Can my neighbour come through my back garden to get to his?? Ok

[dg8484]

I've moved into a rented property before (never rented before, recently divorced so moved out of mortgaged home)
I was in my kitchen today cleaning and getting ready for Fridays removal van. When out the corner of my eye, I saw a man directly walking past the kitchen window. It is a row of town houses, I am the first one, so instead of using his front door, this man is opening the side garden gate to the house I'm in, and going through to his garden. I will be phoning the rental company in the morning, but surely this isn't right!? I am going to tell the rental company I want to put a lock on the gate. Also, I have a heavy garden table which I've put directly next to the gate. If I see him climb over it then I won't be happy. It's not a communal garden, it's individual gardens. Any advice??

Oh my word. I had no idea this was actually a thing! How can people stand it?

It doesn't make your garden unusable anymore than the postman walking up your front garden makes that unusable.
If they aren't shutting the gate I would leave a polite note asking them to do so so dc stay in garden.

As a dc in a tenement we had a common garden and washing lines. We all survived.

Oh my word. I had no idea this was actually a thing! How can people stand it?

I think because it's much less stressful than posters make it sound?! It's literally someone walking five steps across your house on a path...

It's not comparable to a communal garden at all.

As a dc in a tenement we had a common garden and washing lines

My flat now has common washing lines. My gran was amazed, thought they didn't exist any more.

It's not comparable to a communal garden at all.

I've had both and I think they are comparable. In both you have access to outside space but you and people you allow into the space will not be the only people to access the space. It will also be accessible to others you live in nearby accommodations.
It isn't identical but it is similar.
In most UK gardens the only people who access your gardens are those you allow into the space.
The difference in a right of access is that people just walk across and don't stay and share your space, so it is only a couple of minutes.

Not even minutes. It literally takes five seconds to walk the width of my daughter's house! It's not remotely comparable to a communal garden!

Oh my word. I had no idea this was actually a thing! How can people stand it?

I imagine it depends on the community you live in and your relationship with your neighbours. These are historic rights of way, unlikely to be found in houses built since the war. Prior to that, people were much less territorial about personal space and there was much more sharing.

I'm amused that so many people can't believe this is a 'thing'. It is very common in older terraced houses, not what I would prefer, but very much a 'thing'.

I grew up in a terraced house where next door had to go through our back yard to get to their back door. And in our community, no-one ever used their front door (ours was stuck tight!), so it was normal for your neighbours to cross your yard to get in their house.

”Oh my word. I had no idea this was actually a thing! How can people stand it?”

I would hate it. But then, there are lots of perfectly normal living environments I would hate. And everyone’s living environment is likely to involve compromises of some kind or another. I love my house, but if I could, I’d move it a bit further back from the road, not have it next to a pub, and would have a different front door (can’t change it due to it being a listed property).

Life is all about compromises and having neighbours occasionally nipping through the garden is a perfectly acceptable compromise for many people.

, Oh my word. I had no idea this was actually a thing! How can people stand it?*
It's really not a big deal. My DDs house is like this and interestingly she lives in a much friendlier area than I do. She has to walk through 2 gardens to get to her back door everyone in her area uses their back doors because the front doors lead directly to the living rooms) if the neighbours are out while we walk through they always chat. No one seems to find it a probem at all.

@CaptainmyCaptain - I live in a city where probably 80% of the housing stock is terraces. I've lived in 6 or 7 different mid terraced houses myself. I live in one right now. You'll have to forgive me for not being aware of every kind of housing that is available.

Nextphone I think it's more common in the North.

He may usually just go through his house and is only using your garden now so you know there is a right of access, so this may turn out to be a non-issue. If the right exists, just acknowledge it and ignore it. If he uses it habitually and respectfully, shuts the gate etc, then you'll barely notice it in a couple of weeks.

Once you know if the right exists, then all you need do is ask him nicely and politely to shut the gate and then t your dog and child use the garden. The dog may discourage him from using that path anyway, and if your child's out there then I'm sure he'll close the gate.

If the right doesn't exist put a lock on.

I had this in my childhood home. My mum installed a wall that separated our garden (so yard, wall with gate, walk through path that the neighbour used, rest of our garden). It gave some privacy. But the neighbour rarely used it. He even pushed his wheelie bins through his house (bless him we said he needn't to!!). Unfortunately he passed away. The new neighbours used it very frequently and waved at me through the kitchen window which I didn't enjoy lol. They even came to our back door once! So it never seemed like an issue before and then when they moved in I didn't like it lol. Could you install something that put a barrier between the path and your house?

Also even if he has right of way he still needs to close your gate so I would definitely be asking him to do that!

If he has shared access, blocking his way would be illegal.

I take it the agency haven't responded? Frustrating.

Definitely look into if he has right if access

No response as yet, il be chasing it tomorrow

This is terrible, I’m a very private person and love to be in my garden, but would not feel comfortable with this at all.