Boundary Line Dispute

[Ourkid1999]

Hi Folks,
I've got an issue with a boundary dispute between us and our neighbour. Basically we're in an end terrace with driveway and our deeds show our property as ending where our driveway and garden meet the gable end of the next house. They started putting an external render on their property which has encroached 4inches into our driveway as they claim that the boundary line is the house footing rather than the wall (they haven't got this in writing or asked our permission to access our driveway to carry out work).

So, before we go down some expensive dispute route, does anyone know if boundary lines are with the exterior wall, the eaves or the footings of a property?

Will, have to get me wallet out and see if I can pay a surveyor to measure out I reckon....

 

[terrypin]

You should consider your options very carefully before making a final decision on what action to take.

1) Is the intrusion really worth the cost of legal action or getting professionals involved(surveyor/solicitor etc.)?

2) Any dispute with neighbours has to be declared when you sell your property, something that may worry a prospective buyer?

 

[Norcon]

4 inches of external render?
Blimey.

 

[cajar]

boundary lines are not to the inch, often not even to 4 inches, even a surveyor would have difficulty giving you the exact measurements you would need to enforce this.

they are just adding insulating cladding to their house and there's no other way to do it other than moving the entire terrace 4 inches away from you.

from experience and hindsight, you are the one making a big deal over nothing and are about to learn an expensive lesson. my advice, let it go at this early stage, before it becomes more about saving face than a measley 4 inches or worse still, 'the principle'.

 

[footprints]

Logic would dictate that it would be the footings otherwise the building would encroach on neighbouring land.
As said disputes can drag on for years and cause problems when selling.

 

[plugwash]

4 inches of external render?
Blimey.

I could be wrong but I suspect what the original poster desribes as "render" is actually the external insulation that seems to have become popular at the low end of the housing market recently.

 

[gas112]

Low end of housing market

Solid walled houses with no cavity to insulate

 

[masona]

from experience and hindsight, you are the one making a big deal over nothing and are about to learn an expensive lesson. my advice, let it go at this early stage, before it becomes more about saving face than a measley 4 inches or worse still, 'the principle'.

Good advice, this couple in my area lost their house over 3" even though they won the court case!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ar-boundary-dispute-inches-land--SHE-won.html

 

[plugwash]

Low end of housing market

Well the only cases i've heard of were either social housing or housing in the proximity of social housing where the residents were bullied into it.

 

[festive]

Can you post a picture, is it really encroaching on your drive or preventing you park your car etc?

 

[gas112]

And why is social housing low end ? many council houses are worth a fortune on the open market .
Or is it a snob thing ?
But other than that it used to be the norm to build houses without cavities even at the top none social houses end of the market

 

[Whitespirit66]

4 inches of external render?
Blimey.

Sounds more like an extension. Hope they've got planning permission.

 

[kbdiy]

Low end of housing market

Well the only cases i've heard of were either social housing or housing in the proximity of social housing where the residents were bullied into it.

A number of detached houses around here have had external insulation added - and they certainly ain't 'low end' - £500,000+

 

[plugwash]

from experience and hindsight, you are the one making a big deal over nothing and are about to learn an expensive lesson. my advice, let it go at this early stage, before it becomes more about saving face than a measley 4 inches or worse still, 'the principle'.

Good advice, this couple in my area lost their house over 3" even though they won the court case!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ary-dispute-inches-land--SHE-won.html[/QUOTE]


As I understand the article they won the case but weren't satisfied with the damages they were awarded so they appealed and were slapped with the legal costs resulting from the appeal (afaict this is quite common with appeals that fail to improve significantly on the original desicision) and then they dragged it through even more appeals running up even more costs. Eventually they ran up a bill that they couldn't or wouldn't (i'm leaning towards the latter) pay. So the house was seized.

Then they refused to cooperate with the seizure leading the house to sell well below market value.

The bottom line is they didn't know when to quit.

 

[ChaserXV]

I've always thought external insulation was a bit over the top...it's a form of vandalism in my opinion, especially when used on old brick and stone buildings