neignbour problem and scrap vehicle in garden??

13-07-2019 8:20am #1

Is there any way (short of petrol) of getting/convincing/forcing a neighbour of disposing of a pile of scrap vehicle on their front garden?? any suggestions.
They have no use for it, their neighbourly attitude is in short supply due to some other things Ive experienced with them, Id like to move from the area anyway, but will have to see if its even possible, if it is, I'd be all over it.

The things is, I consider Id stand to lose a lot of money and potential buyers if I put my house for sale and they saw the vehicle abandoned in their driveway, so that would mean it just couldn't be done, I simply could not afford to throw away money and that includes starting a sale if it puts buyers off as generally a no sale still incurs an agent fee even ignoring upfront costs. I get the impression the neighbours keep their home clean, so Im a bit confused as to why they'd leave a pile of scrap in their front garden. Even if moving turns out to not be an option, this vehicle is just an eyesore, been sat there for 2 years??
From recent enquiries it seems the council aren't in the least bit bothered about anything so that doesnt seem to be an option, Im not sure what my options would be that could encourage them to shift it???
If the council arent a runner, I guess Im being a bit naive thinking the EPA??
Any suggestions

ZX7R · 13-07-2019 8:21am

It's on there property not a thing you can do.

lawred2 · 13-07-2019 8:22am

If it's a problem for you and not them then maybe offer to get it removed and scrapped yourself..

PITA but if they are not willing to do anything themselves you might have no other option.

13-07-2019 8:25am

That seems a pretty $hitty outcome, ie just look at indefintely as they wont deal with it

hawkelady · 13-07-2019 8:27am

Have you asked them what they intend to do with it ?

Still waters · 13-07-2019 8:31am

N/A

colm_mcm · 13-07-2019 8:33am

Still waters wrote: »

Get onto the council/epa, tell them theres oils being leaked or spilled around the place, batteries left in old cars can go on fire, I've seen it happen twice recently, has he a waste collection permit/number ? It also depends where you're from, i know limerick and clare coco take a very proactive approach on things like this, not sure of anywhere else tho

Does he collect for money or is it just cars he or his family have parked up over time, if it is there might not be a lot you can do

This is one car by the sounds of it.

13-07-2019 8:33am

Yes, they said they use it to store things and it wasnt a problem for them, recently someone else told me it is an eyesore, so I may have some allies.
Its basically a pile of scrap, it has no value, parts missing which makes it not even look like its just parked, it looks rough, not a vehicle which will be worth anything to do up, which Id understand. Its just a complete lack of consideration.

Doctors room ghost · 13-07-2019 8:35am

They might be keeping it as a project for doing up.
They might want it as a donor vehicle for spares.
Absolutely nothing wrong with what they are doing.if it is on their own private property and not on a public road.
Nothing you can do about it op.

13-07-2019 8:36am

Still waters wrote: »

Get onto the council/epa, tell them theres oils being leaked or spilled around the place, batteries left in old cars can go on fire, I've seen it happen twice recently, has he a waste collection permit/number ? It also depends where you're from, i know limerick and clare coco take a very proactive approach on things like this, not sure of anywhere else tho

Does he collect for money or is it just cars he or his family have parked up over time, if it is there might not be a lot you can do

colm_mcm wrote: »

This is one car by the sounds of it.

Its actually one vehicle in his driveway Im referring to, but they have a number of vehicles (which at least move) and they take up a lot of the available road with them, they seem to allow relatives or friends to park their cars up on the road and they get left parked near their house, in the end they seem to move.

Doctors room ghost · 13-07-2019 8:36am

hawkelady wrote: »

Have you asked them what they intend to do with it ?

They might tell you to mind your own business

13-07-2019 8:38am

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

They might be keeping it as a project for doing up.
They might want it as a donor vehicle for spares.
Absolutely nothing wrong with what they are doing.if it is on their own private property and not on a public road.
Nothing you can do about it op.

Im fairly interested in cars myself, Id understand that if it was a worthwhile prospect. I keep a second older car myself that is in clean condition, this is a vehicle, but not a car, it is not something that will ever be worth anything and nothing is being done with it.
Its rotting in their garden.

13-07-2019 8:39am

Still waters wrote: »

Get onto the council/epa, tell them theres oils being leaked or spilled around the place, batteries left in old cars can go on fire, I've seen it happen twice recently, has he a waste collection permit/number ? It also depends where you're from, i know limerick and clare coco take a very proactive approach on things like this, not sure of anywhere else tho

Does he collect for money or is it just cars he or his family have parked up over time, if it is there might not be a lot you can do

Thanks for that information, I might ring/email them and ask them how they approach it from a legal/environmental standpoint.

Dublinstiofán · 13-07-2019 8:45am

Why don’t you be honest with them? Tell them you are selling the house and that you are worried that potential buyers won’t buy with the vehicle in the garden. Tell them you are willing to help to sort out the problem!

Then Offer to pay to have it removed (you likely won’t have to pay anything just get them to sign forms and the council will come and take it)
If they’re worried about storage buy them a garden storage locker for whatever they’re storing in the vehicle. Link

They might agree if they have an alternative sensible option. The cost of the locker you stand to lose will be nothing against what you stand to gain selling the house.

13-07-2019 8:56am

Dublinstiofán wrote: »

Why don’t you be honest with them? Tell them you are selling the house and that you are worried that potential buyers won’t buy with the vehicle in the garden. Tell them you are willing to help to sort out the problem!

Then Offer to pay to have it removed (you likely won’t have to pay anything just get them to sign forms and the council will come and take it)
If they’re worried about storage buy them a garden storage locker for whatever they’re storing in the vehicle. Link

They might agree if they have an alternative sensible option. The cost of the locker you stand to lose will be nothing against what you stand to gain selling the house.

Thanks for the constructive ideas, the selling up idea has just come up recently, mainly due to dealings with said neighbour, they are just particularily selfish and unconcerned in my opinion, Im happy enough and even prefer if people keep to themselves to some extent but these people are downright uneighbourly. I brought up the idea with them before, just did not register, said it doesnt bother them, I think they are actually happy that something is a problem, like when I asked them not to block our driveway, they acted like it was not a problem, but kept doing it until I basically ended up in an argument, I dont know if they are selfish or blissfully ignorant. Maybe if they were to get some new neighbours that might encourage them, I just couldnt afford to lose financially as its too significant a thing to occur and might even make selling up not viable/possible. I need a bit of time to redecorate and fix things up anyway, so its an idea. I may be able to enlist the help of some other neighbours, another person told me they arent happy about it either.

Auguste Comte · 13-07-2019 8:58am

You could always offer then a few quid for it.

Sleeper12 · 13-07-2019 9:08am

A car like that wouldn't put me off bidding or buying a house. It might lead me to make inquiries about the neighbor though. If it's just a car I'd be fine with it. If I found out he's a problem neighbor then thats a different matter.

Could you approach him offering 500 euro for him to store it elsewhere for six months while you sell your home?

amcalester · 13-07-2019 9:11am

Buy them a cheap car cover and ask them to put it on the car.

It’ll make it look like a project or summer car, or at least that it’s being taken care of rather than junk.

Problem sorted.

Happy4all · 13-07-2019 9:13am

Sleeper12 wrote: »

A car like that wouldn't put me off bidding or buying a house. It might lead me to make inquiries about the neighbor though. If it's just a car I'd be fine with it. If I found out he's a problem neighbor then thats a different matter.

Could you approach him offering 500 euro for him to store it elsewhere for six months while you sell your home?

Yep, probably judgemental, but I would be a bit anxious to know about the owners.

Is it rented or council owned?

Still waters · 13-07-2019 9:17am

If its only one car I don't see the issue, i thought they had a few piled up going by the op, not a lot you can do about one car

The chan chan man · 13-07-2019 9:19am

In the current housing market, no buyer will be put off by an old car in someone elses driveway.

Put up some trellis/bamboo to screen it and put the house up for sale.

13-07-2019 9:26am

Auguste Comte wrote: »

You could always offer then a few quid for it.

Sleeper12 wrote: »

A car like that wouldn't put me off bidding or buying a house. It might lead me to make inquiries about the neighbor though. If it's just a car I'd be fine with it. If I found out he's a problem neighbor then thats a different matter.

Could you approach him offering 500 euro for him to store it elsewhere for six months while you sell your home?

I dont intend to offer them money to reward them for keeping scrap, maybe they are thinking along those lines, Ive actually wondered, Id either offer my time/services/skills/labour to assist moving.

amcalester wrote: »

Buy them a cheap car cover and ask them to put it on the car.
It’ll make it look like a project or summer car, or at least that it’s being taken care of rather than junk.
Problem sorted.

Problem not sorted, its not a car, its a van and it looks rough

Still waters wrote: »

If its only one car I don't see the issue, i thought they had a few piled up going by the op, not a lot you can do about one car

Its one van, its blatantly scrap, but it doesnt help that they have numerous cars.

The chan chan man wrote: »

In the current housing market, no buyer will be put off by an old car in someone elses driveway.

Put up some trellis/bamboo to screen it and put the house up for sale.

Regarding the housing market, maybe, but I wouldnt think so, but given houses are the most expensive purchase/sale I dont see the sense in risking it, even a small percentage difference could be a large amount.

And
You cannot have walls at the front of your house over a certain size, it would not hide this, probably make it more obvious.

Grumpypants · 13-07-2019 9:26am

So you don't want your neighbour to keep their own stuff on their own property because a fictional buyer might make a lower fictional offer for a house that isn't for sale.

I can see why they aren't entertaining the suggestion.

13-07-2019 9:29am

Grumpypants wrote: »

So you don't want your neighbour to keep their own stuff on their own property because a fictional buyer might make a lower fictional offer for a house that isn't for sale.

I can see why they aren't entertaining the suggestion.

Even if I didnt or couldnt sell/buy elsewhere, its an eyesore, it was mentioned to me by another neighbour too.
As for their personal property, its not like its some family antique heirloom, ist a worthless piece of scrap, its not something they drive infrequently and even keep it running, therefore it doesnt serve its purpose, seems fairly obvious to me.

lawred2 · 13-07-2019 10:16am

The chan chan man wrote: »

In the current housing market, no buyer will be put off by an old car in someone elses driveway.

Put up some trellis/bamboo to screen it and put the house up for sale.

It would put me off

Pkiernan · 13-07-2019 10:40am

ZX7R wrote: »

It's on there property not a thing you can do.

Completely untrue.

OP. First stop is Environmental Officer in your local council

Auguste Comte · 13-07-2019 11:05am

Pkiernan wrote: »

Completely untrue.

OP. First stop is Environmental Officer in your local council

What would be the basis of a complaint to the local eo? From what the op has said the only problem is that he doesn't like the look of it. No mention of leaking fluids or anything else. It's not stored or used commercially. Its not refuse that could be attracting rodents etc. Basically this guy has his van parked in his own driveway for his own private purposes what could the eo enforce?

13-07-2019 11:50am

Happy4all wrote: »

Yep, probably judgemental, but I would be a bit anxious to know about the owners.

Is it rented or council owned?

Privately owned, if it was rented Id have done something a lot sooner

Auguste Comte wrote: »

What would be the basis of a complaint to the local eo? From what the op has said the only problem is that he doesn't like the look of it. No mention of leaking fluids or anything else. It's not stored or used commercially. Its not refuse that could be attracting rodents etc. Basically this guy has his van parked in his own driveway for his own private purposes what could the eo enforce?

You seem dead set against it, this is not like its a vehicle they use on a regular basis for work or generally and I dont like the look of it, its a vehicle that has been parked up for a few years, is stationary and has some parts either remove or detached so it looks like its scrap,
Ive considered the environmental hazard, from diesel which I think is a possibility, I know he seems to store stuff in it which Ive seen the owner do occasionally so essentially its like shed out his front garden, how anyone could not oppose this is beyond me, its not like its out of sight in some obscure part of his own property, its front and centre on the grass in a front garden in an estate

lulu1 · 14-07-2019 1:00am

Even if you get the car removed op who is to say they won't have another heap of scrap sitting in it's place by the time you get around to selling your house

Mrs OBumble · 14-07-2019 1:52am

1874 wrote: »

...I need a bit of time to redecorate and fix things up anyway, so its an idea. .....

So the problem is that you don't like the look of the neighbour's storage unit?

Unless there's some other reason for you to sell, then the best approach is for you to build a bridge and get over it.

If you want to sell, then don't be bothering to redecorate: the new owner would prefer to only pay for the paint once instead of having to pay for your batch of magnolia in the purchase price, and their decent colour to suit themselves.

15-07-2019 8:18am

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

So the problem is that you don't like the look of the neighbour's storage unit?

Unless there's some other reason for you to sell, then the best approach is for you to build a bridge and get over it.

If you want to sell, then don't be bothering to redecorate: the new owner would prefer to only pay for the paint once instead of having to pay for your batch of magnolia in the purchase price, and their decent colour to suit themselves.

Its not a storage unit, its a scrap vehicle, would you be ok with a scrap vehicle deteriorating in your immediate neighbours garden? other neighbours have commented on it too, not just for the eyesore factor. There are laws for getting rid of end of life vehicles because of environmentally hazardous by products, something that is going to be prevalent in a vehicle which is not being maintained as it wont be noticed. If they want a storage unit, I suspect they wouldnt be allowed put a shed in the front garden, so by that reasonable logic they should put it in their backgarden. This is not the only problem unfortunately, they have made changes which are outside the planning regulations without planning permission and in general are what i consider bad neighbours, when they turned up they immediately started blocking our driveway, I dont think thats a good start when you move in anywhere and it set the tone for our interactions after that, basically they do as they please without regard for neighbours, as Im right next door to them I get it the most, recently had to put up with 13 hours straight of base music, completely inconsiderate.
Your opinions on selling arent worth much IMO and contrast with what I was recommended by an estate agent, and redecorating isnt just a matter of painting, but its certainly one of the cheapest and easiest things to do to freshen up a place, and on the agents opinion a vehicle like that could reduce interest, as I plan on going Im not taking the hit for that.
The stupid thing is, before things went very sour, I was told they had problems with their previous neighbours who damaged their vehicles in a fairly serious way, I now know why, they have more than average number for a household and they park with complete disregard (and act in complete disregard) of people here now, and likely their former neighbours too, when this was said they were oblivious to the reason, ie selfish, inconsiderate people.

C3PO · 15-07-2019 3:15pm

It seems to me that you basically have two options:
1) Offer to take it away at your own cost and even pay them an agreed sum for it if necessary or:
2) Put the house on the market with the scrap van sitting in your neighbors garden.
You seem to be against the principle of Option 1 but it would be the option that I would pursue - I suspect that the cost of removing the van will be significantly less than the drop in sale price if you put the house on the market with it sitting there! I certainly would be very wary of buying the house!

red petal · 15-07-2019 3:24pm

You put a bee in his bonnet by asking him to stop parking in front of your garden. By the sounds of it, he's pretty happy that his scrap annoys you and has no intentions of getting rid of it to please you.

It's unfortunate but it seems he possibly thinks you are the uneighborly one.

the_syco · 15-07-2019 6:46pm

You have only one option; offer to pay for its removal. Otherwise, I don't see them moving it.

whisky_galore · 15-07-2019 7:06pm

Serious bang of Mrs Bucket off this thread.

the_pen_turner · 15-07-2019 7:18pm

I fail to see how the value the owner puts on his own possessions is dependant on the opinions of other people

Fann Linn · 15-07-2019 7:29pm

the_syco wrote: »

You have only one option; offer to pay for its removal. Otherwise, I don't see them moving it.

The OP has a number of options open to him which he can explore.

Waste Mgt (End of life vehicle) Regulations 2014 or Section 71 1996 Waste Mgt Act as amended.

The op should have a quick read of the above and see which one applies in his case.
Follow up with call to local CoCo and if that fails follow up with call to EPA. There is a complaint form on the EPA website.
No need for eyesores in housing estates in this day and age regardless of whose properties they are on.

Mrs OBumble · 15-07-2019 7:53pm

the_syco wrote: »

You have only one option; offer to pay for its removal. Otherwise, I don't see them moving it.

Even if the OP pays, there's no guarantee that the neighbour wants it moved: one person's piece of yunk is another's gracefully ageing artwork.

Bigus · 15-07-2019 8:50pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Even if the OP pays, there's no guarantee that the neighbour wants it moved: one person's piece of yunk is another's gracefully ageing artwork.

Not very helpful to the OP ,

I’d say the neighbor knows this is annoying the OP and is leaving it there on purpose, hopefully there is indeed a bylaw to stop the dismantling or long term storage of vehicles on private property and the council can enforce removal, just like you can’t leave a caravan or Motorhome unmoved for over 7 months.

liam7831 · 15-07-2019 10:38pm

Terrible situation to be in was in something similar until I sold last month, arÂ£ehole neighbour used private estate as a car park, owned at least 7 or 8 in estate as I could see them on DD and all you would hear at weekend is banging working on heaps of junk.

15-07-2019 11:45pm

red petal wrote: »

You put a bee in his bonnet by asking him to stop parking in front of your garden. By the sounds of it, he's pretty happy that his scrap annoys you and has no intentions of getting rid of it to please you.
It's unfortunate but it seems he possibly thinks you are the uneighborly one.

Yes, Im some a$$hat for wanting to get in and out of my driveway

:)

Bigus wrote: »

Not very helpful to the OP ,

I’d say the neighbor knows this is annoying the OP and is leaving it there on purpose, hopefully there is indeed a bylaw to stop the dismantling or long term storage of vehicles on private property and the council can enforce removal, just like you can’t leave a caravan or Motorhome unmoved for over 7 months.

I certainly dont like it and am not the only one, spoken to a few people now that aren't happy, so there's some momentum building, didn't even know it bothered them too.
Unfortunately for the owner, if they dont sort it, Ill have no choice to stick around, Id have thought they'd like to see me go, but Im not taking a financial hit for it, couldnt.
Still, some very useful pointers and information here about end of life vehicles, and the one above about remaining unmoved, need to look that one up more, thanks to those that provided that.
As for the posters that support the other view, Im envisioning rooms stacked to the rafter with magazines, newspapers and covered in dog $hit, some serious hoarder mentality going on :eek:.
As one poster said, absolutely no need for it in an estate in this day and age, really if it was a project in any shape or condition, it needs to be out of the weather in a shed/garage making even minimal progress, anything in this state is going nowhere.

lulu1 · 16-07-2019 11:31pm

whisky_galore wrote: »

Serious bang of Mrs Bucket off this thread.

I don't think so
Put it like this If you were going buy a house and you see two identical houses and both the same price on an estate one with a well kept garden and the other garden full of junk which would you pick.

I know which I would go for

mea_k · 17-07-2019 1:03am

Did anyone miss the part it's parked in neighbours drive way.... It's their property. I find it tad creepy to be even asking what he intends to do on his own property. Sell the house and move countryside so you won't have to deal with people having stuff in their drive ways.....

Graces7 · 17-07-2019 6:37am

did you ever talk to the council or is that only for wrecks left on the road these days? whenever I changed my car they always offered to take the old one away and did so, so they do do it from private properties.

freshpopcorn · 17-07-2019 6:48am

I know of a few people with scrap vehicles outside there house.
They are used to store stuff.
They owners leave stuff in them because they are serious hoarders.
They have plans to fix it up.
Some may get rid of it after a while. If it's being used as a shed tough expect something else.

One thing tough they all have in common is they always have scrap yards, breakers yards, etc onto them about buying the vechile but they never really leave go.

Fann Linn · 17-07-2019 7:12am

mea_k wrote: »

Did anyone miss the part it's parked in neighbours drive way.... It's their property. I find it tad creepy to be even asking what he intends to do on his own property. Sell the house and move countryside so you won't have to deal with people having stuff in their drive ways.....

Just because its 'his own driveway' doesn't give them the right to keep scrap on them regardless of whether its rural or urban.

TuringBot47 · 17-07-2019 7:42am

Buy the neighbours a decent car cover and your prospective buyers might think it's a vintage car under the covers.
Neighbours also their property protection from the elements, win-win for everyone.

PsychoPete · 17-07-2019 7:53am

Fann Linn wrote: »

Just because its 'his own driveway' doesn't give them the right to keep scrap on them regardless of whether its rural or urban.

Of course it does because its their property

olestoepoke · 17-07-2019 8:08am

1874 wrote: »

Is there any way (short of petrol) of getting/convincing/forcing a neighbour of disposing of a pile of scrap vehicle on their front garden?? any suggestions.
They have no use for it, their neighbourly attitude is in short supply due to some other things Ive experienced with them, Id like to move from the area anyway, but will have to see if its even possible, if it is, I'd be all over it.

The things is, I consider Id stand to lose a lot of money and potential buyers if I put my house for sale and they saw the vehicle abandoned in their driveway, so that would mean it just couldn't be done, I simply could not afford to throw away money and that includes starting a sale if it puts buyers off as generally a no sale still incurs an agent fee even ignoring upfront costs. I get the impression the neighbours keep their home clean, so Im a bit confused as to why they'd leave a pile of scrap in their front garden. Even if moving turns out to not be an option, this vehicle is just an eyesore, been sat there for 2 years??
From recent enquiries it seems the council aren't in the least bit bothered about anything so that doesnt seem to be an option, Im not sure what my options would be that could encourage them to shift it???
If the council arent a runner, I guess Im being a bit naive thinking the EPA??
Any suggestions

It's their garden and they can do as they please really. I think you ought to just get on with it and ignore it.

olestoepoke · 17-07-2019 8:12am

mea_k wrote: »

Did anyone miss the part it's parked in neighbours drive way.... It's their property. I find it tad creepy to be even asking what he intends to do on his own property. Sell the house and move countryside so you won't have to deal with people having stuff in their drive ways.....

Exactly right, the world would be a better place if we all minded our own business

Graham · 17-07-2019 9:14am

The world would be a better place if people showed consideration to their neighbours and community.

neignbour problem and scrap vehicle in garden??

Comments