Advice needed?

[kentiiboii]

Where do I start. My neibour bough the house next door as a shell and been working on it doing it up. Fair enough no problem. He's been living in it now and we've learnt he's one of them people that think they're high and mighty.
We live on a council estate we rent from council and he owns his. We've have problems between each other like he thought it was ok to park his van across my drive when her I'm not in. He did it once and left it there all night so I banged on his door got him to come out at 2 in the morning to move it. He moans my dog barks at night bearing in mind he has 4 cats that sit on gates and fences so it's clear what my dog is barking at. Also one of his cats has a thing for sitting on my car bonnet and leaving marks. But some things I just bite my teeth at. Like I said he's lived in the house 2 years and his garden is still like a building site.

But let's get the point that matters. Between our house we have a shared pathway on the edge of his garden and right next to my drive. Few months ago I come home to find our shared pathway was ripped up all over my drive and he was digging a trench for what looked like foundations. After asking him about the mess I found out he was building a wall so I said I'll leave car on the road as long as the mess as gone asap. I came home later to find that some slabs where put back down but a quater of them was smashed the whole way down and the last 2 on my driver exactly where I park my car. So I left the car up the drive a little and told him to get them moved the next day. I came home at night to find they're still there so I left him a message on his phone saying Im going out I want them moved when I get back. To find they're still there, so with a bad back I lifted them off my drive to where the shared pathway is. Otherwise I'd end up forgetting about them and smashing my bumper on them.

3 weeks later I asked the wall still wasn't built and I still had no pathway. He said he hasn't got the money for his wall it's going to cost him 3k. So I gave him the bod and waiting. 3 months later many attemps of telling him to sort the wall or put it back. I had a big argument with him today because he said I sabotage it because I took one metal post out that was in the way while I'm working on my car as I have about half a foot of room to work on my car without the path. So big argument and I got half of the slabs put down eventually although he's saying this is all my fault.

Any one know where I stand with this as I loose a quater of the shared pathway a comunial pathway. I loose the gate at the top of the path. I still have a whole though.
My 2 year old niece nearly fell down it. I've tripped over a post and almost fell down it. I can't get our bins up the path I have to go on my grass to do so.

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Heres a picture of what he's done today the slabs he's never put back he's just some of them and put them back in. Ok fair enough to a point. Still havnt got the shared pathway all back but it's close. He then goes on about his deeds which state where the middle is.

Here's a picture of what he's done and what he says is the middle. The blue line of were he drew with his finger in the dirt the middle line. And the red circle is the edge of the slab he cut off.

[4WayDiablo]

Sounds like a bit of an awkward one but definatly something to enquire about at maybe your local civic offices or council place

[Niall]

I used to deal with boundary disputes at my old company so can help a bit.

Because you rent from the council, really you can't get involved much. Councils though do not look highly on people stealing their land at all. If its a problem for you, contact the council and explain the situation. If it bothers them (it will most but some it doesn't) they will take action.

Are your two houses attached at all or does the path run between the two houses down to the back garden?

[kentiiboii]

Cheers Niall someone that can help . And the path runs between the houses to the back yard.

[Niall]

Is there a boundary feence/wall between you in the back garden. If so, do you know which boundary side is yours? (generally its the right looking from the house up the garden)
In your case it 90% will be a case of the boundary running mid way between the two houses. The other 10% is that one house will own the pathway but it's difficult to know without seeing the deeds or having a proper boundary survey done which is £££.
The council will have the deeds for your house which will more than likely have boundary details. If you speak to your housing office and explain that what he is doing is becoming a problem to you and encroaching on your land without your permission (really it should be th councils permission but they let you take control to an extent), they will bring out the deeds or get an up to date survey done.

[kentiiboii]

I understand what your saying. We don't have a fence between the gardens. We have conifers from bottom to top which was put in by old owners of the house 17 years ago. I'll ask him to look at his deeds tomorrow to see where the boundrys are. I'll also go to the council and see what they will offer doing. I'll also ask them about the pathway and see what they can offer about it.
If you look in the picture the distance between my car and the start of the slabs is the amount of room I've Been left with for 3 months. With the rain we've had when my sister visits with my niece I have to collaps the pushchair and lift it over the car/ and grass otherwise it just got ditched as he left no room.

[Eeyore]

yeh like Niall said. id give the council a heads up. It should be the landlords problem as it is their property and if they care they will take the matter into their own hands!

[Niall]

Don't ask him to look at his deeds. Generally it turns nasty between neighbours. Seen it too many times where it makes living with these people very difficult.
Just go to the council and voice your concerns. Because you don't own the property, your job is much easier. If you owned the property then it would be a case of small claims court with a land surveyor fighting your side.
If it goes to a court, the council will have a strong case against him because there the council (unfair right?!). Then again they might strike an agreement with him which basically means he gets the land but had to maintain the pathway for public access. This doesn't mean anyone is entitled to walk up it. Just means basically it's his path but it has to be maintained for your use.

[kentiiboii]

Yeah what your saying does seem right.

I'm not trying to be a arse to him like he is us. But there was nothing wrong with the path he was originally having a fence as he's a fencer. Then decided he wants a wall to find out there's a pipe running down his side where he wanted it so moved it so we loose some of the pathway.

But it's been like it for 3 months he's had time to sort it out and I wouldn't of minded at all. But he's just extremely taking the piss.
Had to work on a car when you have about half a foot of room to do it when you usually have around 2 foot.

But thanks for the help Niall. I'll get to the council offices with my mum and let them know what's happening. See what they do.
Thanks.

[InkedMuttley]

My 2 year old niece nearly fell down it. I've tripped over a post and almost fell down it. I can't get our bins up the path I have to go on my grass to do so.

Accident waiting to happen I say but to be honest it's a civil matter rather than one for the courts if I were you I'd get in contact to your local council and ask to be referred to the Housing Standards Officer who should be able to get it sorted out and pretty sharpish as it is not only:

A} A danger to yourself
B} A danger to your neighbours
C} Not his path to rip up the land you will find even though he bought it the pathway is still the rightful property of your local authority

Tell him to get it sorted sharpish or you'll get the council involved failing that stick a board over the hole with a fluorescent vinyl attached to it with the following URL: www.ClaimsDirect.co.uk...If the council trick don't work the URL will!