Neighbour lied they owned the house

[Fluffywalrus]

I need to share this somewhere because my partner keeps saying there could be some other explanation.. but I'm just flabbergasted!

I bought and moved into my home more than THREE YEARS ago. Because of the structure of the properties there's one neighbour whose home is very entwined with mine and whose property shares a lot of structural things with mine.

I made a point to knock on their door a few days after moving in to introduce myself and I remember we had a long chat and I came away with the understanding that she had bought that property several years before. I can't remember the exact words used but I remember being pleasantly surprised because I'd assumed it would be rented rather than the owner living there, which made things much simpler.

Since then we've had countless long friendly chats about work, partners, pets, holidays etc. and probably see her and exchange pleasantries a few times a week in the street. We also got to know her partner who moved in later.

A few days ago we bumped into her partner out and about and he told us they had moved out and bought somewhere. I was surprised that she wouldn't have said goodbye or mention they were leaving. We'd had various chats about plans for the summer and this was never mentioned. But most shockingly, when I asked about their plans for the property he said they just rent it and the lease was coming to an end. She didn't actually own it at all !!

Over the years I've consulted with her on various things I've done to the property renovation-wise, which might impact her and asked various questions regarding the property (due to her living there longer) and most recently got permission for some work that is due to happen in a few weeks. I'm at a complete loss of what to do now. At no point did she say anything to suggest she wasn't the owner e.g. 'I don't know as I'm just renting. I'll have to check with my landlord / the owner.' etc.

My partner thinks I must have just assumed wrongly. But surely even if she hadn't lied and it was a misunderstanding at some point in all these discussions she would have pointed out she didn't own this place?!

AIBU to think they're been misleading?

But she knew she wouldn't actually be living there when the work happened. This was discussed a matter of days before she moved out.

I really can’t see the issue here or why you’re so excited by the fact they rented. So what, she managed every issue and I’m sure anything she felt needed to be dealt with by the landlord she’d have told them. There’s been no issues. And it’s none of your business. It really isn’t.

Omg!

Bingo

If you read Op's posts - she's about to put scaffolding up on the neighbouring property. She needs owner permission to do that.

She’s been given permission, the tenants likely let the landlord know. She can ask. It’s really not a run round your house screaming with excitement issue.

Land registry.

Cheeky I reckon for a tenant to agree on behalf of the owner about possible structural issues. Maybe she checked with the owner and relayed the information after your conversation and they said it was ok?? She probably didn't want you to know. Although, I moved in to my house last year and my next door neighbours told me they rented and when I asked about repairing a wall that belonged to their side, they said that the owner wouldn't even notice so I should just go ahead and repair it which I did. I guess if its something ultimately beneficial to the owner then there wouldn't be an issue.

It is if she plans to put up scaffolding because if any part of it needs to go on next doors’ property she needs the permission of the land owner.

Yeah this ... ^ My friend lives in a rented housing association bungalow and has been there 10 years. The whole road of 32 properties - in a cul de sac - was bought by the council from the building company when the building company went tits up - some way through the build. Then the council added it to their housing stock. (1970s.) So they look very much like private-built homes. (As this is what they were meant to be originally.)

Since then, around 20 of the 32 homes have been bought on right-to-buy, and some sold 3 or 4 times. 12 are housing association now since the council sold them on in the early 1990s.

A big 4 bed detached house was built on a spare plot of land in the 2000s, (2003 I think,) not far from my friend's bungalow. A woman and her husband (in their 50s) moved in in 2022. (It was previously owned by a widow who moved in in 2010 with her husband and son, but she moved when her husband died in 2022. And by a family of 3 before that.

Anyway, the new lady (who moved in - in 2022,) was very friendly and chatty with my friend when she bumped into her, and spoke a few times a month. Then the lady asked my friend if she wanted to buy a piece of land that she couldn't be bothered with any longer. (Half an acre that would have tripled the size of my friend's garden..) Friend said 'oh we'd love to, but we don't own this bungalow, we rent it from a housing association.' The woman's face dropped, and she said 'what...? You RENT?' Friend said 'yes, I believe around a dozen people in this road do.'

The woman looked like and then... Said she is vexed she wasn't informed that she was a stone's throw from social housing when she bought the house!

Also said to my friend that she was shocked she is renting social housing as she would have sworn she was a homeowner. Friend said 'oh why?' The woman said 'you seem to look after the property and garden, and just don't look and seem like someone who rents social housing.' My friend was speechless, as the woman walked off. The woman has hardly spoken to my friend since. Not mixing with those plebby renty people eh? 😆

Why should she tell you if she rents? It’s not really your business. She rents the land as well as the house so she can give permission, or not, for access and scaffolding as it isn’t going to cause any material damage.

You come across as looking down on renters.

So just use the registered owner's contact details on the title extract?

I rented my entire life until I bought this place 3 years ago.

i don’t treat any of my neighbours any differently. I was as friendly to those I knew who rented as this lady who I thought owned for the whole three years I’ve been here.

I was pleased when she said / I thought she owned her property as it’s much easier to knock on the door of the owner next door when you need something than be in the situation I’m in now where I’ve never met the owner and all I know about him is what I’ve got from the land registry - that he has a super common name and lived somewhere on the other side of the country when he bought this place 15 years ago. So I have no idea where he lives now or contact details to get in touch.

I had a similar issue with a neighbour many years ago - got their okay to work on a fence etc and just assumed they owned the house.

A few years in all their trees were cut down and the company that did it just let them all fall into my garden without removing the waste. I was understandably annoyed - it was at that point that she told me her landlord had arranged the work and I should contact him.

He made a few digs about me replacing the fence without consulting him and I explained I thought his tenants owned the house and had spoken to them.

not sure why he was annoyed - I paid fully for the new fence and it was higher and more secure.

How do you know that?

They may have found their dream property and bought it only recently but didn’t want to say anything until it was all finalised.

They may be having for move for various reasons and didn’t fancy discussing it.

They may actually own the property and didn’t want you knowing because they’ll be renting it out.

They could have bought half of it under a shared housing scheme but then went bankrupt.

You may have misheard her.

There are so many possibilities but I don’t think affects you at all.

I am in rented accommodation and have been for 15+ years (and lived in numerous properties) and not once have I needed to contact the landlord about work a neighbour needed doing.

You either misheard or one of them doesn’t want you knowing the truth.

Just wait until they’ve gone and then speak to the new people moving in.

Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding and you’ve done a lot of assuming since then?
It’s certainly absolutely fine for her to give permission for scaffolding in her garden, as it’s she that would be inconvenienced (if she’d stayed) not the landlord.

They found, bought and moved into a new house in the 13 days since that discussion?

I misheard in every discussion?

They don’t own it, I checked and it was bought by someone with another name 15 years ago.

It is quite weird and I can see why you're a little mystified op. The only reason I can think is I have heard the odd person who felt they were looked down upon by their neighbors for being renters.

This sounds like a very similar situation.

It absolutely ISN'T perfectly fine for a rental tenant to agree to scaffolding which will be attached to the property. That is for the owner of the property to agree to (or not) as scaffolding can cause damage.

Weird response. 🤔

If you’re having any sort of building work that impacts your attached neighbour, then you need to consult the property’s owner. In some cases you need the owner to sign a legally binding party wall agreement.

If the tenant has fraudulently identified as the owner of the property and given permission for work to go ahead, the real owner could theoretically sue them.

Then the tenant would have something to get excited about.

That’s bad and yes she deliberately mislead you. For what reasons? I suspect it’s more psychological reasons She didn’t want to tell you that she was renting as you were owners plus she wanted to know about possible changes and control them .
I wouldn’t confront her about this but I would ask her partner about the owner contact details.
By the way we were in a similar situation. We assumed that neighbours were owners and asked their permission about something and only when they were literally putting things into removal van it turned out they were renting.
We never asked them directly about ownership so it was a bit different though. But we asked them about fencing and tree cutting and they never mentioned a landlord.

I can't get the owners' contact details, the neighbours have literally gone. Moved out without saying a word!

We just bumped into the partner out and about a few streets away and were shocked so didn't think to ask.

We also don't have her number.

I know you haven’t replied to me but I must have misread the op as I didn’t realise it was attached to the house. I agree that is a different matter.

It’s literally none of your business. She doesn’t owe you any explanation of her living situation.
There are loads of threads on here about people treating their neighbours like second class citizens because they rent their home and don’t own it. I don’t blame her for keeping quiet.