Uncaring builders

[longdogs]

I have recently heard of a dispute where the customer was unable to contact the builder because he would not answer his phone when they called. They contacted trading standards and they contacted the builder.

I can guarantee that when you start the ball rolling you will still feel like you are causing trouble and you will probably feel quite stressed about it. But what you have to remember is that this architect is not your friend (far from it in fact) and once things are put right, you will never have to see him again. Assuming he repairs the damage and when the dust has settled, you will feel good about yourself.

Please come back to us and let us know how things progress as your post could help others with similar problems.

 

[conny]

Many years ago I too was not very 'confident' and would do anything for a quiet life.
We needed work doing on our guttering so called in a builder. He gave us a price for the repair but advised that the neighbours guttering needed attention as well and if he was willing to pay £50 he would repair his at the same time. (It should have cost the neighbour in the region 0f £80-£100 if he had it done separately).
Neighbour agreed and asked, if I settled with builder, could he settle with me after Christmas/New Year. As we had previously got on I agreed.

I never got the money. He lied about being off work and short of money, ignored me knocking at his door and avoided me in the street. Eventually he moved out about 3 months later rather than admit he was being and ar*ehole by not paying me £50. His sister who lived over the road refused to speak to him for many years because of it.

 

[myanne]

Conny , I do sympathise. It's the most awkward and upsetting business being taken advantage of especially by a neighbour. It changes the atmosphere of your environment and the problem never seems to go away. This is how I feel at the moment. I was doing some digging in the garden and I felt really on edge every time I heard the new neighbour come out yesterday. She has already told us to take down our bushes and plants around her back wall even though it is our boundary wall and most of them have been there for 28 years. We haven't protested about it - we are just doing it and this is what make me so upset about the builders treating us as they do. I'm glad your neighbour moved away anyway - best for everyone.

Squeaky, I left an email for the building inspectors yesterday telling them the situation. It was the only thing I could think of that I could do on a Saturday. It was tempted to tell them the whole list of things that have happened over the 18 months but I kept my cool and just told them of the immediate issue. I hope I hear from them tomorrow. If nothing happens I think trading standards would be a good place to start. I hadn't thought of them before but it seem a really good idea - and yes I will feel awful and can really do without it but I'm going to stand my ground on this one.
Thank you both.

 

[Burnerman]

Myra, your neighbour is a control freak and a bully......those plants are yours, on your land and you may deal with them as you wish.
Give her no grounds to complain, i.e blocking her light, view or whatever but leave them be if that's what you want to do. Give folks like this an inch and they'll take a mile.
Even say things like 'those plants mean a lot for me, for personal reasons' and she can't argue.
Can you give us a pic or two, just to make things clearer?
John

 

[myanne]

Yes it's hard work. We have already cut down half of our lovely horse chestnut tree for her because some branches overhung her garden. We did this without her asking as we thought it fair. Then we had emails from her asking what I thought of my Elder trees. I told her I was very fond of them ( I like to make wine etc) so I thought she would leave the one overhanging branch but NO she went and cut it down anyway saying the berries were falling on her new plants! I think it is a case, as you say, of us giving an inch and her taking a mile! She is quite elderly and very eccentric and on her own so I have made allowances all the way but I've had enough now! The builder though has no excuse.
I have taken a photo but will have to wait till my daughter comes over later to help me put it on here. Sorry!

 

[longdogs]

I didn't realise that your neighbour was elderly and lived on her own. Sometimes when an elderly person gets out of their pram over everything, there is someone else behind them telling them what to do - normally their son who doesn't mind upsetting the neighbours because he doesn't have to live there.

 

[myanne]

Yes she's fairly elderly but not your typical frail sweet elderly , very loud and strong and fierce! But even so I respect that she is on her own and older and have been very accommodating. I think the builder eggs her on as well because they have known each other for a while. There is more to this story but I daren't put it on here just in case!

 

[longdogs]

I'm intrigued now.

 

[myanne]

Sorry!!! But put it this way - she is quite a force and I don't stand much of a chance! I hope the building inspectors get back to me tomorrow. They hopefully won't stand any nonsense.

 

[Burnerman]

Many people can give an air of eccentricity when it suits them to - and again be very accommodating when there's something they want.......other times they can just blank you.
At the end of the day though there's no way they should try to control their neighbour, because then they don't know where to stop.
You're right, Squeaky - often there's someone aiding and abetting from afar.
I think Myra is being more than welcoming - the tree cutting episode proves that - but its not fair that she is being walked over.
John

 

[myanne]

Thanks you two. I'll keep you informed.

 

[AronSearle]

She has already told us to take down our bushes and plants around her back wall even though it is our boundary wall and most of them have been there for 28 years. We haven't protested about it - we are just doing it and this is what make me so upset about the builders treating us as they do. I'm glad your neighbour moved away anyway - best for everyone.

This is an age of equality, and ageism is frowned upon.

So she can be quite happily be branded as a horrible busybody bully, being old is no excuse.

 

[securespark]

Myanne

I am really sorry you are suffering in this way. Those of us in the world who are meek, easy-going and malleable (for want of a better word!) do get taken advantage of by others who snap their fingers and expect other people to do what they want.

I agree with Mr Burnerman wholeheartedly about her being a control freak and a bully.

I know you are stuck between a rock and a hard place: if you put up resistance, things could turn nasty but if you carry on the status quo, the neighbour could become even more demanding.

With regard to plants, as I understand the law, if the plant is within your boundary, it belongs to you. If parts are growing over into a neighbouring plot, they are entitled to remove them, but only up to the boundary. The cuttings are your property and as such the neighbours should return them to you for disposal.

Are these trees subject to TPO's (Tree Preservation Order)?

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244528/2127793.pdf

Perhaps the best thing to do would be to seek free legal advice (many solicitors offer 30 minutes free) and explain what's been going on. Include the problem with the way the builders have left your land and ask for clarification about the plants near your boundary. Take pictures to show the solicitor exactly what's what.
They should advise what your rights are.
Failing a solicitor, CAB is a good source of advice and many bureaux have drop-in sessions.

 

[myanne]

Ahhh you two are also lovely. I feel so much better sharing this. I knew about the legal side of branches hanging over so I realised I had to let her do it but her reasons were a bit iffy to say the least. It's been a long 18 months and it has worn us down...not just the noise, disruption etc - we expected that - but the attitude that came with it. Being in such proximity to us it was bound to affect us in lots of ways and it did but the communication and the attitude was really bad and has made us feel like we had no right to any say in something that has affected us so badly. I have a list upstairs where I would write down everything before I tried to go to sleep because I was so stressed about things. It helped off load the concerns as communication was so bad and we realised we just had to put up with everything. You would not believe what's on that list but there's no point thinking about it now. All I want is a bit of respect at the end by having our front garden put back to how it was. We have plants that we have paid for waiting to go in but they can't because it has just been left. They messed up our front garden because of their incompetence and they haven't got the decency to put it right. So with the last bit of strength I've got left to tackle this I will and as I don't like seeing my husband stressed as he is still working from 7-7 every day , I will do it on my own. But I have the strength to give it a shot because of you lovely lovely people.

 

[securespark]

That's good to hear!

Let us know how you get on and if you need to let off steam and sound off, I for one am happy to "listen".

I'm sure there are others too!