How long would you continue?

[apricitykomorebi]

My neighbour's conservary has a broken gutter, which during heavy rains leaks so badly that the rain water completely soaks the wall of the conservatory. The neighbour seems concerned about this and has tried fixing it (DIY) by applying some kind of sealant (similar to bathroom sealant). This made no difference whatsoever: the gutter is still leaking and the wall still gets soaked.

The neighbour keeps asking us to tell him when the wall gets wet. When we do, he keeps coming around to take a look at it and sometimes tries to apply more sealant to the gutter, which never makes any difference.

As he requested, we have been telling him about the leaking gutter and the wall every time it rains. It's been 11 years now and he is still asking us to keep telling him every time it happens. To be honest, I am not sure what difference it makes or what difference it will make in terms of fixing the gutter and I am not that sure why he keeps asking us to tell him about it if he either can't or won't do anything about it. At the same time, I don't want to be mean and not tell him as he seems to be concerned about the wall of his conservatory which quite literally gets soaked every time it rains. I have spoken to his daughter a couple of times. She doesn't live with him but comes to visit regularly. She said she'd speak to him but that made no difference either.

His leaking gutter is only problematic for us in that the rain water also soaks everything that we keep next to his conservatory. Other than that the only other inconvenience is that he keeps coming around at random times of day to inspect the wall and because I sometimes work at home, his "inspections" can be disruptive.

Since we have just had another request to keep telling him about his wall, I am wondering whether or not you would continue doing this and for how long?

Why doesn't he just fix the gutter. I'd be so annoyed after telling them about the wet for the first 5 times, fix the gutter, ah Bob it looks like you need new guttering, oh Bob, the leaky gutter again, needs new guttering, and on and on.

FIX THE DAMN GUTTER BOB.

it's not like guttering is £1000s pounds, it's available at at least 5 cheaper online retailers, easy DIY job, Saw my own neighbour do their porch up on step ladders. Is it that he isn't aware of the online stuff or can't get it?

Just tell him that it happens every time it rains and that he needs to get the guttering fixed. Tell him you're not going to keep reporting the same thing to him time and again and that you are busy working during the day and won't be accomodating his visits to look at his conservatory wall! Then don't answer the door if he calls round. I honestly don't understand why you haven't done this before - it's been 11 years!

Awwww he is lonely… 11 years bless him 🥹🥹

11 years?!?!

Why on earth have you left it this long?!!! 😳

I’ve voted YABU for you to seemingly be only asking yourself this question now.

Would I continue doing it?
No.

How long would I have continued it for?
Minus 10 years and 6 months from now.

Is it causing damage to your property? He really needs to get someone professional to sort this out. You’ve left it for soooooooo many years that your neighbour probably has no idea that you are actually that bothered about it 🤷‍♀️

After 11 years, I would forget to mention it. If he asks directly, you could just say something like 'of course it's leaking, it never stopped.'

When my neighbors moved in I went and knocked and handed them a carrier bag. I think they thought it was a gift? It was actually the end cap off their conservatory guttering 😳

I would tell him that he can't keep coming round while you're working. Give him a time and a day or if you're generous a time for everyday he can come and inspect. Explain that it disturbs you while working making and you could be on the middle of a meeting. It's turned into some weird ritual for him 😂. Thing is amount he will of spent on silicon over the years he could of just got it repaired.

11 years?! I thought you were going to say a few months 😂😂
Wow, you've been considerably more patient than I'd have managed!
Why on earth hasn't he just had it replaced?!

I was very tempted to vote YABU just for letting it go on so long!

You need to tell him straight, it's been leaking everytime it rains for 11 years & at this point the only way to fix it is to hire a professional! Then stop discussing it with him until he's ready to send someone round.

This!!

don't answer the door if he calls round. I honestly don't understand why you haven't done this before - it's been 11 years!

He texts either me or my husband before he comes around. We both feel it would be quite rude to ignore his texts. We have told him that applying this silicone is not effective and isn't going to work. He once has called someone "professional" to look at it and all the guy has done was the same as before, i.e. applied more silicone. The first rain and it's all back to the same issue again.

I also don't understand why he doesn't just replace the guttering: it's honestly is not even that much of it: it's not a big conservatory and it's only one side of it that's leaking! However he keeps asking us to tell him when it's leaking. I don't tell him every time it rains: like everyone who has kindly responded, I also think it's getting a bit crazy but when we have bad rains, he asks to come around to check and then keeps asking us to let him know if it leaks again. He is not a bad neighbour generally, so I don't really want to spoil the relationship so to speak but I do agree that 11 years is beyond anything that I would call the norm. I know most people would probably give up telling him anything after 11 months!