New neighbour wants to own the entry?

[danilyon]

Hi,

A new neighbour bought the house next to us about 3 weeks ago. She knocked and introduced herself and said she wanted to pop around the following week to talk about the back gardens. She came round and spoke about putting a fence in the back garden between our house and hers, which is fine as it's something we've been meaning to do but not had the money for. She also asked about putting a gate on the entryway that runs between our house, which is also fine with us.

She then went on to say that she would sort all of this out and that she would like to legally own the entryway that runs between our houses and that she would maintain the entryway. Our house is a terraced house in a row of 4 and our house and the neighbours are in the middle. Above the entryway is one of her bedrooms and her bathroom I think. The entryway is shared between us both and as far as my hubby and I are aware the boundry line runs straight down the middle of entryway. It is the only access we both have to our back gardens. When she mentioned getting her solicitor to send us the paperwork to have a read through hubby made a few non-commital comments but I think she thinks it's a go from us.

We've had no paperwork from any solicitor as of yet, but after me and hubby have had a chat (obviously couldn't do it whilst she was here), we are wondering why would she want to have ownership of the entryway? Obviously a part of our problem would be if she fell out with us for whatever reason and denied access as it's our only access to the back garden? Also what would happen when we sold our house - we think this could hinder a sale if we agreed and told the new owners that actually the neighbour owns the entryway?

I'm worrying what to say to her now as we are not keen to sign anything to give her the entryway completely. We only use the entryway to take the wheelie bins from the back garden out to the front on collection day anyway so it's not like we have all kinds of people coming round the back to see us etc. Does anyone have any advice on what we could say to her? Obviously we don't want to 'sour' relations with her because we are refusing to give her the entryway legally.

Any advice would help. Thanks! :)

I officially live next door to a nut job! I'm going to type out the letter she's just posted to me but it may take a few minutes

Oh dear.

Oh blimey dani :(

Congrats on your baby though :)

Dear danilyon,

I have never had 3 black bins. I have always had 2 black bins, which is correct for a 4-bedroomed house. I also have 2 green bins.

I have seen 3 black bins in your garden, although I haven't looked recently and can't say I pay much attention to your garden.

I am deeply shocked and hurt by your unacceptable attitude as a neighbour. People from your house have been seen trespassing on my property, going into my shed and looking through my window and back door. I would like you to ensure that this never happens again - you do not have my permission to come onto my property or to make free with it in any way.

It's a shame that you chose not to discuss my preliminary offer to buy the alley from you, and turned down my additional offer to fence 2 sides of your own garden at my expense, AND to give you money to create hard-standing for your bins at the front of your property. A Flying Freehold is NEVER an asset to a property, so I cannot imagine where you got that ridiculous idea from.

Approximately 6 weeks ago, while your property was empty, I had to eject two intruders from your back garden who were smoking marijuana and discussing how to break into the back of your house when I interrupted them. I called the police and I have an incident number. I saw these people hanging around again a week later and reported them again. I was not happy with the response I got from the police and following the ensuing row with them (on your behalf) two DS's came to visit me and discuss some of the issues here which affect not only you and me, but the rest of the neighbours along this end of avenue. Have you ever put yourself out for your neighbours?

The police officers suggested I put a door on the alley to stop intruders, and they were gobsmacked when I told them you thought the alley is an asset to your property and have forbidden any changes to it. We laughed. The blunt and unfriendly way you shunned any attempt to discuss the offer further, and refused to return my call or answer your door (when you were at home at the time) did not make them smile.

I find your behaviour disturbing. You are unfriendly, unsociable and seem to believe you have the right to come onto my property without my permission.

I have no idea where your dustbins are. One of mine was halfway up the street several weeks ago, which is why I have painted my address on mine. Maybe yours were stolen at the same time?

Meanwhile, be in no doubt that I want nothing to do with you. If you see me at all, continue on as you have done so far - ignore me.

I have lovely neighbours on my other side. Very friendly, normal and helpful. We watch out for each others property - as I was doing for you. I didn't bother to tell you about the incident with the druggies because I know from experience with you that you do not answer your door or your phone messages. So there is no point now in responding to your order to present myself and explain myself. Dream on.

In future if I see druggies or burglars lurking around your house, I'll turn a blind eye.

Good luck

***

Sorry this is a long post! I do have comments to make about this letter so I'll do another post!

Ohh wow thank you for updating! Congratulations on your baby girl.

Oh dear - marks place

Woah cross post. But she didnt just want to put a gate on the alley, she wanted to own the bloody thing!
I say forget about the bin and have no more to do with her.

She is upset as she can't have her own way and purchase the alley. I doubt there has been a drug incident and doubt she has had the police around to her house on your behalf, pack of lies and she lives on another planet.

You have one black bin and one green bin regardless of size of property in my area as the district council are not issuing extra bins or collections

I'd consider contacting the police - just for an informal chat about these druggies and burglars

It would also get her bonkersness on record, just in case things escalate.

The woman is crazy!
Throw a 6 foot fence up, and a locked gate (to your garden, not the entry!), and install a security camera, then send the witch a facetious sickly sweet letter to thank her for tipping you off about the 'druggies' and informing her of your new security measures

I think, FWIW (not very much I know, but here goes....) -

-that she is smarting at being found out and is being uberdefensive
-that she shows positive signs of wishing to be a good neighbour, so I don't think she's too far gone
-that you audaciously standing up for yourselves (how could you!) has really, really upset her deeply and she will never forgive you. Lucky escape really, otherwise she would likely be exact opposite and be round cluttering up your kitchen, drinking your tea and going into indiscrete details about her love-life/gall-stones/how you should live your life every day and you'd be bezzy mates - at least, in her eyes :o/

You are home again and the opportunities for her to take advantage are significantly lessened. Can you get a new bin and secure it in your garden? - do you have a gate at all?

If she doesn't go in your garden how does she know two druggies were there?? Maybe they stole your bins and put them in her garden :o

Also - if she has extra bins, and the council agree that she should only have one of each, then isn't it for the council to sort her out? Don't they remain, technically, council property? Can they not investigate on your behalf and take some of the strain?

Yeah, funny how she does, but doesn't, pay attention to your garden.

You should get the incident number whatever, as you should find out what actually did happen on your property while you weren't there.

Crackers.

I think aftereight's suggestions are marvellous, and very community spirited Well done you!

Sorry my laptop decided to update itself. Basically that house has only ever had one black bin, which had the number painted on it by a previous owner, so where she thinks that she has always had two black bins is beyond me.

People from my house going on to her property?! The only person that went on to her property was me standing near the alley way to see if I could see our black bins. No-one from my house has been on her property at all.

She didn't offer to buy the alley from us at all. She wanted us to sign it over to her. She briefly mentioned the fence and only mentioned the hardcore to my dad when she thought he was my hubby's dad and she could try have a word with him. Either way we told her politely in the first letter that we weren't interested. About the flying freehold thing - is it wrong of my to think that if she owned the whole alley that it WOULD affect our sale of our house in future?

I rang the police about these incidents as soon as I got the letter off her. There is one incident logged for her address mid-July about suspicious circumstances in the back garden the woman said. She said the police responded within 7 minutes and did a searching sweep but found no-one. Though in her letter she says there were two incidents and gives the impression she spoke to these intruders? And we have looked out for our neighbours actually - the lady who used to live next to us on the other side was elderly and lived on her own. We spoke to her frequently and checked she was ok quite a few times.

As for the call she made to me - I missed it and it was around the time I had to go in to hospital so there were far more important things on my mind. Plus I would love to know when she knocked when we were home and ignored the door to discuss the letter we sent her. She never did as my hubby was the one up at the house on the majority of days or my dad if anyone was up there and my hubby has said that no-one knocked at all. Also she's not knocked since we moved back, and when my hubby half let on to her after we moved back in he said she ignored him. I must admit that after that the once or possibly twice I have glipsed her I haven't said hello but she hasn't said hello either.

Only time I've been on her property like I said is to have a quick see if I could see our bins and also to post the letter.

As for the bins being stolen - who would steal 2 bins then put them back in a different garden? Same goes for emptying a brand new bin full of rubbish!

I find her letter very rude. My letter to her was polite and gave an explanation to why we thought she had our new bin. Tried to knock after she posted it but she ignored me knocking. I cannot wait to get a fence up. We have never had anyone try to break into our house before now and I'm not sure what to make of the so called incidents. Really don't know what to do about her? Sorry this is long.

Ignore Ignore and concentrate on your lovely new baby - not worth getting into a match of who is a good neighbour etc who really cares, only the silly trout next door and go on letting her

Well said all of you! That letter has made me so angry. We have been quoted for a fence front and back gardens with a gate on both. The back garden would have a 10 foot fence at the top with a gate then at the bottom (the other side of the outhouse) we'd have a 6 foot fence. We were quoted 2 grand which is unfortunately our of our range right now and we are planning on getting some more quotes as we desperately need a fence.

She has always had 1 black bin and 2 green bins for some reason as they were there from the old neighbours. We have also had 2 black bins for some reason too (came with the house). I know that she has never had 2 black bins and if she did one wouldn't be a shiny new one!

You have every right to be angry, but don't allow her to push your buttons. Promise no more letters? Give her a wide berth but be cordial if you bump into her. Ok?
Vent your rage on here, We can take it!

She is bonkers. Ignore, ignore, ignore. I'm so sorry she is being such an arse though - I know how stressful that is. But the only thing you can do to avoid the stress is to pretend none of this has happened. Paint your numbers on your bins and if she's stolen the nice new bin then ignore that too.

Anyone as bonkers as her will carry on with the fight well beyond the point you are able to without being horribly stressed and upset about it. I know this to my own cost and I will never try to reason with people like her again.

just read all of this, firstly CONGRATULATIONS on your new baby daughter :)

and secondly, you neighbour is a fucking nutter!

if it helps any, we have a flying freehold, our bathroom and bedroom is over the passageway, we own the passageway BUT our neighbours have right of way, its fine, our neighbours are nice, our kids play together, they use it to take their bikes and bins in and out and to get to their garden, we would NEVER in a million years contemplate doing what your neighbour suggested!

and flying freeholds are generally NOT a problem when buying/selling houses unless you have a nutty neighbour. we have had two lots of neighbours and both have been fine with the 'passageway' and access to it etc, i think once someone parked a car infront of it, we knocked and said 'could they move it please so we could put our bikes away' and they did!! shocking, neighbours getting on and being nice.

i would write a very polite letter back to her, saying what you have said to us, but keep it brief, simple and polite and keep a copy of it, if there are any further issues i would report them to the council (re the bins) just because she has a four beds she is NOT entitled to two bins, it goes on how many poeple are LIVING in the house, so if its just her then no way should she have the 2 bins, the council may like to know that

congrats again and well done on keeping up with the updates!

CdeP is right - she'll be more focussed and crazy about this than you ever can be, so if you want to 'win' you'll need to let it go.

Of course you are good neighbours. Of course she emptied the rubbish. Keep all incidents that involve her written down on this thread but otherwise, steer clear.