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Original poster

New neighbour wants to own the entry?

367 replies

danilyon · 28/04/2011 11:46

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! :)

OP posts:
mylovelymonster · 12/05/2011 23:28

NO is and should be enough. You have no need to explain yourselves one jot, pushy cow.
You should push back and ask her why she wants to own the entry. If all is to stay the same (presumption here) then what is the point? There must be a motive. She should be explaining to you her actions, not the other way round.

And have you sent a reply back to her solicitor with the simple content "We have not, do not, and will not be in agreement with the selfish demands of your client. End of. Yours sincerely, etc etc.."

If you'd like to talk to her through me, I'd be more than happy Grin

Thanks for coming back BTW. Bit of a relief.

breatheslowly · 12/05/2011 23:28

Danilyon - I agree with pelvic - notify the solicitors of your decision too, preferably in writing. I bet her solicitors think she is a right chancer and will happily bill her for their time reading your letter.

mylovelymonster · 12/05/2011 23:32

Yes yes do. They need a definite refusal of any such agreement.

ninedragons · 13/05/2011 00:33

Can you remember which agency handled the house sale?

I'd be quite tempted to pop in and find out if she said anything about her plans for the strip of land when she was being shown around.

Just because I'm nosey. Not because I would be thinking of acquiescing to the bitch.

Boozilla · 13/05/2011 09:04

Just marking my place! Have been following this with much interest, God neighbourly relations can be a bloody minefield can't they!

caramelwaffle · 13/05/2011 10:26

What What What!

Oh you are back (sobs with joy)

Now to read update ^

Fimbo · 13/05/2011 10:32

Woo hoo. Thanks for the updated. Stick to your guns. In the words of that Grangehill song "Just Say NO"

lucykate · 13/05/2011 10:36

i wonder if she's being so pushy about it because she's already got plans in place for what she wanted to do with the entryway. maybe she's been misinformed, thought it was hers but then found out it wasn't. i lived in a house as a student where there was an entryway. if the next door neighbour had taken it over, it would have been a right pita for the house i was living in.

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 13/05/2011 10:40

Is the entryway a ginnel?

Ponders · 13/05/2011 11:08

a ginnel is a back-alley up north, isn't it?

this entry goes under the middle of a row of 4 houses where there is no back alley, so that the occupants of the 2 middle houses can reach their back gardens without going through the house. (I grew up in one like that but have no idea now which house had the bit over the entry)

glad to see you back, danilyon Smile

if your FIL won't see her you know she'll bang on & on & on about it every time she sees you Hmm - I agree your DH shouldn't have mentioned him Confused

Ponders · 13/05/2011 11:14

I've just read this bit - missed it before:

"She had already been talking with her solicitor before she came to see us and had already told the solicitor to draw up the papers to send to us. From the sounds of it we were always going to get some form of papers through about it but when she spoke to us, it sounded like the papers would be with us the next day or so but obviously for some reason it's been delayed.
I remember that when she spoke to us she mentioned that there shouldn't be any cost by us signing these papers, but if there were then she would cover them"

(my italics)

I am even more ShockShockShock now at her blithe assumption that if she wants it she can just have it!!!

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 13/05/2011 11:19

A ginnel is a narrow passageway between terraced houses, and is usually covered (ie the houses meet over the top) - had this debate on MN a few months ago - got quite heated Grin

Original poster
danilyon · 13/05/2011 11:32

It's the type of entry that Ponders has said :)
Thinking about it, maybe she thought it was hers when she was looking round as it's her house that goes over the entry and she did mention she had some arguments with her solicitor about something or other. Her solicitors letter says that if we are happy to go ahead then our solicitor must contact her solicitor...we don't have a solicitor in the first place and I'm certainly not paying for one. It does boggle me to why she wants it and why it's such a big deal for her to have it if, as she originally told us, nothing would change only that she would pay for any upkeep of it. The entry has never needed anything doing to it in the 4 years we have lived there or in the 3 years before that when BIL lived there. There must be something she's not telling us but either way she's not having it, even if she now offered us money for it we aren't interested. And to think we thought she seemed really nice when she first knocked lol

OP posts:
Original poster
danilyon · 13/05/2011 11:34

Didn't see your reply before I replied Exit. It very well could be a ginnel then, though as I said it's her house that covers the top of it lol :)

OP posts:
Original poster
danilyon · 13/05/2011 11:38

After looking up the definition of a ginnel, it says that it's a passage way that runs between terraced houses to connect streets. In that case we don't have a ginnel no, the only place our entry leads is to both back gardens and that's it :)

OP posts:
Ponders · 13/05/2011 11:41

danilyon, I think you're probably right that having assumed it was hers she feels she should have it.

Even so I can't imagine she intends to incorporate it into her house, because then she'd have no rear access either - more likely she's thinking of enclosing it for storage, & then knocking down that outbuilding to give her more garden space.

Either way it's NO NO NO!!! Grin

Exit, when you say "between terraced houses" do you mean each pair of terraced houses has a ginnel to reach the back? If so then it is the same thing - just not called a ginnel down south, obv!

belledechocchipcookie · 13/05/2011 11:43

IIRC, it's shared? It's very bizzarre that she's so insistant. You're doing the right thing, just stick to your guns.

Ponders · 13/05/2011 11:43

ah - danilyon's definition is the one I've always thought was right - the back alley behind a row of terraced houses connecting to the side streets either end.

Exit's must be a specific meaning in one place?

ExitPursuedByAKitten · 13/05/2011 11:45

Will try and find a photo.

Ginnel's aside, I trust you will stand your ground and refuse her request.

Hullygully · 13/05/2011 11:46

How marvellous. I love her a bit.

But of course she is a raving, raving loon.

MoreBeta · 13/05/2011 11:47

Oh I can see this one is going to run and run.

You could ask her to be specific about why this is so important to her.

Maybe it would help defuse the situation.

Fimbo · 13/05/2011 11:52

But surely say she did gain control over it, if she did something with it and blocked it, would it not be against fireregulations? I live on a new build estate where there is a terrace of 4 townhouses in blocks, they have a path down one side of them and round to the back gates of the houses, so there is a separate exit.

thenightsky · 13/05/2011 11:57

yes... ask her to be specific about why she actually wants it. If she is vague with no clear plan, then she will be fine when you say no.

KaraStarbuckThrace · 13/05/2011 11:59

Just been reading this thread.
I wonder if this woman has been mislead before she bought it that the passage was hers Hmm And is now in a panic because she now know it isn't!

Remain firm, she is clearly trying to stop you accessing the passageway.

StillSquiffy · 13/05/2011 13:52

It'll probably be the flying freehold issue: because she doesn't own the bit under her room it turns the property into a flying freehold which scares people off. I nearly had a house sake fall through because of this because the solicitor recommended the purchasers pull out because of it. Caused me no end of grief getting my solicitor to persuade the other side's solicitor that there was nothing sinister or problematic about the concept.

It's either that or she's already planned her extension...