Our neighbour has made a mess of our garden having building work done to their property – what should I do?

A REDDIT user is furious about their neighbour’s property renovations after it left their garden in a state.

The disgruntled homeowner took to the platform seeking advice on whether they have any legal standing in the matter.

1

Prior to any work being done, the neighbours had always been polite and friendly with one another, the Reddit poster explained.

So when the neighbour asked for access to their driveway, which gives direct access to both gardens, during the renovations, the Reddit user agreed.

This way, the builders wouldn’t have to carry materials through the neighbour’s home .

The poster was happy to do their neighbour a favour – but they didn’t anticipate the problems it would cause.

The Redditor said: “Fast-forward a few weeks, and I come home to find the tarmac driveway is stained with concrete from top to bottom. 

Most read in Money

“We raised this concern and were told they would clean it.

“Also, in the process of carrying their gear and materials around the back, they destroyed the lawn, leaving it to sheer mud – no wood or anything similar was placed over it to make getting things across it any easier.”

The poster went on to claim that the workmen dug a trench between the two properties to lay cement for the foundations of a wall, putting all the soil into their garden.

The neighbour then asked for the Redditor to split the cost of a new fence.

The user said: “Had our garden been left in the way it was before the works began, I would be happy to do this.

“But with the state of the garden and driveway, which will probably rack up a couple of thousand to fix, we aren’t going to.

“I’m aware I did grant them access to our property, but had I known the builders would leave it like this, I would have said no.”

A fellow Reddit user offered their stance on the matter in a reply to the post. 

“You can revoke their access immediately by telling them verbally you simply did them a favour, it’s not a contract.

“And until they put in writing that they’ll remedy any damage to your property, specifically the driveway and lawn, access will not be regranted.”

Where do I stand?

If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s best to seek professional help, as legal circumstances change on a case-by-case basis. 

The Sun reached out to Chun Wong, head of the dispute resolution team at Hodge Jones and Allen solicitors. 

“Any encroachment on land belonging to you can be trespassing – though the client did allow access. 

“But as the issue is now to do with property damage from that use, they could potentially pursue the neighbours and their builders for that.

“Before things escalate, I would speak to the neighbours to see if they would be prepared to pay for the damage and any remedial works.

“If the fence is on a boundary line, the client may have to contribute equally to its maintenance – especially if they had previously agreed this,” said Chun.

Is the fence my responsibility? 

You’ll need to determine where property boundaries lie first.

To do this, you can check the deeds to your property using the Land Registry.

You have to pay a £3 fee to the government and request these documents online.

The deeds provide information outlining how far property boundaries extend, even if you do not own it.

But they do not specify who is responsible for the boundary – and sometimes, the perimeters outlined are generalised.

However, documents may have a T mark that shows which fence side is yours to maintain.

Court proceedings

Be wary of taking anything to court, even if you prove the responsibility is your neighbour’s – it’s an expensive ordeal.

Often, people fork out more for legal fees than for repairs to their property.

Try talking things through with your neighbour before involving lawyers, solicitors, councils or courts. 

Take pictures

If you’re going to get any authorities involved, make sure you have evidence.

To build any sort of case, you’ll need to provide photographic proof of conditions before and after the incident.

If you don’t have photos of the state of your property before the issue occurred, it will be hard to prove that it wasn’t previously like this. 

Property feuds are very common issues, and one couple won thousands after their neighbour built a huge fence blocking their home.

For others, nosey neighbours are an issue, leaving many wondering what can be done to alleviate the problem.

And speaking of property, a savvy saver spent half of his wages to buy his first home.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk