Buy a house and renovate it Turning it into a home for life is the dream of many, but that dream and investment can be cut short when a project in the neighbors’ house directly affects the home. This is what has happened to a woman from the United Kingdom whose neighbor demolished the house to which it was attached, and who since then claims that she lives with leaks, holes in the walls and animals entering the interior of the house.
According to information collected by The Sun, The woman moved into her house in 2021 while recovering from cancer. He paid 217,000 pounds (about 256,000 euros) for it and then invested another 80,000 pounds (about 94,000 euros) in renovations to turn it into the place where he wanted to live with his mother and son.
A year later, the house next door was sold and his new neighbor began the renovation process, doing some work to expand the house, but due to problems related to the security of the property, he ended up completely demolishing his half of the semi-detached house.
After the demolition, leaks, holes and pests began
The main problem is that the neighbor began the works without having the necessary permits and, although he later requested authorization retroactively, the City Council rejected it.
Since then, the plot next to the woman’s home has been left empty, while she claims that she has had to face the consequences of the disappearance of the house that until then was attached to hers.
As he explained, holes began to appear in the roof through which water entered, affecting the electrical installation, the carpets and the wallpaper. He also assures that there were gaps in the walls that have allowed the entry of wasps, rats and squirrels.
“We have damp in the walls, rats have been eating the electrical cables, we have had squirrels in the air chambers, holes in the ceiling… the list is endless,” he lamented.
Another problem that has had to be faced during this time is keeping the house warm. As the wall that it previously shared with the neighbor’s house is exposed, the cost of heating has increased considerably, reaching 630 pounds per month, about 740 euros.
It was for this reason that he went to the City Hall to ask for help and check if his house was still safe. The council assures that its technicians visited the site after the demolition and concluded that the house remained structurally stable and did not need additional shoring.
Claim for damages while the land already has permission to build another house
The City Council recommended that the owner waterproof the wall that was exposed and seek her insurance and legal advice since these were two private properties.
However, the woman assures that she does not have enough money to solve all the problems and fears that the home has lost a good part of its value or may even be difficult to sell.
“I didn’t ask for this, no one would ask for it, but it shows that it can happen to anyone,” he explains.
He eventually filed a claim through his insurance company, although he explained that the matter is still about two years away from going to court.
María Cristina Clemente, notary: “All communities of owners are very attentive to the reform of the Horizontal Property Law that comes into force on October 23”
Consumer Affairs requires two platforms to remove 8,318 ads for offering tourist apartments camouflaged as seasonal rentals
The plot has gone to a different owner who already has permits to carry out the works, but the previous one assured that he did not act illegally and decided to demolish the house to avoid dangers.