I don't think I should pay a sort of communal charge. Am I being unreasonable.?

[bonio]

I don't want to pay it because i don't live there any more!

Background.

Until Feb this year I lived in a farm with a shared access road. Shared with 3 other houses.

We were jointly liable for road repairs to the private farm road.

One person got planning permission 5 years ago to use his farm outbuildings as a store/ offices for his plant hire business on the condition he upgraded the short stretch of road to his premises.As it was for him we all assumed he would pay himself for that part of the upgrade as it was only needed for his business, not for the other 3 families who lived further up the road.

He never did this. The first stretch of the road to his house got completely trashed because of all the lorries etc going up it.

We eventually sold our house in Feb after over a year on the market. One of the things people did not like was the state of the road!

Anyway.....Old neighbour has since done MAJOR repairs to road, and phoned me at the weekend to ask me to pay a share!When I expressed surprise due to the fact we don't live there he said but the repairs were planned at a time when we DID live there and I had agreed to pay a proportion!

What do you all think of this?

The extent of alleged agreementy was as follows.

When my house went on the market (end of 2006) i knew neighbour's stretch of road would put off buyers so I asked him when he intended to fulfill his obligations to the planners re upgrade.

he called a neighbours meeting and said he would do mega resurfacing and would expect some sort of contribution from the other 3 families but he would pay most. No figures were mentioned and we were all a bit non commital because of this but I was prepared to pay up because i felt he had me over a barrel because I had to sell my house.

But he never got his act together and I did sell eventually despite the road.

He must be grasping at straws. FIL got landed with the whole bill when he tarmaced a mile of access road to himself and his neighbours, they had all agreed to contribute in theory but as they were not involved in organising the work and he didn't have it in writing he had to foot the bill. You live and learn.

He's trying it on - tell him to shove off. Anyway - if he'd sorted the road out when he promised it probably would have cost him less. Fool

He had no consideration for you when he wrecked the road with his business so you have no moral or legal obligation to him. (you didn't sign anything did you?)

thanks all.
Did not sign anything and did not even really agree to anything!(of course he is putting moral pressure on me saying "I am surprised you are going back on your word")

The road only needed upgraded for his business.

We did not object to his planning application because we thought he would upgrade the first stretch of road at his expense.

Pigleto that is dreadful. You will see that this situation is somewhat different.

Don't pay it. If he's got a legal right to demand the money from you let him take you to court.

The only time I would pay this is if I were in front of a judge who was saying to me "pay this or I'll put you in prison" .

Then, and only then, would I pay it.

How ridiculous of him!

If he had sorted the road when you were living there and uyou felt that this helped the sale of yiour house then maybe you would have felt obliged to contribute but under your circumstances there is no way that you should give this man a penny!

Don't pay it - if he's taken another 5 years to get the work done would he be tracking down all the old owners?? Like said above -he's grasping at straws

I dont think he has a leg to stand on - it was part of his planning permisiion condition to improve the road and its taken him 5 yrs to do it - he has probably had grief off the council to get it done .

Tell him to fuck off. Good for you for not signing anything. He is an idiot for getting himself in this mess.

Ask to see evidence in writing of what he feels you have committed to.

The request sounds pretty duff to me.

wow thanks . I had thought all this myself but was scratching my head at the very idea he contacted me.

I have been going through a hard time recently and wondered if my judgement was impaired!

update. I told him I would not be paying. I just kept repeating " We don't live there any more"
He was sort of ok about it. The more I think of it the more bizzarre it all seems.

It has upset me all the same