Out of the blue £1,000 bill from our neighbours!

[MamaVikki]

Help! I’m stunned… My neighbour knocked on the door on a Monday to say that they’d organised for our road to be tarmacked on that Wednesday at a cost of £8K between 8 houses. A year ago they’d muttered something about the road needing to be tarmacked but that was that. We’ve had no discussion since. They then bizarrely said that they would pay for it and whoever wants to chip in can chip in. We don’t have a spare £1k sitting around and if there’d been a discussion about it we would’ve wanted more time to try and save for it – but would’ve also liked to have looked into all the options (like patching the potholes maybe?) We have no idea if they even compared quotes. The work has now been done. They ended up only tarmacking the part in front of their house, although we drive over this to access our house. They’ve come round with the bill – which we need to pay into their bank account – in a fairly aggressive manner but still saying it’s up to us if we pay -? I’m upset and confused and have no idea where we stand with this? Can anyone offer any advice?! 🙏

Speak to the other neighbours in case any of them feel pressured into paying so you can be a united front.

Just double check the road ownership it may be private but that doesn't automatically mean the householders have shared responsibility for it. A few householders could have responsibilities for it or they could all be equally shared out it depends what was agreed on at the time. Also I work for a Local Authority and in the past a householder believed he owned a stretch of the road and had done repairs on it when in actual fact it was the Local Authority that owned it! He shouldn't have done anything to it! I hope you get it sorted x

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH NO FECKING WAY WOULD I PAY

I wouldn’t do a thing. If they bring it up, just say they did not have a proper conversation, discussion, you had no chance to review the options and costs and agree so no you aren’t paying their made up invoice.

So they havnt even tarmac the whole road! Just a bit outside their own house. No way I would pay

Hi, we have a similar unadopted road. Usually there is something in the deeds which says how repairs should be split. However, note that it is repairs, to return the road to the original state - not improvements! If there was a huge pothole (maybe causing damage to cars) it would be reasonable to repair it and split the cost amongst all the neighbours - irrespective of whose house it fronted.

This sounds like they have decided to improve the road in front of their house - absolutely do not pay.

If you want to be mean you could ask for the original surface to be reinstated, as the join between the tarmac and the original surface will cause future problems.

Nope

Don't make indication that you should pay if you're not going to. This was done without discussion or input and only benefits them by the sound of it. I wouldn't be contributing under the circumstances.

OP please do a diagram of the street, the 8 houses, and the tarmac section. It’s difficult to judge whether I’d pay a contribution in instalments, or sweet fuck all!

What did you (and the other neighbours) say when this was first brought up?

What did you say to them when they contacted you prior to the work taking place?

Regardless of whether you pay anything or not, I hope you made your views clear and weren't just mute on the subject

The answers are split into those from sensible people who ask OP to check and see whether she does in fact have a legal responsibility to contribute to the road. (Which if she does, and doesn't meet that, will affect future onward sales and might be the subject of legal proceedings depending on what the deeds say).

And those who seem to think that you meet a demand for payment, (albeit very badly handled), with childishness.

Find out what your legal responsibilities are OP. And if you do have a responsibility then address how it was handled and how it should be paid.

this is the only reasonable thing I've seen on this site all year!

I am reninded of this quote from Brendan Behan.
I was court-martialled in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.

They've done everything without your input, they can pay without your input.

Quite often one house will own the freehold to the road. Everyone else just had access rights. If you own your own home you can check your deeds if not you can spend £3 per house On land registry and find out who is the freeholder of the road. Either way don’t pay.

Big fat no from me!

Im just here hoping to see responses from those who live on private roads 😬

Are you a mug why are you even considering this?! 😂 it’s a no brainer! Not to mention they’ve only had the front of their houses done.

Nah, they're having a laugh!

We did this recently for the private road our house and 2 others share, as well as all 3 driveway.
DH spoke to the neighbours, said he was happy to get quotes and come back to them. He got quote for patch up job, full tarmac of the road, full tarmac of road and driveways. All 3 of us agreed to full tarmac of road and drives, all agreed on the date, all agreed to pay one third each and were invoiced by the company as such (each house received an invoice for one third of the total)

You don't get to demand someone pay for something after the fact without consultation!

8k to tarmac the front of their house 🤣, think they are having a laugh. You hadn't agreed to anything even if they did the entire road, I'd simply refuse to pay. I hope you don't have any old/vulnerable neighbours who will feel they have to pay this. I'd check they haven't and make sure they aren't pushed into paying.

still saying it’s up to us if we pay

I would reply with

As you said it was up to us if we paid.
We have decided to not pay.

From

Neighbour

I wouldn’t at this stage discuss why

CFs thinking if they got aggressive from the outset you would be too afraid of them and pay up

Talk to other neighbours and check your deeds!

It doesn't matter if her deeds say she has to pay 1/8 of the cost. The point is she wasn't involved with picking who did it or the final price. Everyone knows you are supposed to get three quotes so maybe the repairs could have been done for £500 and not the £8,000. Maybe OP has a BIL who would have done it for costs. Without consultation and agreement it has no legal standing unless your deeds say you have to pay whatever that neighbour decides on. In which case kick off at house solicitor for not warning you as it a ripoff clause.

Even so, the other houses would still have right of way

So how much did the strip in front of their house cost? Around £1000? Did it need doing, worse than the rest? Is having their bit done going to benefit you all? It does sound as if they're trying it on, because no one was interested in getting the whole road done. And of course they should've asked you all first.

IF the whole road and been done. IF they had evidence of different quotes. IF they had discussed it with me in detail and IF I had any money spare then there could have been an agreement but none of these things are true so it would be a big fat no from me

Don't pay it!
I had this earlier in the year, a letter asking for £800 towards the resurfacing of our shared rear access path, our part is grassed and unused as it's almost impossible to get a car in & out of our garage. I just ignored it.

So they've tarmacs them road in front of their house and asking to pay £1000 for it lol - yeah, jog on!