Neighbour trying to benefit with tax thing

[bringthecactusin]

Apologies, don't quite know what the correct description is.

Me and next door are replacing the (invasive) ivy hedge in the garden with a fence, and going 50/50 on the cost. Neither of us can 100% remember who's boundary it is, I vaguely remember it being mine, but might have imagined it. We're not sure and very easy going, so just splitting it 50/50. (I'm happy for them to have the posh side on their side because I want the support slats on my side for fixing things to easier.)

The Neighbour joked last week I needed to remember to ask for an invoice so he could claim it on expenses by pretending it was for one of his rental properties. I just laughed it off, but he's just rang me from work to give me the address I should ask the gardener to put down on the invoice.

I don't know if I'm being too sensible and boring, but this just doesn't sit well with me. His girlfriend has already given me their half of the money in cash, and she wasn't bothered enough to mention it. I know I'm not going to get any police knocking on my door obviously, but it really goes against my morals. The Neighbour is well known for his sense of entitlement and back handers (eg, me and the other side paid to have dropped kerbs put in by the council, but he just bribed the workmen and got his front done for free). I work for the NHS and we're on our arse and it's people taking every opportunity to not pay tax that contributes. It's a real bugbear of mine.

Am I being unreasonable by refusing to ask the gardener for a fake invoice?

Or opinions on how I can explain this to my slightly intimidating neighbour? I don't feel confident because this might totally be me being an absolute wet-wipe and everyone else on the planet happily fleeces the tax man given the opportunity, and I shouldn't stand in his way. Ultimately good neighbour relations come first. I just don't know.

Thoughts?

Just say sorry xx has already given me cash so I am getting the invoice addressed to me

and leave it

Ask your neighbour to deal with the supplier and invoicing. Don't commit fraud on his behalf.

I already had the land registry records so I've just dug them out, and his house isn't even on there! There's been 2 extra houses built between 68 and mine 🤦🏻‍♀️ My house is 150 years old so the actual document bit of the deeds is in really old calligraphy type cursive, I remember the solicitor fuming at the time that she's sent it back to the land registry complaining it was useless. Is that where it would say for definite? I don't know what I'm looking for on the map. Can anyone tell me? Unless the red box shows I have responsibility on BOTH sides?. Could well be, as for at least the first 100 years it was here there was nothing next to it but fields.

Oh god no, it would a) be months and months before he got round to it b) be done on the cheap and by complete coyboys and c) only be 3ft tall so he can chat to me over it. Even if turns out to be his fence I'd still happily pay for it myself just to get one that I know will be decent and won't be bodged.

He's currently having his drive done. We're currently on week 4 of a 3 day job. He's got pallets of bricks on the pavement and all his cars parked on 3 other neighbours drives. I think he knows no-one in the entire Neighbourhood would let him organise a piss up in brewery at this point.

Pay £3 to get the land registry details of next door ? Theirs should be more recent if built later

You are over thinking this. Next time he asks just say I can’t do that, that’s illegal.

He can’t argue with that.

@bringthecactusin then I am afraid the best course of action is to say no and pay for it yourself.

Check your deeds - they sometimes have a mark showing who owns the boundary.

Blame the workman. Say he refused as it is fraud.

The red outline is your land, not which boundaries you’re responsible, but the extent of your property. The responsibility for boundaries would be found in one of the original conveyances, which is probably referred to in the title register (and which will have the funky font). You’d need to see the documents for next door - also available for £3 - and hope the transfer of his land contains details of the boundary responsibility, although it may not actually specify.

Presuming you are paying a legitimate company you should be getting an invoice anyway. Just give him a copy of it surely? If he wants anything else he can contact the company himself?

I know I'm not going to get any police knocking on my door obviously

Probably not, but you'd be helping to commit fraud and could face prosecution if it gets traced back to you.

If you don’t want to decline yourself just say the gardener won’t do it. But I’d definitely not be facilitating fraud.

@Nottodaythankyou123 Cheers for that info. He bought the house off his parents - probably some inheritance tax dodge going on 🤣🤣 I'll buy his records. I know the £3 bit you can get instantly, but the 'wordy' bit I think is only by post. I'll see what I can find off his.

Just say you’re considering selling your house in the next 6 months and need receipts such as this.

Or…just say no.

If you are splitting the cost 50:50 then he is entitled to an invoice for his half. Either the gardener issues two invoices, each for half the amount or you can issue one to your neighbour for his share.

What he chooses to do with it after that is not your concern.

I don't know why people are so wooly about not knowing who owns the fences between theirs and their neighbours properties.

I've got 5 neighbours houses that back on to my back garden. I think most have them have tried to get me to pay for all the fences. I have happily paid for the ones I own. It's cost a few thousand so I'm buggered if I'm going to pay for anyone else's.

Well already the comments and vote have reassured me it's not just me being overly square and boring. I think living alone, and dealing with so many workmen over the past month, and battling anxiety, then dealing with turnip headed Neighbour have made me doubt myself. I definitely now 100% won't be entertaining any fake invoices, and will feel confident enough to tell him that. I'll go straight over when I'm home so conversation is on his doorstep not him turning up on mine with whatever paperwork he said he'd bring round.

I'll check the land registry to find out for certain in the long term.

And I've also told the Ivy hedge removal man that in no way do I agree with this if NDN starts pestering him directly. It's cash to him and then bank transfer and invoice with the actual fance company. Ivy man is very clear in no way is he getting involved with any tax fraud. His girlfriend works for HMRC so he was not happy, but appreciated I'd made my stance clear to him.

'I asked the gardener and he said no. How's the drive going?'

Just tell him the gardener refused. Obviously after you've gotten your name and address on the invoice and it's in your possession.

Oh the hightlight of the driveway saga was when his workmen hit MY gas main running under HIS garden (where they were extending the drive over). They got Cadent gas board out who said it would have to be relaid under my own garden and sent a JCB round. Which broke so they had to get 3 lads to dig up my garden BY HAND to 2 foot down. Where they then uncovered my REAL gas main, and the one they'd hit next door was a capped off one. 🤦🏻‍♀️Garden subsequently filled in again. The joys of having a house so old the utilities aren't on anyone's maps!! Oh, and this was all on the same day a local hotel burnt down so we had no water because the fire brigade used all supplies in the area, and had power cuts, and no internet because the burning hotel was attached to the telephone exchange.

I think you’re absolutely right not to be facilitating tax fraud. Too many people do it and then grumble on about big companies not paying their fair share.

'Sorry we'll need it as my address as it forms part of the guarantee'

I think it will be ypu responsibility because your house would have been fenced in before his was even built.In that case it seems a bit churlish to expect him to oay half for a boundary that is your responsibility. You are a bit rich to be getting on your high horse about the tax, when you have ripped him off

I do not EXPECT them to pay half.

His ivy was getting overgrown on my side of the fence, and also growing up the side of my house. I got a gardener in to price up removal up, which I was paying for, and asked NDN to clear his side alley for access.

Girlfriend NDN mortified that THEIR ivy is affecting MY house and she's also fed up of it getting so overgrown on their side, and is warning him if it gets onto their new extension she'll strangle him. So she came over to ask garden man to price up getting the lot removed so their ivy won't be a recurring problem.

I have never EXPECTED them to pay anything. She said she would pay to get the ivy removed off my house, and it was ME who offered to pay half.

We know full well that the ivy is so strong its got braches like 3inch thick growing into and between the boards on the fence panels. We knew straight away that getting THEIR ivy removed would just leave a relic of something that USED to be a fence. So we just agreed while nattering in the garden to get a new fence too and go halves on that too. I've said I'm happy for them to have the posh side of the panels facing them because strange little me likes the support strut side more anyway.

How the hell have I ripped him off? If turns out it's actually THEIR fence would they be ripping ME off because they wanted it doing and I offered half?

Yeah some older documents are only available via the post, they’re not electronically uploaded (it’s £3 per doc just in case you weren’t aware!). Bit of a red herring for this issue as you’ve agreed 50/50 but might be useful for future reference! I think it’s unlikely a gardener would agree to fudge the invoice to be fair - not a gardener (lawyer) but a client asked me to change an invoice address once and it was a firm no, triggered loads of internal reports and paperwork 😅