Neighbours need to put scaffolding in my garden

[Strawberry06]

Hi

My neighbours (semi detached) are building a two story extension and have asked if its ok for the builders to put scaffolding in my garden in order to access the roof.

This has all come at really bad timing as me and my husband have recently separated and he has moved away so I've not had the headspace to deal with it at the moment so haven't given them an answer and now they are really pressuring me.

I don't really want scaffolding in my garden for a number of reasons. They have assured me there will be no damage and that it will be there max 2 weeks but I don't see how they can guarantee. Also, there's a chance I may have to put the house on the market so I don't want it there for that reason.

What are my rights on this? They have said that not putting the scaffolding would seriously impact them and they wont be able to finish the build. Are they right? I don't see why it should encroach on my land!

In the past I would've said that too, and I don't disagree with the sentiment of being nice neighbours; good neighbourly relationships are important. Unfortunately I have been burnt by shitty behaviour by both builders and scaffolders (albeit those working on my house rather than my neighbours); because of these experiences I would be very careful if any of my neighbours asked to put scaffolding in my garden in future.

We've let our neighbours do this in the past. It wasn't a big deal.

Just blame it on your husband 😂
he’s not around to argue back
just say I’ve spoke to him and he said no

They are idiots to have started building an extension that requires access to your property without that agreement being in place. Or maybe they are lying. Neither is a good look.

Well that’s not really your problem
and if your selling I wouldn’t worry about

Slap bang in the middle of summer at a time when you can actually enjoy your garden.
would be a no from me!

It'll be longer than two weeks. We came home to discover scaffolding over our drive and level with our bathroom window. The builders used it for two days three weeks ago and it's still up

There will be a way, but more expensive. Cantilevering/offsetting the scaffolding or some such

the fact that they didn’t approach you until they were halfway through the build indicates I would say a lack of good faith - be cautious

I like the contract above, but specify that netting shpuld be used - or you and your kids won’t be able to use that part of the garden. The builders next door to us were continually dropping stuff over, including something so heavy it squashed
ky son’s trike. Luckily (or, really, because we dared not use the garden while they were aloft) he wasn’t on it at the time

do t let them use polythene screening - it will keep you awake rustling, and it will split immediately in a heavy wind

If you decide to let them. Make sure you take photos/ video before and after. Otherwise any damage would be your word against theirs

Thanks all so far - neighbour has assured me the section in my garden will be taken down as soon as the work is complete (which is now different to 2 weeks!) and says they have been reliable so far

It will take more than 2 weeks, the scaffolding will be there for months.

I have scaffolding in my garden for next door now. It’s really not an issue. It’s poles with blocks on the bottom to protect my patio.

Scaffolders will promise the earth and then be like trying to nail down jelly when it comes to removing the bloody stuff.... stares at the stuff in our yard that was "totally definitely going to be down" two weeks ago

I said yes to this and regretted it. I was left with scaffolding for months, and the way they built it meant I couldn’t open my kitchen window because they have no consideration for things like that.

The only way to get them to move it round is is to ring the scaffolding company thanking them for sending Patrick/ Jonno round this afternoon to let you know they are picking up the scaffolding tomorrow afternoon when the apprentices are back. Seemed to get picked up pretty sharpish then.

I'm surprised about the planning permission too.

Our neighbours (who we get on really well with incidentally, and still do) asked us if they could put scaffolding in our garden while they had work done on the back of their house. We said sorry, no. Mainly because there were a lot of plants and a low wall in the way which would inevitably have got damaged, and I really did not want random builders trampling their clumsy way through my very full garden when I was at work. Their builders managed to get the work done without coming onto our property at all.

It's just not worth being petty on this context, you may need scaffolding one day. I wouldn't make a drama but just inform you want any damage sorted and debri to be cleaned up.

So I’ve now had this response from them via WhatsApp…

’Sorry to keep pushing but we need an answer yes or no so that we know how we're going to proceed.

I understand your concerns and want to mitigate them as much as is humanly possible:

In summary,
We've confirmed we will 100% cover any costs coming from any damage which is highly unlikely

We have a two week timescale starting when the roof materials are delivered on Wednesday 18th June

I will have this small section of scaffolding removed as soon as is feasible, at the earliest opportunity

It won't block access to your tap and you'll still be able to access that part of the garden for tidying etc

No waste to be dropped into your garden the builders will be aware

Our builder has offered to speak to you to address any concerns, offer still open

On a personal note the impact on us if the work comes to a stop will be massive. Extra costs will be incurred that we'll need to cover and we have very little headroom for this. Our existing roof is also leaking so this work is urgent as that can't be fixed until the extension roof is also addressed. The extension will also be exposed to the elements for an longer period of time which could cause damage to the work so far

Once again sorry for the inconvenience and timing of all this, certainly didn't plan it that way.

Hope this message finds you well and look forward to your reply’

…it’s starting to really stress me out with everything else I’ve got going on and I feel like I’ve no choice but to say yes otherwise I feel they’ll hate me. But equally really don’t want it in my garden and their extension is just not top of my list at the moment!

This. I've had others scaff and put mine in theirs. It's just the way it is.

You might need them to really help you out one day and you will be glad of it so do the decent thing.

Nail on the head. Get them to commit to timescales and behaviour in writing with costs/damages if they don't comply, all via a formal legal agreement. Give them and inch and they'll take a mile.

We said yes, in hindsight we should have said no. Our next door people were building a house in their garden, and the only reason they needed the scaffolding in ours, was that they were building right up against the boundary, in spite of having a large enough plot to build it farther away. The Scaffolders trampled over plants, and the ugly scaffolding was up for many months, I think it was over a year! Far longer than they said at the beginning. They were just really selfish people, looking back.
It’s slight more awkward with a semi detached neighbour, and as long as it’s not for long I probably would say yes, but explain you may need to put yours on the market so they have three weeks maximum, or whatever you think you can accept.

I would not agree, their extension and their problem. The disruption of building works and to not consider this at the planning stage suggests you are very low on their priority list. Ultimately the scaffolding could be in situ for months. Having had scaffolding last year, it took 2 weeks for it to be removed after works were completed.

Tell them you are expecting to put the house on the market and this may affect your own plans x

We had scaffolding for roofing on our house once. Job took about 10 minutes, scaffolding was there for 6 months! I’d be worried about being stuck with it all summer and builders in and out of my garden. I’d just say a polite “I’m really sorry but as you know, I’m going through a separation from my husband and this is just too much for me right now.”

It’s really not petty. Having scaffolding means builders in your garden and likely to be throughout the summer - never will it be 2 weeks; they leave the scaffolding up until it’s needed as it’s cheaper than storage!

We know how it goes though… that scaffolding would be insitu way more than two weeks!

if you did agree to two weeks (14days) negotiate a penalty clause for each day over the 14days the scaffolding remains on your property.