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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To rat out these CFs

279 replies

gerbalgreen · 29/08/2022 15:28

Two family members, who I used to think were very nice, gleefully told me two years ago that they have been moving back their fence every year and have been stealing land.

But it's ok because their neighbours are elderly and haven't noticed. 😱

They live in the country side and you cannot see the neighbours house from their garden. Their neighbours land covers all three sides of their house and is a wooded area. They have tripled the size of their garden.

They were smug when they mentioned that if they used the land for a certain number of years the rightful owners couldn't take it back due to some law.

After this conversation I can't see them in the same light and now every time I meet up with them I realise they just aren't good people. I also feel so guilty knowing this and not doing anything.

I also know that either at the end of this year or some point next year the time will have passed that the neighbours can't do anything.

I am considering sending them an anonymous letter. Should I? I could find them on google maps. A big part of me doesn't want to get involved then another just wants justice to prevail.

I also live abroad. So any letter sent from my country, should the neighbours show it to said family members, would obviously be from me. I don't want this family to know how I feel as it would cause chaos with the rest of the family. I would rather make it anonymous. How would I do this? Would this give me bad or good karma?

YANBU : Write the letter
YaBU : Don't get involved

OP posts:
1000N · 30/08/2022 21:47

I would be proud if my family was to stick for the Elderly affected person and defend the rightfully side… I don't see it as snitching but as doing the right thing.

Chuck2015 · 30/08/2022 23:04

Am I missing something, can’t you just set up an email in a different name and email the local council? definitely agree, do something, awful behaviour.

DAN65cS · 30/08/2022 23:32

It’s stealing from a elderly couple property muggers low life’s no morals I would have no problem dobbing them in

DAN65cS · 30/08/2022 23:44

Lamplighter 414 your as bad as the low life’s stealing the old couples property this is why our country is in the state it is Wrongan

AprilRae91 · 31/08/2022 00:57

@gerbalgreen they don’t give the info out. We received an unsigned sympathy card after a death and I enquired, they wrote back saying they couldn’t tell
me who it was from.

bluesapphire48 · 31/08/2022 01:06

By all means, let somebody know! Looking back, you will be glad if you do. If you don't, you will always feel bad that you didn't. Actually, if it's land theft and you knew about it, you would be party to a crime.

Squirrelly1 · 31/08/2022 01:08

If you are struggling to identify the affected property, you could try going into the local councils planning portal. In my area when people make a planning application they usually submit a block plan, which is an ordnance survey excerpt of the property location, it often shows a number of surrounding properties, might not work if your relatives are very rural and the properties are sparsely spread out. Start with your relatives address see if they or any immediate neighbours have applied for planning permission. You may need to look up a number of addresses, but you might get lucky and find an excerpt with affected properties house number/ street name.

AlexTurnersmicrophone · 31/08/2022 07:32

We are victims of land theft, our neighbour is obsessed with boundaries and "adverse possession ", they have never applied for it with Land Registry. It is shockingly difficult to sort out, councils are not interested as it's "civil", MP not interested, police not interested, however it may be worth a try using the angle of elderly vulnerable people. Legal route prohibitively expensive, aggressive thieves win. I would definitely find a way to let them and/or their family aware, so they can hopefully rectify the situation and move fences to rightful position. Public outing can help I've done this a bit on social media.

Sudoku88 · 31/08/2022 09:53

LampLighter414 · 29/08/2022 15:39

Nope. Nothing worse than a snitch. Keep your snout out. Just don’t talk to them anymore if you don’t agree with them.

Yes, definitely ignore this one.

What is happening is so wrong. You need to do the right thing and notify the owners, council etc- whoever needs to be notified.

Scepticalwotsits · 31/08/2022 16:08

Poppingmad123 · 30/08/2022 19:09

Land grabbers are definitely the lowest of low. I have neighbours who have done this & they wonder why I don’t talk to them anymore! Really disgusts me. You can send me the details, I’m happy to dob them in or call the police to report trespass.

unfortunately trespass is a civil offence not criminal so police wouldn't do a thing

eastegg · 31/08/2022 17:27

LampLighter414 · 29/08/2022 15:39

Nope. Nothing worse than a snitch. Keep your snout out. Just don’t talk to them anymore if you don’t agree with them.

Didn’t know there were 10 year olds on mumsnet.

Rosscameasdoody · 31/08/2022 17:44

averageavocado · 29/08/2022 22:08

The decent people are, the scum aren't

Show quote history

Unless you actually live in Liverpool, in this specific area and see from day to day what’s happening and how people are responding, how are you qualified to comment ? There are ‘scum’ as you call them, in every area but it seems fashionable to pick on Liverpool, when in fact there is a sense of community here that you’d be hard pressed to find in many areas.

Rosscameasdoody · 31/08/2022 17:46

Scepticalwotsits · 31/08/2022 16:08

unfortunately trespass is a civil offence not criminal so police wouldn't do a thing

Show quote history

Encroaching on neighbours’ land and fencing it off is a bit more than ‘trespass’. Thankfully there are laws in place to stop this kind of thing now, so yes, the police will respond.

Rosscameasdoody · 31/08/2022 17:57

AlexTurnersmicrophone · 31/08/2022 07:32

We are victims of land theft, our neighbour is obsessed with boundaries and "adverse possession ", they have never applied for it with Land Registry. It is shockingly difficult to sort out, councils are not interested as it's "civil", MP not interested, police not interested, however it may be worth a try using the angle of elderly vulnerable people. Legal route prohibitively expensive, aggressive thieves win. I would definitely find a way to let them and/or their family aware, so they can hopefully rectify the situation and move fences to rightful position. Public outing can help I've done this a bit on social media.

Adverse possession according to the 12 year rule, in itself doesn’t exist any more. To appropriate land in this way you have to show that there is good reason to believe that you are the owner of it and make application to the land registry, who will then notify the owner of the application and give them an opportunity to dispute it. CF’s haven’t done any of this - have just moved the fence in the hope no-one has noticed. It’s theft.

tttigress · 31/08/2022 18:15

Unfortunately I think this pretty common in the countryside.

CactusBlossom · 01/09/2022 01:41

This sounds awful. I was worried that my neighbour was trying to gain possession of the shared driveway because he was parking several cars on it (even though the deeds say it should be kept clear at all times). I was so worried, I consulted a solicitor. What concerned me was "possession by encroachment", which may be what you are referring to. The solicitor told me that the neighbour couldn't do this as it was specified in the deeds the proportion of land that belonged to each house (with mutual right of way). It is disgraceful that your relatives are trying to steal land from an elderly couple in this way. My additional suggestion would be to contact the local authority - the planning department, perhaps? - as it seems your relatives are trying to take ownership of land that clearly is not theirs. You might want to tell your relatives that it will affect the council tax that they pay... The other possibility would be to go through the Land Registry as they have maps showing boundaries of properties. DO the honourable thing; your relatives know they are in the wrong.

Sswhinesthebest · 01/09/2022 02:04

I think it’s likely to be missed when sold because if it’s that big a plot of land, who is going to check carefully?

Purple52 · 03/09/2022 11:14

We have a similar issue with an elderly relative - though believe me she knows! & there are other issues too.

yiu can put a fence wherever you like! - but land registry is what matters (or deeds if it’s predated.

your relatives are just creating themselves a future problem.

the law they refer to is rubbish, based on the legal advice we have had recently.

withaspongeandarustyspanner · 03/09/2022 11:17

I'll write the letter. YANBU

Jedsnewstar · 03/09/2022 11:20

LadyLothbrook · 29/08/2022 15:31

Send it via moonpig.

Genius

Zilla1 · 03/09/2022 11:36

If in England then the regime of adverse possession changed in 2002 and does not happen automatically.

Goldie2021 · 03/09/2022 11:36

I’m in Australia, if you’re not from here I’ll post the letter for you!

J3001 · 03/09/2022 11:38

Post the letter to me i'll gladly post it on hate people who do this

EmmaH2022 · 03/09/2022 11:41

OP "I believe my family have built on the stolen land or partially on it."

this happened to my auntie when she had a long period in hospital.

people who do this are absolute fuckers, please do report it.

Taillighttoobright · 03/09/2022 11:43

I've just done the acid test of relaying this to my husband to gauge his response as he is as honest and noble as Ned Stark.
Your friends are CFs and stealing from their poor neighbours. You have to do something.