OK, I should know the rules, but it is always worth the opinion of someone not involved. Our neighbour is not normally hard to get on with but, particularly his wife, not prepared to be criticised, even if she is wrong. Our boundary is clearly defined - he has slotted concrete fence posts (I helped him to erect them, so I'm not all bad, am I?), but he has allowed, with the aid of piling junk, his fence panels to deteriorate and become broken.
My sectional garage has its base exactly on the boundary line, and the garage side wall set two inches back from the boundary line. The panels are only reinforced around their edges - each panel's remaining area being non-reinforced and only 20-25 mm thick. A good clout would cave in a panel, repair would not be a DIY job, and would be very expensive.
One of his fence panels has been thrust between his concrete post and my garage wall, and is actually on my property (the base edge).
This will prevent air passage and possibly ultimate damp through the garage wall.
My intention is to approach him with extreme politeness, but explain that I cannot allow the situation to remain. This is where I expect his wife to take a stance against my request for removal of the junk, in so far as it affects my property. This is based on a previous exchange, where a garden article was blown in a gale and destroyed the roof light of our caravan. I had to pay for the repair - no offer even of sharing the cost. In fact, his wife ordered him to go indoors, and up went the proverbial shutters for quite a period.
Guessing at a possible outcome, I have clandestinely taken adequate photographic shots of the problem.
Question: (a) do I notify my insurers immediately and regardless of how my approaching him may turn out (b) do I let him know up front that photos have been taken? - it may have an adverse effect. (c) are there any other official sources with whom I should discuss the matter and, if so, discuss immediately or await the neighbour's reaction?
Regards, Snowball.
My sectional garage has its base exactly on the boundary line, and the garage side wall set two inches back from the boundary line. The panels are only reinforced around their edges - each panel's remaining area being non-reinforced and only 20-25 mm thick. A good clout would cave in a panel, repair would not be a DIY job, and would be very expensive.
One of his fence panels has been thrust between his concrete post and my garage wall, and is actually on my property (the base edge).
This will prevent air passage and possibly ultimate damp through the garage wall.
My intention is to approach him with extreme politeness, but explain that I cannot allow the situation to remain. This is where I expect his wife to take a stance against my request for removal of the junk, in so far as it affects my property. This is based on a previous exchange, where a garden article was blown in a gale and destroyed the roof light of our caravan. I had to pay for the repair - no offer even of sharing the cost. In fact, his wife ordered him to go indoors, and up went the proverbial shutters for quite a period.
Guessing at a possible outcome, I have clandestinely taken adequate photographic shots of the problem.
Question: (a) do I notify my insurers immediately and regardless of how my approaching him may turn out (b) do I let him know up front that photos have been taken? - it may have an adverse effect. (c) are there any other official sources with whom I should discuss the matter and, if so, discuss immediately or await the neighbour's reaction?
Regards, Snowball.
