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Neighbour's gutter draining onto my roof


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My missus text me today at work to say that she's just realised that the neighbour's gutter along the back of the house is emptying onto our roof. I got home and sure enough it is. We think that they've just had it done over the past few days as we've heard drilling/noise coming from their side recently, but are not 100% sure.

 

We are mid-terrace, as is our neighbour. We live slightly downhill, so their roof is a good 2 or 3 foot above ours. Looking at the back of the houses tonight i can see that the neighbour has no downpipe. All houses on our terraced row have downpipes apart from their's. Again, i *think* they had one up until the recent changes. Instead of a downpipe, their gutter now juts out by about half a foot at the end with no termination and so overhangs my roof and therefore the rain will drain directly from their gutter onto my roof and into my gutter.

 

I haven't spoken to them yet, but wanted to check my options and if this is worth me making an issue of. Have i cause for concern for having the neighbour's back gutter emptying onto my roof? Should they have asked permission before doing this? What if this was not a recent thing but happened a while ago, but i have only just noticed it? (we're are a bit sure it was only recently done, but haven't really been out back of our house lately as not the weather!).

 

I'm on friendly terms with my neighbour and so have no problems in having a neighbourly chat, but obviously would like to know what's right and wrong in this scenario.

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This does not seem right to me. In heavy rain your gutter could overflow if it has to take two houses worth of rain.

 

It also seems odd that other houses in the terrace have a down pipe and they do not? Can you look closely at their wall to see if there is evidence of s down pipe, like screw holes or marks where the brackets were?

 

Not sure of the legalities, but it doesn't seem right.

Jeremy

 

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I suspect your neighbours did have a rain water down pipe which like the one you have would be connected to a soak away located in their back garden.

 

However it sounds to me that their soak away became blocked and rather than dig a new one they have diverted their rain water on to your roof.

This as all ready pointed out will be over working your guttering and soak away.

 

They have effectively made their "problem" yours by the sound of it.

 

EDIT : Look closely at their guttering .. If it is old it will have colour fade or signs of algae.

New guttering parts will be obvious

  • Haha 1
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No it is not acceptable, & possibly illegal, as Honeybee's environment law link explains (artificial channel).

Mid terraces tend to have shorter frontages, but capavity may depend on area of roof drained, but I would expect each terrace d house to have its own downspout leading to drain or soak-way. A job done on the cheap IMO. Contact local EHO.

Are you owner-occupier or T?

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I have a drainpipe from my top (3-storey) roof that drains onto my ground floor kitchen roof. Mostly it is OK but in very heavy rain the force of water overflows the kitchen gutters. Not a huge problem for me but you may find it is worse for you.

 

Also, with a two or three foot drop there will be splashing onto the adjoining wall which may lead to damp problems as it soaks into the bricks and down inside the wall.

 

So it is not OK.

 

If you are on good terms, you may be able to explain the practical issues to them. It maybe they unwisely selected a cowboy builder to do it.

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If it previously drained via your downpipe then it will be obvious but it is a real no-no to just alter the guttering as described. You can take the matter up with the council if talking to the neighbour is not fruitful. There will be evidnec of a previous downpipe, holes for the fixing of the support brackets in their brickwork, evidence of soakaway or drain access etc. They may have had problems and just employed a cowbuy builder and are unaware of the end result

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If you have a good relationship with the neighbour, then perhaps a quiet word and ask them to sort it. If you don't, then you might need to first write them a letter asking them to deal with the problem - if they are not co-operative, then speak to your Local Authority for advice.

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I have a drainpipe from my top (3-storey) roof that drains onto my ground floor kitchen roof. Mostly it is OK but in very heavy rain the force of water overflows the kitchen gutters. .

 

Purchase a roll of 6" wide lead. Make some "L" shaped pieces the width of a tile. (IE: 3" under the tile, 3" up stand by the width of the tile).

Place the first one course of tiles down from the outlet pipe and then "stagger" sideways to the next course of tiles, sideways and down to the next course.

Continue this down the roof to the eves.

 

This will disperse the rain water over a larger area of the roof and the problem is then "solved".

Good Luck

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Hi all. Thanks for the responses, much appreciated. To answer a few of the questions:

 

Can you look closely at their wall to see if there is evidence of s down pipe, like screw holes or marks where the brackets were?
I've tried to look but not 100% sure. It appears that there was a downpipe on the right hand side of their house-rear wall, but without breaking into their garden i cannot be sure.

 

Look closely at their guttering .. If it is old it will have colour fade or signs of algae. New guttering parts will be obvious
Their guttering looks new, no colour fade or algae (see image in pdf below. Their house is the one on the right, mine is the one on the left).

 

Are you owner-occupier or T?
I am owner-occupier.

 

If you have a good relationship with the neighbour, then perhaps a quiet word and ask them to sort it.
Yes, we're on good terms. I'll be speaking to him this week in a friendly manner on the assumption that he is not aware of what the builder has done and has therefore not intentionally caused this issue. (not sure i believe that but best give him benefit of the doubt and treat things in a civil manner until i know otherwise).

 

Thanks for all of your help. I attach an image (in a pdf) of the offending guttering to clarify what has been installed.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]56688[/ATTACH]

 

Thanks for letting me know where i stand and that i'm not being unreasonable in wanting them to resolve this. I shall keep this thread updated with developments.

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sorry, but picture of no real use, their downpipe could have been at the other end of their roof and it is the wall and ground that will tell us whetehr the soak away was present. As it is an apex roof what happens at the back would probably mirror the front but not necessarily so. Have a good look at the ground in front of the property and then look for holes in the brickwork.

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sorry, but picture of no real use, their downpipe could have been at the other end of their roof and it is the wall and ground that will tell us whetehr the soak away was present. As it is an apex roof what happens at the back would probably mirror the front but not necessarily so. Have a good look at the ground in front of the property and then look for holes in the brickwork.

 

Well it shows that the guttering has no end cap therefore has been set up to intentionally drain into the other houses gutter.

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Looking at the back of all the houses in the terrace. Are their down pipes to the left or right of their property ?

 

There is no way this is how the guttering design was originally !!! This has been "bodged".

 

The flow on your gutter runs from left to right. ..... I suspect that your neighbours did too and for some reason "Bodge it and Bash it Builders" have reversed the flow of your neighbours gutter so it now runs from right to left and discharges on to your roof.

 

Out of interest has any other works been carried out in the back garden ? New patio ? Conservatory ?

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Get neighbour to recall fitter to install missing end plate, at fitter's expense, quoting legislation from link if nec. then any future problems will affect neighbour's property, not yours. If the gutter fall is correct, the neighbour's downspout should be to left of his property. A wider angle pic of both properties would have been helpful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have now spoken to my neighbour regarding this. I asked him if they had had their guttering done recently to which they replied no they haven't. I said that i had recently noticed their back gutter diverting contents into my gutter, to which they replied that they know, it was like that when they bought the property and they haven't had any work done on the guttering since they bought it. (They've been there for about 3 years, we bought our house 2.5 years ago). They asked me if it is causing a problem, to which i replied that at present it isn't but we had only just noticed it and thought that this was a recent change.

 

It was a very amicable conversation, with the outcome of:

  • they say that the guttering was like this when they bought the house (and i am completely unsure whether this is true or not - i cannot recall it being like this previously, but at that same time i have no distinct recollection that it wasn't)
  • they have asked if this is causing a problem so are open to further dialogue if needed
  • they now know that me and my missus have some concerns about it

 

I'm therefore a little unsure on how to proceed. On one hand it isn't causing me any problems, but on the other hand i don't want it to be an issue for when i sell the house (our rough timescale is to sell up over the next 3 or 4 years to move to a bigger property). Assuming that the previous owners of both mine and the neighbours houses did agree to this guttering setup, is there any legal responsibility for me to inherit this agreement? Or if this agreement was not bought up when i purchased the property then i'm guessing there is nothing in place? Would the advice be to ask for it to be resolved now, or agree that it needs to be resolved over the next few years prior to me (or they) selling?

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Have you had a look at the other properties in the terrace to see how their guttering is presented ?

 

Do either of you have the Estate Agent images of the properties that you would have been given before buying?

Have we helped you ...?         Please Donate button to the Consumer Action Group

Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

Looking for a draft letter? Use the CAG Library

Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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  • 3 years later...

Hi there

not sure anyone will pick up this thread if it is old. But here goes. I live in a 1920s property which has cast iron gutters which are quite big and I have a dressed lead roof over a shared porch as the house is a semi. A few months back the new neighbours asked us was our porch leaking - it wasn't and he never said much else.

 

 

It turns out he has had some dodgy workmen stick asphalt pieces over his side of the roof - this has made things worse and at one point flooded his downstairs loo. Leaves and water are collecting under the asphalt as it has 'lipped up' where his is higher than mine. he has also had the same workmen cut off his gutters and replace with small plastic ones which are about the quarter of the size of the original. Where they join in the middle you can see daylight and there is water dripping through both on the front and back of the property (my fence is being soaked at back) water is finding its way into my hallway and has blown the plaster and the skirting.

We have been back to them since May and June respectively - but they keep sending their workmen around to us for us to explain! They are quite rough and ready and try to shout you down while he stands back.

 

 

I went around on Friday after a downpour of rain as the water is making its way up the wall and the neighbour told me I was impatient and disrespectful and that he had agreed to pay for the damage and was waiting for the leak to be fixed. He swore at me and told me to eff off his property and that I was a f****** pig!

 

 

I have reported to the police - and I am trying to go through my household legal insurance however they have left me waiting over a week and tried to refer me back to my insurer - saying I should make a claim not a legal one as this is a last resort.

 

 

But I need someone to make him rectify what he has done and to not trespass onto my property/not do works that impact jointly on the property without consultation before I make a claim

 

 

I am being passed from pillar to post by the insurance and feel I have nowhere to turn and can't even speak to him anymore as he is very hostile.

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You need to start a new thread

Of your OWN please

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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the police wont and cant do anything, try the local council and ask for a buildings inspector to visit and make a proclamation. they may well order him to make good the damage and that will help you with your insurance claim as the insurers will have a cast iron reason for chasing him and his builders and their insurers. All a bit long winded. the alternative is to do the remedial works yourself ( with insurers consent) and bill neighbour

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