Awful Neighbours

[Vivienne1000]

We went in our back garden today and noticed some damage to rose bushes. We looked at the CVTV at the front of our house and can clearly see several men, with long ladders, walk past our front door, down our steps and into our garden. We saw ladder damage to our lawn and can see work has been done on our neighbours roof edge. They then exit again by our door, but one stops, looks through the door window and tries the handle, several times. Our neighbours did not ask our permission and have not mentioned a thing to us. Another neighbour has told me she messaged the neighbour to say the builders were on our land, so they knew. I am fuming and feel very vulnerable. What should I now do?

It sounds like you are not friendly with your neighbours? In my opinion, your neighbours have not done damage, but their workies have. If you were friendly with them; I'd suggest speaking with them up front. But as this is not the case, I'd still suggest speaking with them to see if they will pay the damages (and they can claim from the workies). If this fails, personally, I'd threaten legal action. It's will cost a lot so I'd not jump in with doing it, but threaten first and follow through after.

I think it’s more the fact that we have had several men be on our property and try to see if the front door was open. They were there a long time and 2 of them came from their garden over the hedge. They are both campaigners/ activists and will have been at home, so knew full well what these guys were doing. They just won’t realise that we have a camera.

Christ, if I were you... I'd be just as angry! So I get it! I think give the neighbours a slight
benefit of the doubt .. for 2 seconds then just repost because what other option do your have? I know other users won't agree.. but I be reporting.

I think I will log the incident today with the local police. I am sure we will be told it’s a civil matter.
i feel like posting the video of these men on his Instagram, so his 1.5 million viewers can see. But I have a suspicion that would backfire!

I would report to the police as surely it’s criminal damage if they have caused damage. Plus (depending on any police action) I’d be seeing a solicitor to see what my options are. This sort of thing needs stamping out straightaway as otherwise CFs become even more cheeky!

I’d report to the police as the trying of the door is them trying to access your property to do what? Steal stuff! Police don’t tend to look at that as “civil” matters!

I agree the police won’t be interested in a squabble between neighbours and rose bushes.

I would call the police

Do you have legal expenses cover either on your house insurance or elsewhere in which case a stiff letter might be in order

I would add by the way that the Police should be concerned that the builders were seen trying your door

You are correct. They have asked for the CCTV footage of this.

It’s hardly a squabble. We have done nothing wrong. If someone is staring through your window and trying to enter your house, you can just laugh it off? Very strange.

I think there are 3 separate matters here.

1. the neighbours allowed workmen to access your property without discussing it with you. Totally needs to be nipped in the bud.
2. the workmen caused damage to your rose bushes. Really annoying, and the neighbours need to be told, but I think unless the damage is catastrophic, then they will grow back and you need to suck it up.
3. the workmen tried to burgle your house. This is a police matter and should definitely be reported, and neighbours need to supply details.

I would be using the fact that they tried to burgle your house (on top of the damage caused to plants, and plain rudeness) as further justification to say to your neighbours that you do not give permission for any access to your property in the future without prior discussion with you.

we had neighbours who took absolute liberties with our property and I had to call the police. Thankfully they have moved and we have lovely neighbours now. It takes a particular level of arrogance to allow workmen to access your property without prior discussion.

We went in our back garden today and noticed some damage to rose bushes.

We saw ladder damage to our lawn.

Firstly, you need to document this damage if you haven't already. Secondly, what kind of damage are we talking? If the damage is significant (eg, the rose bushes need to be replaced, the lawn repaired) then you are entitled to have it put right.

Your first port of call should be a simple conversation with your neighbors, informing them of the damage done. Ideally they should instruct their contractor to make it right.

They then exit again by our door, but one stops, looks through the door window and tries the handle, several times.

In order for the offence of attempted burglary to be committed, there must be evidence of intent to steal/cause damage. Trying a door handle, in the middle of the day, at a property you're working adjacent to, may not be evidence enough for the police to investigate, and almost certainly wouldn't be enough to charge.

Our neighbours did not ask our permission and have not mentioned a thing to us.

If your neighbors have told the builders to access their work via your property, that's naughty.

However that's an assumption. They may have, they might not have mentioned anything or they might have explicitly instructed the builders not to access your land, and been ignored.

Another neighbour has told me she messaged the neighbour to say the builders were on our land, so they knew.

Did your neighbors respond to the message? If not, you have no idea when this message was seen, or if they raised it with the builders or not.

What should I now do?

As above, talk to them! They presumably have no idea that your lawn/roses were damaged. They may be mortified and get things resolved immediately. They're obviously not responsible for the builder checking your door, but they may appreciate the heads-up.

They don't seem to have done anything 'awful' in this scenario as of yet, so I'm guessing the thread title hints at ongoing issues?

Neighbours can be truly awful, came back from work one evening.
To find that they had allowed someone from Sky,this was years ago,to climb over our front gate to access our path to fit a Sky dish & wiring to the side of there house,using our garden as a access point,mess & wires just left.

I did not challenge them,she was unhinged.She moved home so someone's elses problem now!

Another neighbour,some years later sprayed his fences.

Only after going into our garden we noticed that our garden furniture & plants was covered in fine blue spray paint.
Took forever to remove!

Never spoke to them, as I would not want to be in the same air space as them.

A courier, decided to open our front door, walk in to leave a parcel in our hallway.

Without knocking,or ringing bell.

A neighbour decided to turn his garage,into a gym.
The thing is he used the gym at 7 am most mornings. lifting & dropping heavy weights.That vibrated through the floors,to our house.
We moved since then, wonder if his new neighbours are happy with his entitled behaviour?

Don't you just love neighbours!

OP Any updates?

The neighbours maintain they were in their house and didn’t realise the builders came on to our property. However another neighbour informed them straight away and they chose to ignore this.
They said they know the builders, they are nice guys. They didn’t believe they were looking in our windows or trying their door handles.
They are very outspoken activists and are all over social media. They have had death threats and are obsessed with their own privacy at home. So it seems even more ridiculous that they don’t respect the privacy of others.

They were far from mortified. They thought we were over reacting by bringing it to their attention.
i think we have remained very restrained.
If we went on their land, it would be a very different story.

I think the response from @NigellaAwesome is spot on and very considered so I'm a bit surprised your response is to go on a ramble about the fact the neighbours are activists is a bit beside the point. It feels like the fact they are activists (I'm intuiting for a cause you don't agree with?) and your general dislike for them is clouding your judgement and making you feel this is more severe than it is.

Trespass on property = not on
Damaged bushes = not on but they will grow back
Someone looking in your windows = not on, but also - they didn't actually do anything did they? It's all ok now, other than you feeling annoyed.

Sounds like neighbors are super annoying but not exactly serial killers.

Very Strange that you think it is acceptable for a group of male strangers to look through my windows, try the door handle several times and go into my garden for a couple of hours with ling ladders? My neighbours knew we were at work.
if I had been off sick and I had seen them in my garden I would have called the police.

What have The Police said?

They asked if we wanted to take it further. For now I have had to say no, because we are both out at work all day and I don’t trust what else they might do. We have an incident number and have saved all the CCTV.

Did you show the neighbours your CCTV? You said they didn’t believe you?

They told my husband there was no need. But when my husband described the builder with a face covered in tattoos and an Albanian flag on his forehead, they knew we were not making it up. They have a superiority about them.