Is neighbour trying to sabotage future sale?

[Woobeedoo]

I’ve spent time and a ton of energy getting my house in good order for going on the market and my neighbour has been well aware of this.

Our houses are link detached so we have a shared alleyway running between our houses that give access (plus emergency service access if ever needed) to each of our gardens.

My problem is that whilst I have nothing in the alleyway, they have 4 massive buckets of sand and cement, approx 80 bricks, 3 bags of slate rubble, two broken fence panels and 3 concrete gravel boards and two huge A-frame ladders. In short it’s rammed and impossible to walk from one end to the other without tripping over or snagging clothing on something.

I have politely asked 3 times for the alley to be cleared at various stages of getting the house on the market (so giving enough notice, not throwing it on them last minute) even saying the agent has asked too but I just get “Oh yeah, of course” and nothing happens.

I am getting twitchy, anxious and irritable about this and can’t help but feel they are actively trying to sabotage - today they even dumped a wardrobe and mattress in their front garden. I could swear, cry or both.

How do I get them to take notice of me and clear their cr4p. I’m reluctant to go down the legal letter route as I’d then have to inform potential buyers of this which won’t look good.

So - be honest with me. Would neighbour clutter put you off proceeding with a property or would you see beyond that and base your decision on the property for sale and the rest of the street which is fine.

Sorry for waffle, didn’t realise how stressed and anxious about this I am and we’ve barely begun!

This would bother me more than the actual state of the house etc. You can always improve a house, you cannot improve shared external environments and you never know what your neighbours would be like. They may be lovely to you, and awful to the next set of people. Neighbours are so important. Do you get on well with them OP? Could you tell them how stressed this has got you in a nice way, and see if you can both come to a compromise. It could be they're sabotaging, it could also be that they just aren't thinking their actions through properly. Hopefully the latter!

@Woobeedoo

andthenanothercupoftea As soon as we said we were thinking of moving (silly us) they said how they didn’t want us to leave, didn’t want new people moving in next door to them, they really really liked us etc etc. Shortly after that the alley filled up with clutter. Their lack of motivation in tidying just seems like they think if they leave it messy, no one will buy hence sabotage.

To answer other questions:

1. We don’t have anywhere we can store their stuff for them - that’s what their garden is for.
2. It’s a gated alleyway so totally secure.
3. Not sure what / if the deeds say anything about keeping the alley clear so will check that out.
4. They have been putting in a new bathroom so have been renovating so that part has a degree of truth.
5. Definitely a 50/50 share of the alley.

You need to tell them that if you can't sell you will become a landlord and/or let it to students, set up a HMO or similar.

They're shooting themselves in the foot with this, because if you are set on moving, them leaving crp everywhere may mean you end up only being able to sell to people who don't mind the crp because they expect to be leaving a lot of their own about....

Tell them you are going to rent it out as an Air B&B specialising in hens and stags.