Nightmare neighbour

We had friends who had a detached house right next to another detached house, that over the years had become appalling ( the owner had mental health problems.) The council couldn't do anything, he was not any kind of risk to neighbours, and slowly all the window frames rotted and a small tree grew over the front door.What it was like inside is anybody's guess ( shudder) and they had to sell by reducing the price, but worth it to get away from the awful property.

Yes bats are protected! Every night at dusk they swoop!
He isn't depressed - he goes off to Canada alot to see a girlfriend - it's pointless me writing another letter only to be ignored - I think come Winter when it isn't so bad I will have to pay someone with his permission - if I knew when he went away it wouldn't be so bad - and yes the inside of his house is just as bad.......

We currently have our very old house up for sale...we are attached to our neighbour as year ago the house was one.
He is a Gardner ,,,would you believe, but his garden is completely overgrown ..lee have a 50 ft bay tree looming over our garden and a 50 ft rickety pine tree also sways about in the wind over looking our garden . His garden is overrun with foxes, and 4 years ago we had 7 foxes that used to come over from his garden and play on our lawn...as he has none! We paid over 1000 pounds to have a 8 ft high fence put up as his fence fell down...we did approach him about it but got now where. Anyway as I say our house up for sale...saw him a while ago and asked him if he would like me to tidy up his fron garden if he was finding it a bit much..he's my age, by the way ..l,late fifties....he said he would do it ..all he did was pull up bramble and weeds and push them more over to his side of the house away from our steps. So after a few days myself and husband tidied it up .....looks better . It's a tiny fron peice.not really a garden...anyway it looked better. Never a word about it from him.
Prospective buyers have questioned us about the house etc...we say ..oh the chap comes back every so often but is mostly down at his parents. It's a nitemare and don't know where will end.
I did see him go out one day and popped round and looked through kitchen window.....well I can't begin to say what it was like......absolutely filthy!!!!!!!!

I know this will not solve your problem.But it sounds like your neighbour is depressed.By what you are describing it sounds like he does not care what is around him.

He is 50 yrs old well able to tackle a Garden.I am wondering if you could approach him with concern and ask he if he is well,and start there.Just a thought.

Blimey, the bats might be another complication - aren't they protected? You're sure your neighbour's not Uncle Fester, Deni?

Thanks for all the advice and it seems I'm not the only one .... did I mention he also has bats in the eves of his roof?
I have on occasion become desperate and tackled what I can - but now most are the size of trees and I would need a week and help - I'm also concerned at cost of patiny some one to come and do it as over a year it will just grow back!
Would any of you recommend a strong weed killer for ivy? That would be a start.

I have recently read in the local paper that Bedford Borough council are finding owners and compulsory purchasing boarded up or discarded houses in the area. They are refurbishing them to help with the housing shortages.

We have been looking to purchase a bungalow in the Nottinghamshire area. We mentioned to the estate agent today that we had noticed two more properties in the same road empty and the next road had a bungalow that was boarded up, (it looked if it had been boarded up for quite some time looking at the garden and the state of the boards on the windows. He told us that he had been in the area for about 35 years and he knew of one property that had stood empty for all that time. On driving back along the road we noticed another bungalow with boarded up windows right next door to the first, we had not seen it the first time because of the height of the hedge. It was obvious the property we saw today had been empty for some time as the curtains were falling into holes as they hung on the poles.

Best of luck with your problem.

It is, and all avenues are worth exploring. But we've had many years of lip service visits and empty promises from housing and environmental health officers. And no fewer than three local councillors, when we've asked them to intervene. And we heard nothing at all from Shelter, when we reported our empty house on their website (when that was an option). I hope the powers that be are more proactive in your area, OP.

Shizam I agree Cassandra's response is very helpful. I hope the Government can actually make Councils responsible for taking action on houses etc which are being "left to rot" by their owners. The lack of housing stock is awful, these people should be made to renovate or hand them to their local Council to do so. I can't understand the mentality of a person who lets their property fall into severe dereliction, I do acknowledge that for some it is an illness which may have caused this but for many it's a case of "I don't care".

Oh, just seen Cassandra's reply. Brilliant advice.

I do feel for you. Would citizens advice be able to help: ivy can be very destructive of buildings, so if it's creeping on to your side of building, that could be start of making him do something.
I have similar, although less problematic. House I'm attached to is rented. Massive ivy infestation from their side. I pay for a gardener and hack at it myself. But unless they address problem from their side, it's an unending battle. Have contacted landlord. He refuses to deal with it. Also refusing to contribute to fence that last tenant's dog destroyed. Sigh.

An owner occupied house is deemed in housing law not only to be a personal possession - it is a resource for future generations. If it is not looked after properly it can cause 'blight' - a legal term - to adjacent, attached houses and to a neighbourhood. Make an appointment to see a qualified housing officer (must be qualified! don't settle for an admin worker) in your nearest housing advice centre. List concerns and take pictures. The ivy etc. could possibly cause damp in your house eventually, and the roots of the trees in his garden could possibly grow to disturb and damage the foundations of your property. The Environmental Health department can investigate whether his living conditions are likely to encourage pests/rodents and impact on your/ your neighbours' health.

I would try to make friendly personal contact in the first instance to see if there is anything you can do. It may be he is on a very low income and/or disabled mentally or physically, in which case, he may be able to get financial/practical help towards repairs and improvements(again, the housing department of your local council will tell you/him what is available). If this is impossible, you could raise concerns with social services and local voluntary agencies about your neighbour 'not coping'. There are voluntary organisations in most areas to help and support people on their own over 50 who have mental or physical health problems or who are just plain lonely; and others which provide volunteers to assist with housework and gardening. Housing and social services are now expected to work more closely together. Hope this helps. Good luck.

I would contact the council and ask for a reduction in my council tax due to the run down state of the house next door, devaluing my property. Might help to get something done if they are losing money.

Good luck with all of these suggestions! I live next door to a house that is just like your neighbour's. The back doors and windows are completely unusable because of the overgrown trees, ivy, etc. The only person who seems to get a response is the postman because he complains if he can't get to the front door to deliver post, or if he gets wet from overhanging branches when it's been raining. If the home owner lives in the house there is nothing that the council can/will do. Even contacting them about rats ( which do come into my garden from next door) gets the response of giving ME the phone number of the local pest co troll officer who charges £120 to come out twice. My neighbour is in her 50's, goes to work, and appears quite 'normal'. I despair of ever trying to sell.

I had wondered about this, but thought it might be a legal minefield. I do know someone who did it, just to be s helpful neighbour, ina very different set of circumstances.

I was reading that a house like his de values my property by £35,000!

Sounds like it would be well worth your time and money to come to an agreement with him where you pay to make his house look more appealing.

Even though this isn't really fair - it might be the optimum way forward.

Do you have other neighbors? What do they all have to say about this? You may be the one closest to this eyesore, but it can affect the resale value of the other surrounding homes as well.

Talk to your neighbors...you share a common problem and there is more power in numbers!

p.s.don't be seen

spray it with weedkiller just round the edges to start with.if you seehim ask him if hed mind and do the lot-something strong

Today 14:15 Gardenman99

All those who talk of using weed killer chain saws and the like be warned, we had a very run down house in our road and some neighbors throught it was a good idea to go and blizz the garden whilst the owner was away. The owner ended up be awarded 29000 compensation by county court against the four bright sparks who broke the law.

Is he still alive? I would be surprised if the postie delivers mail to him as they would see it as a danger....perhaps send him a registered letter which he has to sign for then see if the postie sees him

There is a gap between what most of us would consider reasonable, and the point of intervention. I mentioned this post to some friends, who knew someone who did exactly what Teddy suggested, although they did it with an inheritance.

I'm not sure the council can interfere even if the inside of the property is unfit for habitation. At a previous address I had a very obnoxious neighbour with a drink problem. The smell from his flat was appalling. The neighbours opposite had seen him defecating in his kitchen sink! When the council people attended they found he had ripped out his bath suite completely! But because he owned his property there was nothing they could do apparently! He terrorised me and my young daughter and was taken away by the police one day. He was told by a judge he couldn't return to his property because of his antisocial behaviour. We moved soon after.
Good luck with your problem op ?

Have you seen rats?? I'm sure you must have. This is definitely a council matter.Also this may be causing you severe mental health issues and adversley affecting your health.Is there a possible 'loss of amenity' in that you can't use your garden due to smells, falling slates etc? Sure the person may be ill and needs help but so do you.

The rented house opposite MIL has been like this for years. The tenants obviously pay their rent and the landlord, who we know owns lots of other houses, doesn't seem to bother about the state of this house. She has approached the council many times who come and look at it but don't do much else apart from telling the tenants to cut back the front hedge which was approaching the roof line. Since it doesn't seem to be a health hazard to the adjoining neighbours I don't think there is much more they can do.