Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The F###ing scaffolding is back!

273 replies

Allthecoolusernamesaregone · 11/07/2022 17:33

Post 3

Briefly Post 1, Had had neighbour (1)’s scaffolding up in my garden for a month and then had argument with her misogynistic builder.

Post 2, Building work completed. Overjoyed that scaffolding finally removed Saturday morning - until I found out this was not by the company which owned it.

Today neighbour(2) said ‘I see your scaffolding has gone. Lucky you. Mine should have gone Saturday morning’

Long story short her scaffolding company thought they had collected and couldn’t understand why she was complaining, until she told them they had gone to the wrong address.

I asked her to make it clear that whatever they did with the scaffolding, I didn’t want it back. She agreed completely. She is fed up with hers, and that was for work on her own house.

I came home to find it in my front garden. It is no longer erected, doesn’t block light or access, but it takes up more space as all of the boards and poles are on the ground.

I understand to a degree why neighbour(2)’s company returned the items to where they found them.

I asked DH to phone the owning company to sort out collection, I desperately wanted someone to treat this seriously and thought he would stand a better chance.

Anyway he didn’t have any luck either. They can’t (won’t) collect until 29/7/22 - which is actually later than the date they have already given neighbour (1).

I will have no lawn left by then, there’s not enough space to use my table and chairs and I can’t easily get to my greenhouse.

We thought that after they presumably thought it had been stolen before they would want to collect urgently now it’s back.

What is my AIBU?

Have just been telling neighbour (3) about the saga. He queried why they hadn’t seen that the stencilled markings on the equipment weren’t theirs. His eyes lit up a bit when I said there were none.

He has always been fine with us, but he ‘knows’ lots of people and some of them are not averse to ‘catching’ things which ‘fall’ from lorries, etc.

He pointedly said it wasn’t a good idea for them to leave it lying in my garden, that dismantling it was noisy and time consuming, but just picking it up wasn’t, and it could easily just go missing when I was out.

I do want it gone. The man DH spoke to was rude and arrogant.

We are actually going out for several hours this evening.

WIBU to let that slip to neighbour (3)?

(I suspect it is unreasonable and that my desire to get rid of this inconvenience is clouding my normally very honest judgement.)

OP posts:
Bollindger · 11/07/2022 19:41

Can you get a load of friend round and move it to the next doors front garden,
I am sure loads of friends would lend you 30 mins to do this.

MaggieFS · 11/07/2022 19:43

Allthecoolusernamesaregone · 11/07/2022 17:48

Actually I like the lack of insurance angle, and telling them I have had people knocking on the door.
I don’t understand why they don’t want to come and get it straight away after it went missing once.

You'd think, wouldn't you. Particularly given it's just lying in a front garden waiting to be walked away rather than still being erected on a house.

Very interesting about the liabilities if it does go... surely the company that removed it in error should really have put it back as they found it? (Helps no one, I know)

Monsun · 11/07/2022 19:52

Well, this is not your legal responsibility or problem, so...

Options:
1 Tell the neighbour to move it onto their land
2 Dump it onto the road (it'll get nicked before you can blink)
3 If it's still there in the morning, sell it as it's worth quite a bit! (or give it away) as 'Unstenciled Scaffolding' on Gumtree
4 Leave a 'free to a good home' sign on it
5 If all else fails, bend all the pipes. It's fun, easy to do on walls and might make you feel better. There's no comeback on you from this as it's been illegally dumped.

Annnd relax!

Blowthemandown · 11/07/2022 19:53

@Allthecoolusernamesaregone have a chat with neighbour 1 and say (in a nice way) you both have to see the funny side and invite n1 and n2 over to help shift it to n1’s garden. Have a bbq and just get it done. Then have a few drinks and joke about reminiscing over this in 10 years’ time!

MrsNotMyName · 11/07/2022 19:54

my DP and I own a scaffolding company and I cannot fathom how this company are happy to leave their kit just laying in someone’s garden. Firstly - it’s so valuable and scaffolding thefts are more common than you’d think. Secondly, it is usually easy to tell who’s scaffolding belongs to who - some companies spray paint markings onto their tube and boards, some have them engraved, we do both - all tube is sprayed in our logo colour colour at both ends and boards are sprayed at both ends but also have our company name engraved. I would be mortified if people thought our company would show so much disregard to anyone as to just leave our equipment stacked in their garden, cruising damage to the lawn and being a general eye sore.
We have had this exact situation before where another company accidentally struck our scaffolding instead of theirs on the same street and as soon as I got the call, I had lorry there within the hour to pick it up.
This is completely unacceptable. I would call them, kick up a massive fuss. Call them multiple times a day. Find out if they’re NASC accredited as if they are, a stunt like this could cost them their accreditation as it completely invalidates their insurance if you were to fall or trip over their equipment etc. Are they working directly for your neighbour or for a housing association or council? If HA or council, call them and explain.

Sally872 · 11/07/2022 19:58

Is it possible to move it to the neighbour who had the work done garden/drive?

Possibly impractical but if managable i would do that. She can keep it until collected now it is dismantled.

greatblueheron · 11/07/2022 19:59

Tell them you're charging £100 per day storage fee starting Friday as that's your weekend and you can't use/enjoy your garden and they won't be able to access or collect them after Friday unless they pay you, in cash, up front. Put it in writing.

Spanielsarepainless · 11/07/2022 19:59

A scaffolding company left their kit up a nearby house for ten months. The resident rang and said they had 24 hours to take it away or it was going on eBay. It went. That was unmarked too.

greatblueheron · 11/07/2022 20:01

Alternatively, tell them you're currently moving every single piece to your front drive. If it's stolen, too bad. You're not their customer; it's not your problem.

Coffeetree · 11/07/2022 20:06

Sell it.

Best offer. Buyer must collect.

PeppaPigStinks · 11/07/2022 20:09

I could use a scaffold board and a few poles for a project I have in mind… what region are you in Op? 😉

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 11/07/2022 20:10

They have trespassed by entering your garden to dump the scaffolding there, so you potentially have a claim against them under civil law.. There may be a right of access to your property, to do essential work on your NDN's house, but there sure as hell won't be a right to dump unwanted. scaffolding in your garden.

However, I would be very careful about doing anything that might lead to the scaffolding being damaged, sold or nicked. It's valuable, it is not your property, and the Law doesn't necessarily follow common sense as to fairness.

Do you have legal expenses cover under your household insurance? This is a situation where a stiffly worded letter from a solicitor, highlighting your potential claims against them (trespass/any damage to your lawn etc) might pay dividends.

Americano75 · 11/07/2022 20:10

It really would be a terrible shame if it went walkies.

A real shame.

TotalRhubarb · 11/07/2022 20:12

ivykaty44 · 11/07/2022 17:59

Id ring them to check that they are collecting it early? when they say no, say well who is this now putting it on their vehicle? Should I stop them?

😂

OP, I was going to suggest you sell it. There’s good money for scrap. But this is better.

Isaidnoalready · 11/07/2022 20:13

It would be gone in 60 seconds here I had a dishwasher removed popped it on my lawn went to the toilet thought I will take a picture and put it on freegle and it was gone already

whatdoyoumean33 · 11/07/2022 20:13

Leave it there let the scrap angels sort it

Rosscameasdoody · 11/07/2022 20:13

If it’s going to affect your garden, ring the company and tell them if it’s not removed immediately you will start a small claims court action to recover the cost of reinstating your property to what it was before they did what they did. And then do it.

Cameronnorrieisabitofalright · 11/07/2022 20:14

If you live new me op I will send ds and his mates round to dump it on her doorstep. Literally so she can't get out.

Bet she gets it moved then.

uncomfortablydumb53 · 11/07/2022 20:16

Not unreasonable whatsoever
" chat" to as many as possible about your exciting night out!

boupdeflouff · 11/07/2022 20:17

Isaidnoalready · 11/07/2022 20:13

It would be gone in 60 seconds here I had a dishwasher removed popped it on my lawn went to the toilet thought I will take a picture and put it on freegle and it was gone already

Thats shocking!!! DH once got off his motorbike (engine turned off, keys still in ignition) and as he dismounted, some loser tried to push him off it and grab his motorbike. Apparently it was 'banter'.

I hope the scaffolding fairies have been when you get back!

Bayleaf25 · 11/07/2022 20:20

@Allthecoolusernamesaregone on the off chance you’re in the SW pls pm me, I’m on the lookout for some scaffold boards for a DIY project! 😜.

Seriously though I would be very annoyed if I was you. I’d be tempted to call them and say you’ve requested removal from another company and if they don’t collect by 5pm tomorrow it won’t be there any more.

ArmWrestlingWithChasNDave · 11/07/2022 20:22

Gosh, another installment! Who could have seen that coming?

queenrollo · 11/07/2022 20:24

There's probably not much point reporting it as fly-tipping to your council. In my area if it's dumped on private property then the landowner is responsible for clearing it.

Fernticket · 11/07/2022 20:26

I knew it was you OP when I saw the thread title. @ivykaty44 has the right idea.
Shamelessly placemarking.........🙂

RedCardigan · 11/07/2022 20:29

Fuck them.
Tell teh council ther has been fly tipping, get everyone you know to put it out teh front.
tell the company you need your garden back by tomorrow. Just that. Then get someone to take it/free to a good home. They can’t make you pay if they don’t collect it. They have taken scaffolding from another property and dumped it on you. That’s fly tipping and not your problem.