Moving into a new home always brings a bit of uncertainty – especially when it comes to the people living nearby.
While some neighbours turn out to be thoughtful and considerate, others can prove to be inconsiderate or even disruptive. One resident has recently spoken out about the challenges they’ve faced living next to less-than-pleasant neighbours.
Having only moved into their property a few months ago, they haven’t had the opportunity to meet all their neighbours yet. However, they’ve already had a big problem with the neighbour on their left side.
The resident was left frustrated after discovering that this neighbour has begun building a small wall that encroaches onto their property, cemented onto the front of their house and extending into their front garden. The disgruntled resident has taken to Reddit to seek advice, noting that the neighbour began building this wall without asking for their permission.
The user explained that they live in a terraced house where the houses are staggered, rather than being parallel or in a straight line. They added: “This wall now takes up (albeit a very small) part of our garden where our bins usually sit, and the wall itself has been cemented to the front of our house.”
The resident was irritated by the lack of communication from their neighbour, saying: “The very annoying thing is that the neighbours haven’t even asked us if we would be okay with this, they just started building it without notifying us of this.”
Despite friends and family downplaying the issue, the resident is concerned about similar problems in the future if they don’t address the situation now.
They confirmed that they have checked the boundary line and the neighbour has indeed encroached on their property. In response to their question on what to do next, fellow Reddit users offered various suggestions.
One advised: “Reach out to your local governing body (town, township…) and ask what can be done. That should prompt code enforcement to come take a look.
Another suggested asking the neighbour for the permit for the work and the survey showing that they were within the bounds of their property. If the neighbour fails to produce these, the resident was advised to show them their own survey and insist that the wall be moved.
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A third added: “I know nothing about the proper legal route, but, no, I would not stand for them literally stealing some of my property. Definitely don’t just take it. Take the legal steps to make them remove it and put it where it should be.”
According to Parachute Law Solicitors, boundary disputes occur when neighbouring property owners clash over where exactly their ownership ends and begins.
These conflicts frequently involve physical markers such as fences, walls, hedges, driveways, or building extensions.
The legal boundary of a property is typically outlined in the Title Deeds and Land Registry records and to determine your boundary, Parachute Law Solicitors recommends checking your Title Deeds, reviewing Land Registry plans, looking for a chartered surveyor’s report, consulting historical maps and aerial photographs and having a simple conversation with the neighbour that is involved.