Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Bad neighbours

6 replies

Homemum1 · 30/06/2019 19:05

We recently bought our first home that we saved years for, it’s the perfect starter for us (it’s a large flat in a house conversion).

Since we’ve moved in we’ve being having problems with our neighbour who also bought on the same day with us.

The neighbour is trying to claim communal space as their own, complained if our car is parked at slight angle (on our driveway which is outside their window), they doing building work on the ceiling (our floor) until gone 9pm at night. Most recently we have had work done on some electricity and the electricity point is in their garage. We had found out a few months earlier that we have been paying for the electricity in their garage and has asked them to look to get it split so we weren’t paying (haven’t charged them anything for 9 months of electricity). We have left them a socket in the garage so they can use day to day items until they get it split, but they tried using a hoover which tripped the electricity. Next thing you know he’s threatening the workers at their place of work, threatening them at our home. A week earlier he was asking the electricians to do work for him whilst on our clock.

We have managed to forget about that and try to move forward but they are back at it again trying to claim more communal space (closer to our property then theirs).

We are at our wits end, we have the most beautiful first home which has been ruined by 2 people.

We both love the home, and don’t want them to “win” with us moving out.

We can’t afford to move and break our mortgage, if we do have to move it would probably be back to our parents to save for another 2 years to avoid having to buy another flat.

We would love some advice on how to get through this (we have suggestion mediation and we can’t afford a lawyer)

OP posts:
wowfudge · 30/06/2019 19:31

How long have you been there? Are you freeholders or only leaseholders? What about the neighbours? Is it just the two of you or are there any other flats in the building?

cakeandchampagne · 30/06/2019 19:35

Sometimes you can’t afford to not get legal advice.

Homemum1 · 30/06/2019 20:39

Both us and the neighbours bought in September and we are freeholders. No one else lives here but us.

OP posts:
Homemum1 · 30/06/2019 20:41

We just literally can’t afford it, we put everything into our first dream home and paid for some hiccups along the way.

We are scared to go down the legal route in case it costs thousands.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 30/06/2019 21:51

Do you have legal cover on your home insurance? If there's no way of re-winding things and trying to resolve this in a neighbourly way then I would speak to your insurers. The issues over communal space and your parking rights could well be addressed via a solicitor's letter.

The problem with the electrics in the garage have presumably been caused by the failure to split the supply between the two flats correctly rather than by something your neighbour has done? I.e. they'll have been none the wiser either. I wonder if trying to find a joint solution rather than telling them to fix it might help to mend the relationship. Just how much electricity have they been using in the garage anyway?

HundredMilesAnHour · 30/06/2019 21:52

Have you not got legal cover included in your contents insurance?

Or can your parents help you out?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread