Sometimes it might seem that fighting over land or property is what people are wired to do. From minor disputes between individuals to wars marked in history – this “habit” seems to have followed humanity for years and years.
Today’s story dives into one of those disputes – fortunately, one way smaller than a war. In it, a person bought a maisonette with a garage and a garden, but they soon found out that their new neighbor believed the latter belonged to him. So, they came online to ask how to prove to this man that the garden wasn't his, and people online flooded the comment section with advice.
More info: Reddit
The whole of humanity's history is marked by people disputing property or land
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Today's story is no different – a person bought a maisonette with a garden, and it didn't take long for their new neighbor to claim the garden was his
Image credits: Samuel Peter / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The neighbor's "proof" was the estate agent's brochure, stating that the garden should belong to him
Image credits: Wynand van Poortvliet / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Yet, the author had a title plan that said otherwise, but they were worried that it might not be enough to convince the neighbor
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
So, they asked online how could they ensure the neighbor wouldn't ever step into the garden that isn't his
Image credits: suki10c
People online didn't shy away from providing advice and the comment section was flooded
The OP recently purchased a maisonette with a garage and a small garden. For those who are wondering what a maisonette is, basically, it’s a flat with two floors, unlike conventional flats that have one floor. Plus, often maisonettes have direct and private access to the inside and outside of the building.
So, one day the original poster was moving furniture into their new home and found workmen in their new garden. These people had chopped down several shrubs and bushes and had removed a fence panel for access to the garden next door. Naturally, the author was confused as to why these random men came onto property that was not theirs and started removing stuff.
When the person asked them about it, a neighbor came clutching some papers in his hands. It was an estate agent’s brochure for his property, which had a diagram showing that the garden belonged to him, not the newcomer. So, the man believed that he could cut any shrubs he wanted.
Plus, he claimed that he had contacted the estate agent who sold the OP’s property and that they had supported his belief, even though no such call was recorded on the Property Information Form.
To prove the neighbor wrong, the author had a title plan, which showed that the garden was theirs. If you’re not sure what this is, it’s, like the name suggests, a plan that shows the property’s location and boundaries. Well, all things considered, a title plan is way more accepted proof than an estate agent’s brochure, which usually is just a marketing tool, and a call that (likely) never happened.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Thankfully, the person was able to make the workmen replace the removed fence panel and get them out of there. Unfortunately, they still believe that it won’t be the last time they hear from this neighbor. After all, it’s no coincidence that he had only just decided to start claiming the garden, despite buying the property 3 years earlier.
So, the OP asked for advice from Redditors on what they should do to prevent the theft and destruction of the garden. They had already called the police, but they refused to attend to it, as it is a civil matter, not a criminal one.
Folks online did not shy away from giving advice. For instance, to get the neighbor's title plan, ask for a land dispute solicitor’s help, and overall investigate the neighbor’s claims. Basically, proving to him that the garden isn’t his is the only proper long-term solution here.
A little later, the OP wrote a small update, thanking people for their advice and letting them know that they had taken some of it. For instance, they downloaded a copy of the neighbor’s title plan, which proved that he didn’t own any part of the garden. The author will send this proof to the neighbor, along with their own title plan, hoping that it will end this whole story.
Realizing that they were in the right had already calmed the person down, but they were still quite worried that the neighbor might not take the proof and would keep insisting that the garden was his.
Well, let’s just hope that it won’t happen. After all, there’s proper proof that the land belongs to the OP, and if the neighbor tries to claim something different, it will be a signal about some other underlying problems of possessiveness or entitlement. Yet, speculating about something that might not happen seems quite pointless here – after all, so far the situation seems concluded.
Later, the person updated the post saying that they had taken some of the advice and downloaded the neighbor's title plan, which they hoped would be enough to convince him that the garden wasn't his
