can my neighbour do this?

Question

the wall of my house is in my neighbours garden and she keeps screwing ornaments to it can she?

Answer 1

Hi Steve,
Wow, to begin with, you need to find out for certain where is the exact location of the wall of your house by engaging a local professional land surveyor to survey the common boundary line between the neighbours; it's call a boundary survey & it will show the encroahment of the wall into each property exactly.

Senario 'No encroahment'
If your house's wall sits entirely within your own boundary, then it's your own wall. She has no right to meddle or damage your wall. If there is a space between the boundary, you might install another wall or fence to prevent her from doing any harm to it. If she persist, you may seek legal advise to pursue the matter further or try the neighbourly way by showing her the survey plan while having a cup of tea!.

Senario 'Yes-encroahment'
If this is the case, the house's wall may be a common party wall. ie Both sides have common interest in the wall. In such instance, she can do whatever she likes on her side of the wall to the extend provided that it will not materially jeopardize or harm the private enjoyment of your own house i.e. If there is water seepage or structural stability affecting your house due to her screws on the wall, you may ask her to remove & repair it. If there is none, she is pleased to carry on within her own compound. After all, the portion of the wall sitting in her own property is her's and belongs to her.

I doubt the senario that your wall sits fully within her boundary. Nevertheless, if this is the case, please seek legal advise from your own local lawyer as the wall 'literally' belongs to her.
You may check the approved building plans in the local council's record department if the building is built in such a manner.

If you have any doubts, please call your local council, lawyer or architect for more advise. I hope that such elaborate answer will helpful to you rather than a few lines of comments. Tata and good luck.

Answer 2

She CAN, obviously, because she did. If it's legal is a different question altogether - if it's your actual house wall, then she would at the very least need permission to drill / screw holes into your wall, as it is your property.

You have to be very careful with handling these cases, however, because a bad neighbour relationship can be very tiring indeed. Have you considered talking to her, and asking if perhaps she would mind not attaching garden ornaments like that?

Perhaps it would be possible to compromise by screwing a plank into your wall, and allowing her to attach her garden ornaments to that one plank? That way, you get a limited number of holes in your wall, and she gets her ornaments - everybody wins.

Answer 3

She actually has the odacity to blatently damage your home like this? Wow, um first I would talk to her about removing all of it then if she refuses call the police and make a report for graphiti ro destruction of property. In most cases real estate spans a few feet outward from the house in almost all directions so chances are she might also be gardening on YOUR property. Incorrect housing plots seldom exist and when they do they usually become an issue the minute the house has been on the market, chances are you are either getting bullied or your neighbor misreads you for a pushover. If it were me I would almost certainly make a big deal out of it fast, how would she like it if you started to superglue christmasd tree ornaments to her car?

Answer 4

She does not have any right to be affixing anything to the side of your house. Just as the other people said, this could potentially cause damage to your home(it may have already). be sure to seal up any holes in your house after you remove the screws.
Just go over to her house and let her know the situation and tell her she needs to remove the ornaments or you will. I'm sure she's quite aware of the fact that it is not the right thing to do, some people will just keep on doing things as long as nobody ever questions them. If she doesn't remove them, I would take them down myself and nail them to the side of her house.

Answer 5

I guess I'm a bit confused, and you don't offer some valid details, such as is this a house you own, on property you own? Why; if that's the case; would your house, be anywhere near a property line, much less over it? Is this a Muliti family situation, with HER being the home owner?

The variables are more than we can know here. Certainly important to any answer however.

Steven Wolf

Answer 6

What do you mean, your house isn't on your property? you in fact, don't own the property your home is on? your kidding, right, I never heard of this.
Forget the wall hangings, this is nothing compared to what your into here. You'd better get an attorney and get this mess straightened out before you get into trouble. How do you pay the taxes if you don't own the property.

If you mean she's overstepping her bounds and uses your property, then tell her after this gardening season, it's all over.

If you have to, put up a fence to protect yourself. Do you know if she gets hurt on your property, she can sue you for her liabilities. You'd better put a stop to it if this is the case.

As for the house, she making holes in it and the rain or watering, is going to get behind this and ruin the surface, take everything down and tell her "no more"

Answer 7

ok, i see the issue here.

The solution is to go over, bring a cup of coffee or some rolls or something and sit down with your neighbor. Good Lord, can we not talk to our neighbors anymore? "Love Thy Neighbor"

Always give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe your neighbor has always done this and doesnt realize it is wrong and just needs to be informed.

Your neighbor may be infringing on your property, and destruction of personal property is simply called vandalism.

Nothing should be screwed into your home without being properly sealed anyway, and I doubt your neighbor is putting caulking in the holes. That is a good segway (sp) into the conversation. Tell your neighbor that you had heard that holes in siding can lead to rot behind the boards and you are concerned. And be frank as well by telling them that you really struggled with this, that you want to be neighborly, but at the same time you dont want them to put holes in your house anymore.

You are people, you can communicate effectively. God gave you that ability, you need to use it.

Answer 8

Get the wall of your house out of your neighbors garden. Your house should be on your own property. Then she can't hang things on it. Ah the joys of city living. Yuck, I can't imagine I would last a week in the city.

Answer 9

if you own the house go take the sh it down. and tell her dont dont do it again and bill her for any damage she has done. take picture as well before in case you have to goto court.
but if you rent tell your land lord and figure its gona stay that way.
there are laws on this and as a home owner you have the right to say no way .

Answer 10

if your house crosses onto her property, then it is hers, unless you wish to remove it.