haven’t posted for a while, apols, but I know of no better general font of (varying) knowledge – long story short (ish) there’s a damp patch in our living room (been there for a year) that is caused by my neighbours rain water drain pipe leaking (I can prove this) – I’ve tried to ask them to fix it four times and each time they say ‘we don’t have the problem, so it isn’t our problem’ (nice) and therefore refuse to do anything about it – anyone know if there’s anything ‘official’ (i.e. doesn’t involve stakes or dog poo etc) I can do? Raise insurance claim? Get the council involved (although unkeen on this as it’ll count against me if I want to sell (not sure they can do much anyway)?, thoughts appreciated, tia ade

Can you offer to pay for it to be done?

Piece of plastic pipe? Just wait for them to go out and fix it

Can you offer to pay for it to be done?

they’re being such arses they won’t even hear that it needs to be fixed – I think it’s safe to say we’re not really speaking any more…

Piece of plastic pipe? Just wait for them to go out and fix it

old school iron jobby, been waiting a year and my living room smells damp, had enough

Get a quote, get the builder to explain what is wrong. Ask for their insurance details as you will be claiming from them.

Encourage empathy, and allow him to experience the problem of a constant damp patch, by weeing through his letterbox every day

It’s either a legal issue between you or your neighbour, or you can try environmental health.

Do the neighbours own or rent?

I would just get it fixed myself tbh and then claim from them.

Clearly they are arseholes so no point trying to be reasonable with them

Is it the down pipe from the guttering from a shared roof? If it’s leaking and causing damp in your house, then it must be very close to your boundary.

As above ask nicely once more, if the response is “no” then inform your neighbour that you will be carrying out the repairs. Better to spend a few quid to stop the damp in your house than the inevitable higher cost of dealing with an ongoing damp problem.

EDIT: And follow Binners advice and wee in his shoes from the letter box. That will be a challenge.

Get a quote, get the builder to explain what is wrong. Ask for their insurance details as you will be claiming from them.

sensible thanks mike, how i get their insurance details might be the next challenge

Encourage empathy, and allow him to experience the problem of a constant damp patch, by weeing through his letterbox every day

also sensible, they have a jacuzzi in their back garden and a cat that poos in mine, perhaps a good strategy is try mike’s plan first and if that fails I go with the dual binners/jacuzzi poo plan

terraced house so arguably shared roof but guttering is separate, and if I got it fixed myself without permission I would clearly be trespassing if they wanted to make a fuss (I figure I can’t do this) – if it helps narrow the options the wife is the barking dog (so asking nicely again is close to not being an option but if it’s my only option I’ll send my wife (!!) and he looks like christopher biggins (but is not) and is clearly under her thumb

edit: privately owned

sensible thanks mike, how i get their insurance details might be the next challenge

You know their name and address – if you spoke to your insurance company I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find out their policy details. You may also have legal expenses cover with your own insurance.

You know their name and address – if you spoke to your insurance company I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to find out their policy details. You may also have legal expenses cover with your own insurance.

if this worked then this (plus mike’s bit) could well be my solution – I did consider this but thought a) does it affect my insurance and b) is there data protection act stuff involved? but prob worth a go

edit: one thing that does occur to me is that if they up the arsehole anti and refuse to let any building work commence (trespass etc) do I have any rights?

and if I got it fixed myself without permission I would clearly be trespassing if they wanted to make a fuss

Check your deeds on that one. You might find that you have a right of access to affect repairs for things that directly affect your property, things like drains, power cables, water supply that sort of thing. Obviously you have to let them know and you have to return their property to it’s original state but you wouldn’t be tresspassing. It won’t stop them being difficult though.

Check your deeds on that one. You might find that you have a right of access to affect repairs for things that directly affect your property, things like drains, power cables, water supply that sort of thing. Obviously you have to let them know and you have to return their property to it’s original state but you wouldn’t be tresspassing. It won’t stop them being difficult though.

read my mind – very useful – nice

they have a jacuzzi in their back garden and a cat that poos in mine,

An obvious solution presents itself here.

Put it to them in writing explaining the problem and what you expect them to do. Follow up a fortnight later with another letter explaining that if the repairs are not undertaken by such and such a date you will take remedial actions of your own without further notice and pursue costs through your insurance.

Big ladder that reaches up as far as the guttering. Lean over to their side, before the point where the guttering reaches the down pipe and block the gutter with leaves, dead pigeon, broken tile etc. All future water will then flood over the guttering and down their wall, thus avoiding the downpipe and keeping your property dry.

I am actually serious.

Put it to them in writing explaining the problem and what you expect them to do. Follow up a fortnight later with another letter explaining that if the repairs are not undertaken by such and such a date you will take remedial actions of your own without further notice and pursue costs through your insurance.

vs

Big ladder that reaches up as far as the guttering. Lean over to their side, before the point where the guttering reaches the down pipe and block the gutter with leaves, dead pigeon, broken tile etc. All future water will then flood over the guttering and down their wall, thus avoiding the downpipe and keeping your property dry.

anyone know animal house and the larry’s conscience scene “suck her t**ts, squeeze her b00bs” that’s it right there

made me laugh frank and that is a very good option BUT probably only buys me time and ups the ante from my side about doing dodgy stuff…

rene – i think we’re close with that, thanks

akeys001 – Member

old school iron jobby

Weeing through their letterbox is one thing, but pooing in their iron is a bit much

The two options do work side by side, mine is an immediate solution whilst you follow the correct but boring course of action.

wondered who’d pick up on the jobby plant 😉

The two options do work side by side, mine is an immediate solution whilst you follow the correct but boring course of action.

*goes off to look for dead pidgeon*

If guttering is separate and their down pipe runs down your wall then that is a form of trespass by their pipe. Check the deeds and if this is the case then you are probably entitled to enforce removal of the offending pipework. (IANAL and this will be an expensive civil suit as all property disputes tend to be).

Find out exactly where you stand regarding responsibility – ie get a surveyor to put it in writing.

Ask them for their insurance details as you can claim off it if it’s their fault.

If they refuse then small claims court provided the repairs will be less than £5k.

The correct course of action is to get a Surveyor round who will compile a report, which can then be used as part of the process to recover costs from them. (Not a Builder who is not qualified to assess the issue.)

I would firstly drop a note through their door saying that is your next course of action, which if he confirms what you believe to be true, would result in you seeking to recover costs for the survey and remedial works.

Ah, just seen above post which says pretty much the same thing.

yep ok surveyor and well-reasoned letters seem to be my best option (haven’t found a pigeon yet but if I do and I can be pretty sure they’re out I’ll get the ladder out too), all this for a drainpipe though jeez, thanks muchly all