People using my road to enter land

If anyone has development adjoining them you must know where your boundaries are and what use and access rights have been granted.

It can make a big difference to your property value.

Thank you for letting us know bobbydog.

That's a relief, hope all continues well.

..and many thanks for telling us of the successful outcome.

Delighted that things have been resolved so uickly.

Solicitor has issued Cease and Desist order and I’ve had no more parking. The information re money laundering is required by all solicitors when charges will be involved. I will be paying for my solicitors assistance. Thanks for your comments and critique. I’ll close the post now.

I feel for you.

Years ago a 30metre length of our ancient garden wall was bulldozed by developers on the neighbouring huge building site.
As soon as I realised what was happening I tried to shout at the driver who had ear muffs.
I made a sign saying stop and held it up. He stopped and told me to speak to his boss in the hut way across the other side of the site.

I ranted at them and was shown the plan they were working to. It was a scribble on a piece of paper and included all the land as far as my house. 😯

I luckily had the deeds and invited the site manager to my house to look at them.

The wall was reinstated although you can see the joins as over the years it has shrunk a bit.
It made me realise I could take nothing for granted when it comes to property and boundaries.

Get your MP on side. You are being bullied.

Block the road off now over the weekend and tell them it has not been agreed legally and it they hassle you say you will call the police you are nearly 80 and they are doing it illegally and get onto it quickly on Monday.
Have you got anyone supportive to call on if they hassle you

But you only need it for money transactions. Not for any dealings with solicitors.

The OP was just checking her deeds. No money involved.

I’m going to have to let it go. It makes no sense to me for the solicitor to have done this, nor the hazy arrangements of ownership and access for the other houses.
Or the planning permission refused on numbers using the driveway rather than because the OP owned the land.

The OP says she trusts her solicitor, who did all the original legal work, absolutely. I hope it’s not misplaced.

It's routine, all part of Due Diligence and security that solicitors do, it delays everything.
It's part of removing red tape that the government talks about but is not happening. But it does allow the solicitor to charge you much more.

But the OP isn’t transferring any money.

That’s why I don’t understand the delay (and charges) while her solicitor carried out money laundering procedures.

If you are transferring large amounts of money, say even to buy a house, money laundering prevention protocols are now used in the UK. I know this from early summer 2024.

Oh yes, I had to when I bought this house.

But the OP isn’t buying anything. She just needs to access her deeds.

Why would her solicitor have to check for money laundering?

Oh well, it’s all in his hands now…..

Lathyrus3

Money laundering information?

You’re not making any sort of purchase.

That doesn’t make sense.

Perhaps that was from the purchase of the land years ago.
Were you bringing money from overseas, bobbydog?

I had to fill in forms at the bank re money laundering years ago when I transferred a sum of money overseas for a family wedding.

Money laundering information?

You’re not making any sort of purchase.

That doesn’t make sense.

Get a penguin bollard installed at the entrance to the road and get remote controls for each of the neighbours legally entitled to use the road. That will actually stop vehicles from using the road, whereas unscrupulous workmen may ignore a letter.

I do own the road. My solicitor is a friend, who did the conveyancing on the original buying of the land (26 years ago) and my details were archived, resulting in a bit of a delay retrieving them. I also had to complete a security questionnaire regarding money laundering which most solicitors require. The people I am dealing with know I own the road, know they shouldn’t use it but because I’m on my own are exploiting this and riding roughshod, hoping I will cede for a quiet life. I won’t. I’ve thought about leaving my car in the way but that would hinder my neighbours too plus the type of people the owners are I would fear for the safety of my car. I have no intention of swapping solicitors as I trust him completely, he has never let us/me down yet.

My lane is used by others access I'd agreed in the deeds, maintenance is by agreement from time to time. Each property has its own access point, I get on with the neighbours they all know who owns what, we had a new neighbor last years, we had a chat about ownership and maintenance we both know how it works.

Be careful about regular access, if you allow unauthorized access for many years it can be registered as a footpath. If someone want regular access make sure you give the written permission, then if for whatever reason you want them to stop you can. Becoming the local dog walking trail is not for everyone.

bobbydog24 - I too am very out of the way with a private windy lane that descends onto the property. However, half way down the windy lane is a public footpath across a different farm and in the past ramblers have aimed for that footpath and missed it, continuing down and ending up where they shouldn't. The answer has been a very large farm gate for vehicles, and a smaller pedestrian gate next to that with many notices clearly stating private property. Nothing antagonistic like trespassers will be prosecuted but from the sounds of your situation with a man simply laughing at you that might be appropriate. You have to bite the bullet I'm afraid - tell your solicitor that if you end up with damage to your property you will hold him responsible as he's supposed to be acting to prevent that, and get several notices produced - this can be done overnight by professional signmakers - and put them where you believe your boundaries are, then take photos of these and the offending contractors. Good luck.

Yes, the deeds are key.

But from what she writes, is the road owned by her?

She says the refusal of the original plan was that the road was unsuitable for up to 12 vehicles, not that the first plan was rejected because the road was owned by her which obviously couldn’t have been included in plans if that was so.

I’m finding it hard to understand how there could be any question given the number of legal transactions that must have taken place over this bit of land. Surely when she sold land for two other houses beyond hers the question of ownership of access must have figured highly in the negotiations and planning permission.

Lathyrus3

I don’t understand the not knowing if the OP owns the road or not.

It would have been on the deeds when they bought the land together with any easements regarding access.

Then it would have been covered again when they sold land and access to the two other houses that were built there. So those people will have documentation too from their purchases of land, access and easements.

I just don’t understand the uncertainty.

I assumed the OP did not have a copy of her deeds, or could not find them.

But they could be uickly found on the Land Registry site

I don’t understand the not knowing if the OP owns the road or not.

It would have been on the deeds when they bought the land together with any easements regarding access.

Then it would have been covered again when they sold land and access to the two other houses that were built there. So those people will have documentation too from their purchases of land, access and easements.

I just don’t understand the uncertainty.

bobbydog24

Contact your Local Planning Authority asap.

If proper regulations and rules are not followed, or if work is carried out without permission ie from you, the owner of the road, then they can issue a notice to cease work immediately until further investigations are carried out.

Surely he cannot go shead eith anything until this issue is clarified. Police?

I investigated who’s it was and it was a man with a chain saw to take two trees down ready for the land being levelled

Were the trees on your land or in the garden of the other property where the new house is to be built?

Do the trees have a preservation order on them? The Tree Officer at your Council should be able to let you know if you email them. Ours did so within 24 hours by email.

Plans and deeds can usually be downloaded immediately and cost very little. They are PDF's which you can print off or send on to your solicitor. There is absolutely no need to wait. Your solicitor is giving you the runaround. You can get a new solicitor without even visiting and send them the documents along with your identification documents. It is all very easy these days.