/2022 20:46

@FatCatThinCat just realised that you were being sarcastic Grin sorry I missed that one lol so stressed at the moment but yes. Totally agree. Let’s see how this transpires Wink

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 24/03/2022 06:27

@viques @FatCatThinCat just woke up from the best sleep I’ve had all week so with a fully rested brain I now realise that you were both being sarcastic Grin Grin Grin

Yes. Ever so tempting but will wait to see what the housing officer says.

OP posts:
Xenia · 24/03/2022 07:20

Thanks for the update. It sounds like the council does think each flat has a shed even though no shed is mentioned on your tenancy so that is good news (and that the previous tenants should not have given the key to shed stealer). The council or you may need to change the lock or you just buy a new padlock on your shed so shed stealer stops having any access to it.

Rosehugger · 24/03/2022 07:36

@Bimblybomeyelash

What makes you think that the shed is yours?
It's a lot more likely that a shed would be for the use of tenants than some random cheeky fucker interloper who has fuck all to do with the property, don't you think? Confused
PaulaTrilloe · 24/03/2022 08:28

I,d be concerned that they also might have keys to your flat. Ask Housing for locks to be changed. I had some CF using my garage when I moved into my flat they offered me theirs as a swap. I just padlocked it when they took their car out

PaulaTrilloe · 24/03/2022 08:30

.....and then told them to speak to the housing office if they didn't understand and to feel free to report it to the police!

viques · 24/03/2022 09:47

[quote runnerblade95]**@viques* @FatCatThinCat* just woke up from the best sleep I’ve had all week so with a fully rested brain I now realise that you were both being sarcastic Grin Grin Grin

Yes. Ever so tempting but will wait to see what the housing officer says.[/quote]
I wasn’t actually, I hope that is what happens.

BringBackCoffeeCreams · 24/03/2022 10:19

Basically, the guy who said that the previous tenants of my flat gave him the keys upon them vacating the property, has another family living in his property now (presumably relatives). So yes, I am inclined to agree that it probably isn’t his stuff in the shed and that the stuff in the shed actually belongs to the relatives that are living in his flat.

So he's subletting his council flat and the keys and shed have been given, by him, to people who aren't even council tenants. Sounds like he's in for a bit of shock once you make sure the housing officer is aware.

Berthatydfil · 24/03/2022 17:43

@BringBackCoffeeCreams

Basically, the guy who said that the previous tenants of my flat gave him the keys upon them vacating the property, has another family living in his property now (presumably relatives). So yes, I am inclined to agree that it probably isn’t his stuff in the shed and that the stuff in the shed actually belongs to the relatives that are living in his flat.

So he's subletting his council flat and the keys and shed have been given, by him, to people who aren't even council tenants. Sounds like he's in for a bit of shock once you make sure the housing officer is aware.

Definitely tell the council housing officer about this as it’s illegal to do this.
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 29/03/2022 18:54

Well it turns out that the shed isn’t mine, that the previous tenant was allowed to give his friend the keys who lives in another block, and that there’s nothing I can do. Either way, thank you all for your advice.

OP posts:
FromOurHatsToOurFeet · 30/03/2022 13:24

Wow. That's definitive? This person from another flat can use your garden to access their shed that's on your land and that's all OK?

Xenia · 30/03/2022 13:58

Thanks for the update. At least you now know. The fact the tenancy agreement made no reference to rights to a shed at all did make it see unlikely you had any rights to a shed I suppose.

RandomBasic · 30/03/2022 14:01

@runnerblade95

Well it turns out that the shed isn’t mine, that the previous tenant was allowed to give his friend the keys who lives in another block, and that there’s nothing I can do. Either way, thank you all for your advice.
You said the shed is mentioned where it says about which keys the tenant has been given upon moving in, is an indication to the fact that I should have been given keys but wasn’t.

So what happened about that?

TooManyPJs · 30/03/2022 15:56

@runnerblade95

Well it turns out that the shed isn’t mine, that the previous tenant was allowed to give his friend the keys who lives in another block, and that there’s nothing I can do. Either way, thank you all for your advice.
What?!?

That seems ridiculous.

Even if the sheds are, for example, allocated by the council on a first come first service basis or similar, how can they be happy that the previous tenant just decides who should be next in line?

And also why is this random allowed to access your communal garden?

I would be asking for a copy of their policy on both of the above.

All seems bizarre.

thinkfast · 30/03/2022 16:51

OP your latest update sounds very strange.

Was that information given to you in writing/ email from a council official. Are they basically saying that the council will allow a former tenant to simply permit someone from another block to access your block's garden and use the shed there permanently? Even though you were informed that your flat came with a shed? I wouldn't be accepting this at all and would be writing a strongly worded email, copying your local councillor and asking them for assistance.

RomeoOscarXrayIndigoEcho · 31/03/2022 17:20

The shed may not be yours but surely the space in the communal garden is as well as the right to deny access to people who don't live in the building?

It's a safety matter really.

Ask them to remove the shed to land they have right to access.

Philisophigal · 31/03/2022 19:08

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn at the user's request.

Original poster
runnerblade95 · 01/04/2022 23:42

@RandomBasic well they basically said that the council don’t oversee the sheds. In other words, they are not owned by the council. Therefore, the tenants can do whatever they want in this regard. DH suggested searching online to find out who does own the sheds which I am going to do first thing Monday morning.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 01/04/2022 23:45

@TooManyPJs Even if the sheds are, for example, allocated by the council on a first come first service basis or similar, how can they be happy that the previous tenant just decides who should be next in line?

That’s exactly what I thought but apparently it’s because the tenant in question is a leaseholder. I’m assuming this gives him more rights. I’m not entirely sure but definitely going to get a second opinion next week.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 01/04/2022 23:47

@thinkfast I wouldn't be accepting this at all and would be writing a strongly worded email, copying your local councillor and asking them for assistance.

This is exactly what I plan to do in terms of contacting my local councillor. Unfortunately I don’t have it in writing, it was a lady I spoke to over the phone who gave me this information but I do have her name so once I obtain the details of the local councillor’s email address, I will most certainly be writing a strongly worded email requesting clarification of this in writing.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 01/04/2022 23:49

@Philisophigal This sounds very odd to me. I would challenge this all the way to the ombudsman.

Oh, I certainly plan to do exactly that.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 01/04/2022 23:52

@TooManyPJs apologies, correction: that the tenant who was handed the keys from the previous tenant in this flat, is a leaseholder.

OP posts:
Original poster
runnerblade95 · 02/04/2022 00:12

@Xenia

Thanks for the update. At least you now know. The fact the tenancy agreement made no reference to rights to a shed at all did make it see unlikely you had any rights to a shed I suppose.
Yes, exactly. It wasn’t written verbatim, it just had the boxes and the box in reference to shed was unticked. Simple as that.
OP posts:
TooManyPJs · 02/04/2022 01:49

It all sounds like a massive cop out by the council. Although they'd have much less trouble if they had a system for allocating the sheds, or assigned one to each property. This everyone argues between themselves system is asking for trouble!

And I can't see that him being a leaseholder makes any difference at all! How is that relevant?

All very odd. I hope you manage to make some progress with your complaints OP.