Neighbour Issue - Clapped out banger landed on front garden

wgk

Hi

Have an issue with a neighbour. We bought the property at the start of the year and had our eyes wide open going into this.

Development is lovely (detached dormer bungalows built in early 90's). Each house has a driveway for two cars which is bordered by a square plot of grass to the right (there are no boundary walls between gardens).

My immediate next door neighbour's house is fairly shabby to say the least (look it helped at the time when it came to negotiating on the property) but we were willing to overlook that.

However after 9 months of quiet enjoyment of the property, my neighbour has, overnight, laid plastic sheeting on the front garden and plonked a clapped out banger on the grass, i.e. not on the driveway but on the front garden in front of his sitting room window.

This is very unsightly, the car doesn't look roadworthy, there are no insurance or tax discs and I would go far as to say it is an environmental hazard (the petrol cap is gone and has been replaced by a rag cloth stuck into the hole).

As I said the development is lovely, the neighbours are nice, the place is very well kept with the exception of this one property. I was willing to shut up and put up to an extent but this looks ridiculous when you are driving down the avenue.

Any advice, recourse, suggestions?

Paulw

Contact your local authority. The council will look in to it.

D3PO

if its not roadworthy he doesn't need to have it taxed. Its his property and unfortunately hes entitled to park it there for what I assume is a do it up job.

You don't have any real recourse unfortunately. Perhaps you should call in this evening and ask him about it what his plans are, how long its going to be there etc.

MarkR

If it's not on the road, it doesn't have to be insured. If they have contacted the motor tax office to mark it as being off the road, it doesn't need to be taxed. Awful, but I think you may be stuck with it.

Tramps Like Us

If he wants to lark his car on his garden then that isup to him, let him get on with it

Scortho

You used the unsightly next door neighbour next door as a factor for negotiating a lower price.
Did you expect that he'd change the minute you moved in?

foggy_lad

Contact the Council and ask them if it needs to be taxed or has been declared off the road. then get in touch with the litter warden and make a complaint to them about the property being an eyesore.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/environmental_protection/litter_law.html

The Litter Pollution Act, 1997, as amended by the Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2001 and the Protection of the Environment Act 2003, introduced strong penalties in Ireland to help combat the problems of litter pollution more effectively. The definition of 'litter' under this legislation is quite wide and extends from casual pieces of paper or cigarette ends to anything large or small that is, or is likely to become, unsightly.

Your local authority is responsible for implementing the litter laws in your area. This means it is responsible for the prevention and control of litter and has the power to take enforcement action against people who break or ignore these laws.

<snip>

Litter and private property

The owner or occupier of property that can be seen from a public place, is also obliged to keep the property free of litter. This means that any outdoor area on your property visible from a public place must be kept free of litter. Failure to keep your property free of litter can result in a fine or prosecution by your local authority.

djimi

If its on his private property then local authority wont do anything about it. I dont think you are going to get much joy from this Im afraid.

Ray Palmer

Get in touch with the local environmental officer and ask them to address it. I think you are permitted to do this on a temporary basis.

djimi

foggy_lad wrote: »

Contact the Council and ask them if it needs to be taxed or has been declared off the road. then get in touch with the litter warden and make a complaint to them about the property being an eyesore.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/environment/environmental_protection/litter_law.html

How would one define litter as opposed to say a project? Surely if the neighbour shows some intent to work on the car then he can claim that it is not dumped there?

foggy_lad

djimi wrote: »

If its on his private property then local authority wont do anything about it. I dont think you are going to get much joy from this Im afraid.

if it can be seen from the street or any public place then it must be kept clean and tidy.

Litter and private property

The owner or occupier of property that can be seen from a public place, is also obliged to keep the property free of litter. This means that any outdoor area on your property visible from a public place must be kept free of litter. Failure to keep your property free of litter can result in a fine or prosecution by your local authority.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1997/en/act/pub/0012/sec0002.html#sec2

“litter” means a substance or object, whether or not intended as waste (other than waste within the meaning of the Waste Management Act, 1996, which is properly consigned for disposal) that, when deposited in a place other than a litter receptacle or other place lawfully designated for the deposit, is or is likely to become unsightly, deleterious, nauseous or unsanitary, whether by itself or with any other such substance or object, and regardless of its size or volume or the extent of the deposit;

foggy_lad

djimi wrote: »

How would one define litter as opposed to say a project? Surely if the neighbour shows some intent to work on the car then he can claim that it is not dumped there?

plainly put a project can be described as litter if it

is or is likely to become unsightly, deleterious, nauseous or unsanitary, whether by itself or with any other such substance or object, and regardless of its size or volume or the extent of the deposit;

pitachu

Have you spoken to him about it?

If not then, as already D3PO suggested, this should be your immediate next step.

wgk

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have been looking out for the neighbour but he's a bit reclusive.

Re the car this is a 99 Daewoo Matiz we're talking about guys, not a ford mustang

In the interests of full disclosure I mentioned that the house relative to the others in the street was shabby. I'm willing to be reasonable here, I couldn't give a crap what goes on in the back of the house, no problem with the place needing a paint job and having torn curtains, I just think this is a bit of a stretch!

Scortho

Wouldn't blame you for not wanting to look at a matiz all day.

It's hard to know whether it's considered litter or not.
Is he dismantling it?
Is it in a shell like condition.

Or is it just a car that's a bit patchy from place to place?

foggy_lad

Scortho wrote: »

Wouldn't blame you for not wanting to look at a matiz all day.

It's hard to know whether it's considered litter or not.
Is he dismantling it?
Is it in a shell like condition.

Or is it just a car that's a bit patchy from place to place?

It is most definitely litter as per the definition of litter in the act.

is or is likely to become unsightly, deleterious, nauseous or unsanitary, whether by itself or with any other such substance or object, and regardless of its size or volume or the extent of the deposit;

djimi

foggy_lad wrote: »

It is most definitely litter as per the definition of litter in the act.

Ive known plenty of people who have had daily driver cars that could be considered litter if it was sufficient to call a clapped out banger unsightly...

I suspect the length of time that this car is left here will determine whether or not the local authority will get involved. Assuming its not literally scrap (ie doors hanging off, windows broken etc) then it looking a bit rough is not going to cut it if the OP wants to have it declared litter imo. However, if it sits there for a period of time and continues to deteriorate then I think a case could be made for having it removed.

foggy_lad

Also the fact that the `plastic was put down on the grass and the vehicle looks to be in need of repair, a garden is not an appropriate place for carrying out repairs, that should be done on the driveway or in a garage.

Henry Ford III

My next door neighbour is quite ugly.

Will the local authority rehouse her or pay for plastic surgery to make her less of a minger?

djimi

foggy_lad wrote: »

Also the fact that the `plastic was put down on the grass and the vehicle looks to be in need of repair, a garden is not an appropriate place for carrying out repairs, that should be done on the driveway or in a garage.

Its the neighbours property; surely its for them to decide where is appropriate to carry out the repairs? So long as the car is not causing a potential danger to others of course.

CuppaCocoa

"the petrol cap is gone and has been replaced by a rag cloth stuck into the hole"

All you need is some little scroat with a cigarette lighter to do some serious damage.

luketitz

Am I the only one who read the title and thought of little toerags launching dud fireworks in the buildup to Halloween and an elderly poster getting him/herself and their pet into annual into lock-up mode?

Rosier

lilybarlean wrote: »

"the petrol cap is gone and has been replaced by a rag cloth stuck into the hole"

All you need is some little scroat with a cigarette lighter to do some serious damage.

OUCH!

Maybe the local Fire Officer needs to know

flintash

Whats wrong with you people?!:eek: how about "mind your own bussiness"??
It is a car we're talking about on a private property, not a nuclear waste. Even if it is without doors and standing on a single brick its not like its gonna fall on you while walking your shih shu. and dont get started with a ticking time bomb tank of petrol! Go away from telle and something usufull- like help neighboor to fix his vehicle LOL

0ph0rce0

Ahhh i had a neighbor like you, always getting the council down to tell me to cut my grass when its above 3 inches.

Everyone's beneath you and all that and the neighborhood is loosing its value and looks tacky :rolleyes: Mind Your Business i think is the best thing here. Its his property he can put what he likes on it. and to be fair just like the neighbor i used to deal with if you approach i'm sure you'll be kindly told to f**k off.

Wellactually

Your seriously going to catch and ask your neighbour what he is doing with HIS car, in HIS garden, on HIS private property? LOL

I have also worked on a car in the garden away from anyone else over time and if someone had of told me to remove it I would have had the same opinion of what i have on this .......

Unless it directly interfering with you or your property mind your own business, should have thought into the bargaining a bit more

jmayo

foggy_lad wrote: »

if it can be seen from the street or any public place then it must be kept clean and tidy.


http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1997/en/act/pub/0012/sec0002.html#sec2

Have you ever driven around some of our towns and villages ?
There are loads of unsightly buildings, sheds, cars, vans, trucks, traveller halting sites, etc.
Not everywhere looks like Kenmare, Moynalty, Westport, Adare, etc.

As for the local authority doing anything, I don't think so unless someone locally is connected enough to put pressure on someone.

If anything the local authorities have gotten much worse at caring for areas or has anyone failed to notice the lack of hedge and border cutting along our roads where you now have jungles of noxious weeds, and protruding hedgerows, etc.

foggy_lad

djimi wrote: »

Its the neighbours property; surely its for them to decide where is appropriate to carry out the repairs? So long as the car is not causing a potential danger to others of course.

Yes, but only when it can't be seen from a public place. When it can be seen by all the neighbours it becomes litter.

toc2012

build a high wall! then you can live in your own little wonderland! I had 2 cars sitting on my drive, one was there for over a year before I done anything with it, made a tidy profit from them too. Local tidy towns busy body came to give out, with little joy. (wouldn't mind but she was the first to say I lived outside the town when it cam to a footpath and lighting issues).

mind your business just like your neighbor minds his

Wellactually

I missed the rag in petrol cap post, in fairness yes you should expess your concerns there, especially with Halloween soon, although if you say nothing it might also get rid of your problem D

ted1

Plant a hedge between you guys and forget it about it