How do I deal with a flaky neighbour?

[user1471867483]

I’ve been facing some frustrations with my neighbour's recent building works, particularly concerning external wall insulation they installed. Unfortunately, these renovations have resulted in unsightly holes in the render of my property. I've also discovered a leak from their pipe - I don't know if this is causing damp patches on my kitchen wall which is particularly alarming as the damp spots are situated close to the wiring from my boiler, raising concerns about potential electrical hazards.
In an attempt to address these issues, I filled in some of the cracks on my side of the wall, while my neighbour offered to repair the holes created by his renovations. However, despite his assurances that he would "fix up anything left that needs fixing," his follow-through has been disappointing. He has cancelled on us twice now. Initially, we had set a date and time for him to come over, but he called to say his son was unwell and needed to be taken to his aunt’s. The second time, he claimed that his wife was stuck in traffic and would be unable to make it. Each time, I found myself having to rearrange my own plans, which has added to my frustration.
I’m thinking of calling it a day with him and finding my own builder. What do you think?
TIA.

Have you tried speaking to his builder?

If I were you I would give him a deadline - "if you don't sort this by XX date, I will hire a builder and the invoice will go to you"

If he's accepted responsibility then I think you need to have a firmer conversation.

Can you say 'It does need fixing now Bob, you've accepted your building works caused the damage so you are responsible for putting it right. We need it done by X date or I will have to make it more formal because if it is left undone over winter there will be damage'.

If this doesn't work you'll have to put things in writing I guess.

His builders have long gone. The owner of the property is responsible including the builders.

i may be misunderstanding you last post, but if your neighbour is not the property owner, why is he discussing reparations? Shouldn’t the owner be arranging repairs?

Trying to envisage how the damage occurred – are you semi-detached? If so, did you not get a party wall agreement put in place?

Really not cool to bring up an OP's other threads when she's asking about a non-related issue.

Yes, he's the owner.

It's terraced and he's end of.

Speak to your insurance company they will advise and you may have legal cover should you need to write a few scary letters make sure tou have lots of pics and write down a time line of events. Also save any text messages and correspondence

Thank you very much everyone so far xx

So the damage has encroached from his side? You need to take photos of all the damage, inside and out, and put it in writing that he has xx amount of days to put it right. Start a paper trail in case you need to take him to court.

Did you have a party wall agreement if there are adjacent walls?

Nothing at all. All we had were a few hours notice that works were going to start and that's it! Also, our doorstep is scratched from the works.

I wouldn't trust someone like that to make proper repairs, or indeed in investigate thoroughly to assess the damages and leaks.

Get your own expert in to assess the damage, make your own repair arrangements, and charge the bills back from the neighbour which might require small claims action.

Or speak to your insurance company, although this will probably affect your premium.

Make a thorough record of everything so far.
Record everything from this point on, dates conversations the works.
Make all your communication on writing of some form, or follow up any conversations with email confirming what was said.
Start thinking about legal letters and as pp said see if your house insurance has legal cover.

If there were adjacent wall works, then your neighbour should have notified you and served a party wall notice agreement. This is a legal requirement. Unfortunately as previous posters mention, you'll need to take legal advice. Your house insurance should offer this.

Thank you. He didn't serve a notice whatsoever. He only told us of the works 7pm the night before and started them the next day 🤔

I wonder if his works needed building control sign off or planning permission too? Anyway, you could also phone up a local surveyor who deals with party walls and see if they can offer any guidance.

Thank you all. The neighbour is 'fixing up any cracks or anything else that needs fixing' (his words) today. He also needs to fix our front door as it's damaged (he hasn't mentioned that though).

Should be front door steps and not front door.

What do I do please people? He said he'd pitch up at 3pm today and he's nowhere to be seen 🤷. This is the third time he's hampered my plans. What should I do?

Have you checked if you have legal cover on your house insurance? If so get them on the case.