Who pays for work neighbours want us to do?

[Lavanda]

We bought a house in the village nearly 20 years ago. We did reforms. All was well.

Our patio has neighbours on three sides but we could not see them and they could not see us.

Time went by.

Neighbour One built up but all his widows faced the street so we had a higher wall but no intrusive looking into our patio. We didn't mind but we were never consulted anyway.

Neighbour Two also built up and now his windows look directly into our patio and our main bedroom. We told him we were not happy and would build the dividing wall higher to maintain our privacy. He told us we could not do that as it was 'his' wall. Again, no one consulted us before the work was done.

The third neighbour built a discreet terrace but we are not overlooked. It is used mainly for drying washing which we cannot see anyway. Yesterday, he came round and asked if we would raise the estufa pipe because when the wind blows in a certain direction they get the smoke on their terrace. Well, yes, maybe they should have thought about that before they built it or at the very least should have consulted with us.

So, the problem with Neighbour Two may need the intervention of the Ayuntamiento planning person to determine whose wall the dividing wall is and what we can do about it. Our builder has suggested building a new wall attached to the existing wall which is a possibility but a bit daft.

With Neighbour Three, can we ask him to pay for the work he wants us to do — for his benefit and absolutely none for us?

Neighbours!!! However, we are all very amicable ... so far ...

[costakid]

I would not be going to any big expense to improve a neighbours property. A fence or small repair to keep the peace but nothing like building a wall or terrace. His house he pays. Put the boot on the other foot and you know what the answer would be.

[Pamela1]

I've seen all sorts in Spain, one such incidence was when my MIL's neighbour decided to ad another upper floor to their home. They built a wall right outside of her bedroom window. The space between her window and their house wall was about 12inches so when she opened the wooden shutters all that faced her was a brick wall. It was horrendous, they never consulted her about their intentions. She kept hammering a hole through the wall, as fast as they replaced the bricks she hammered them back down. At that time she was considering downsizing, so just as well her intention wasn't to stay there, she moved about a year later but i shall never comprehend how anyone could think that it was ok to do what they did.

[Lavanda]

Good advice, Costakid and, yes, Pamela, I can never understand why people just seem to do as they like with no consultation or warning about what they intend to do.

[knowal]

Our builder has suggested building a new wall attached to the existing wall which is a possibility but a bit daft.

That's exactly what I would suggest.

[Pamela1]

Things happen, When we bought our home here in the Uk our solicitor advised us to get the boundary line straightened between us and the neighbours next door. The next door neighbours had a shed which was rotten and unused, the people who had owned the house before them had erected the shed a couple of feet over the boundary line...It meant the plans would have a squiggle on them where the shed was...She suggested we offer to buy them a new shed as a sweetener...We already intended to replace the wire fence between us with a solid stone wall and told them this, made no difference, they decided to be awkward. The new wall of 25 mtrs length was erected apart from a gap where the shed was. It stayed that way for over 20yrs until the neighbours finally decided they wanted a garden shed and took the old one down. Hubby walled in the gap the very next day, the neighbours new shed is now on their own land, only took 20 odd years.

[Lavanda]

Great post, Pamela. Lovely story. Patience wins in the end.