Downstairs neighbour won't allow skip in her garden

[Plump82]

I live in a building with one other flat below me. We are in the process of arranging to get the roof replaced. The roofer has said we might not get a skip permit as there's a bus stop right out side. He asked if the skip could go in the garden and when asked, my neighbour has said no. Nothing to do with her grass being damaged, but that when internet was installed they damaged the wall. The roofer has said if the council say no, then there's no way of getting the roof done.
I'm at my wits end with this as every time it rains we get more and more damage. There's been countless delays all caused by her because of course she's not directly impacted with the water damage.
Does anyone know of any way around this. This has been going on since September and I just want it done.

@HappyTimeTunnelDinosaur

Can you get Hippo Bags in Scotland? We had one of these when we had our kitchen replaced. They are just very strong bags that come in different sizes but as they are made of a soft material they wouldn't cause damage. Perhaps she'd be willing to have one or two of those in her garden instead if it were suitable? They are collected later just like skip is.

I just checked these out. They're pricy compared to a skip but i guess she'd have to share the price.

I think give her the alternatives with additional costs which she will have to bear vs skip going in her garden with you paying for any damage to be made good. Tbh, her garden will be wrecked by the roof work anyway - crap will end up all over her garden including fag butts if your roofers are like the ones I've had!

@Clymene

I think give her the alternatives with additional costs which she will have to bear vs skip going in her garden with you paying for any damage to be made good. Tbh, her garden will be wrecked by the roof work anyway - crap will end up all over her garden including fag butts if your roofers are like the ones I've had!

Oh I hope they're not smokers!! I work from home, couldn't be dealing with that.

Your council should have a shared repairs dept who can help you deal with this. I think she is being unreasonable to block repairs to a shared asset. Obviously a bus stop suspension would be best but if the garden is the only option then that's where it needs to go. It's as much her responsibility to make this happen as yours.

Skips aren't necessary. We're having a full re-roof done at the moment (block of 4 flats) and because there's no front garden space and cats parked, the roofers use buckets to carry the skates up/down and remove their waste manually at the end of the day. That's totally normal here - it's a city location with not much space

Slates

@Africa2go

I wouldn't have a skip in my garden either. It's not just the skip is it, it'll be the noise associated with items being thrown into the skip, getting the skip in and out of the garden, using the skip all the time, dust / mess. As others have said, there are other options. Not fair that you're doing all the leg work though if she's jointly responsible.

When we had our roof done, the skip was outside our house for a day, delivered at 7am, collected at 6pm.

Tbh i think you are being a bit unfair insinuating in your first post that she has been difficult since September. You then say later that it took you 3months to get a quote and that you only asked about the skip on Friday.

Indeed, you haven't even asked about the skip permit from the council yet, perhaps do that first before pressing your neighbour further? It doesn't matter that she doesn't sit in the garden, she will have to look at the damage the skip causes through the window, and if she is elderly she might not be able to repair the damage herself or afford to get it repaired? And it's her garden to do with as she wishes! Also she has agreed to scaffolding, so she is hardly being unreasonably obstructive.

When the council checks your skip permit application they are supposed to suggest alternative locations if the space you ask for isn’t suitable. You could ring your local Roads dept and ask for their advice about where it could go before filling in the form.

It will likely cost more to find a roofer rolling to bag up and take it away each day, present her with the two cost options as she is also paying. In a factual these are the costs with taking the rubble away each day, this is with a skip, which would you like to go with?, way. She'll probably change her mind.

@PoTheDog

Tbh i think you are being a bit unfair insinuating in your first post that she has been difficult since September. You then say later that it took you 3months to get a quote and that you only asked about the skip on Friday.

Indeed, you haven't even asked about the skip permit from the council yet, perhaps do that first before pressing your neighbour further? It doesn't matter that she doesn't sit in the garden, she will have to look at the damage the skip causes through the window, and if she is elderly she might not be able to repair the damage herself or afford to get it repaired? And it's her garden to do with as she wishes! Also she has agreed to scaffolding, so she is hardly being unreasonably obstructive.

I apologise for making it sound like the skip issue has been going on since Sept. Reading it back, it does read like that but I didnt mean it to. I definitely won't be pressing her further till i hear about the permit. And ive said if there was any damage, id fix it. And shes agreed to scaffolding because, as ive said many times, this is her responsibility as much as its mine.

@tooExtraImmatureCheddar - thats good to know as well. Thank you.

Thanks to everyone who's come up with other suggestions and also things the council might be able to do regarding bus stop suspensions. I feel a little more prepared for alternatives if need be.