Neighbours from hell/ legal insurance difficulties

[Blinkin73]

Yes if those solicitors have convinced you that a Court is likely to make an Order For Sale forcing your neighbours to sell up and move on - that is just never going to happen.

Based on what you have said so far I suspect the most that will happen if you are successful in court is that the neighbour is told to change their behaviour and pay you £5 or £10 a week for a few years.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that. Part of the process is to assess if a defendant has the means to pay if damages are awarded. If not then there is no point in proceeding. As they own a house I've been advised it's worth proceeding which is what I've been advised to do.

Can I ask what your experience in these types of matters is? I hope that doesn't sound rude. I'm aware some solicitors are happy to mislead people in respect of potential outcomes.

[Blinkin73]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b2712746.html This happened not to far from me. What started off as a neighbour dispute over a fence, led to the dependent being sued by his neighbours, losing, having Charging Order placed on his property and then an Order for Sale. This led him to destroy his property and damage his neighbours and resulted in him being sent to prison

[HariSeldon]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b2712746.html This happened not to far from me. What started off as a neighbour dispute over a fence, led to the dependent being sued by his neighbours, losing, having Charging Order placed on his property and then an Order for Sale. This led him to destroy his property and damage his neighbours and resulted in him being sent to prison

Exactly as I said, a whole host of worst-case scenarios had to happen before an Order for Sale was made - if you believe that your neighbour will similarly be the one in ten million neighbour-from-hell jailed and sentenced for contempt of court then crack on, you'll end up tens of thousands better off and even better you'll get new neighbours. Somehow I don't think things will turn out quite as you've suggested but please keep us updated.

One relevant snippet from that article by the way is that, even with the extreme behaviour of the neighbour, they were actually found not guilty of harassment!

[Blinkin73]

Exactly as I said, a whole host of worst-case scenarios had to happen before an Order for Sale was made - if you believe that your neighbour will similarly be the one in ten million neighbour-from-hell jailed and sentenced for contempt of court then crack on, you'll end up tens of thousands better off and even better you'll get new neighbours. Somehow I don't think things will turn out quite as you've suggested but please keep us updated.

One relevant snippet from that article by the way is that, even with the extreme behaviour of the neighbour, they were actually found not guilty of harassment!

Harassment is a course of conduct, not a one off event that's why.

Ive got 4.5 years of recorded instances of various behaviours designed to frighten, distress and humiliate me.

You said Sale Orders never happen, I showed you they do and for a matter that was principally about a boundary issue

Let me find the article and the one where the Local Authority, my Local Authority, ended up having to pay the dependent £1000 for issuing him with a letter to stop his anti social behaviour before Court Proceedings started

[Blinkin73]

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news...council-552321 this is about the Local Authority having to pay him £1000.

[Blinkin73]

Family forced to sell their home as garden fence row escalates to £500,000 bill https://share.google/QEYXV5rvdTg4sztbc This is when he lost. Note what it says about the sale of houses to pay Court Ordered amounts. Also note he is a carer for his disabled child who lives in the home

[Blinkin73]

Just so you know I've had to sit and listen to my neighbour shouting and stamping his feet on uncarpeted wooden floors since 14.26 and he is still shouting and stamping. It's not even arsenal playing that's tomorrow's joy. They are being defiant and deliberately making a ton of noise to upset me which is harassment. They only wrote to my solicitor on Tuesday saying they wouldn't commit anymore nuisance, harassment or trespass.

I can hear him doing this in the lounge even though I'm upstairs

[HariSeldon]

You said Sale Orders never happen, I showed you they do and for a matter that was principally about a boundary issue

I said an Order of Sale is never going to happen in your case and I stand by that.

Obviously if you successfully win an injunction and they breach that then that's a whole different ball-game but that's a worst-case scenario in the future, not something relevant to your current claims of nuisance and harassment.

An Order of Sale is a last-resort drastic measure and it would require blatant stupidity and future criminal behaviour by your neighbour for it to ever get that far. As evidenced in the two articles you have linked to, it would also need to involve such high amounts of money that there could not possibly be any other way for them to be paid; your case at the moment is perhaps several thousand if everything goes your way, it's nowhere near the pie-in-the-sky £100,000+ you referred to earlier.

[Blinkin73]

I said an Order of Sale is never going to happen in your case and I stand by that.

Obviously if you successfully win an injunction and they breach that then that's a whole different ball-game but that's a worst-case scenario in the future, not something relevant to your current claims of nuisance and harassment.

An Order of Sale is a last-resort drastic measure and it would require blatant stupidity and future criminal behaviour by your neighbour for it to ever get that far. As evidenced in the two articles you have linked to, it would also need to involve such high amounts of money that there could not possibly be any other way for them to be paid; your case at the moment is perhaps several thousand if everything goes your way, it's nowhere near the pie-in-the-sky £100,000+ you referred to earlier.

You seem to be talking about how you "think" the situation should be as opposed to how the law actually operates

My home could easily be devalued by 20% _30% by the trespass, assault, defamation, nuisance and harassment that's been going on for 4.5 years and hasn't stopped despite police involvement and a solicitors letter. Any future buyer would need to apply for their own injunction to prevent my neighbours resuming their behavior. That £70,000- £105,000 straight off the bat, without even looking at the damages for the trespass, harassment, nuisance, assault etc. And then theirs costs which are likely to be in excess of £65,000. Given my neighbours ongoing behavior since the solicitors letter, this makes it more likely that costs will be awarded to me. And you don't have to breach an injunction for a forced sale. The forced sale is because you owe money to someone and its your only asset, not as a form of punishment

[HariSeldon]

You seem to be talking about how you "think" the situation should be as opposed to how the law actually operates

Oh, the irony! Civil law applies to what has actually happened, not what might happen in the future!

I and others are telling you what is most likely going to happen in court based on the situation as of today, you on the other hand are conjuring up an ever-increasing cocktail of hypothetical worst-case situations that you believe will ultimately result in a forced sale...

My home could easily be devalued by 20% _30% by the trespass, assault, defamation, nuisance and harassment that's been going on for 4.5 years

Similarly a developer could turn up tomorrow and want to buy the whole street at a premium to bulldoze everything and build a new luxury estate.
Or, your neighbours could get knocked down by a bus and the problem goes away.
Or, your neighbours could win the lottery and move to the Bahamas and the problem goes away.

If any of the above three things happen then your house hasn't been devalued by one iota.

What evidence do you have that your house has actually been devalued by 20-30%? Were you in the final stages of selling your home and the buyer asked for a 30% reduction once they met your neighbours? Or is just that you "think" your house might be devalued?

Any future buyer would need to apply for their own injunction to prevent my neighbours resuming their behavior. That £70,000- £105,000 straight off the bat,

You are the one the neighbours have a problem with, if you sell and move away then the problem may simply go away. You can't seriously be suggesting that any future buyer would pre-emptively take out an injunction against their new neighbour just in case of future bad behaviour?!?!

And then theirs costs which are likely to be in excess of £65,000.

Or costs could be minimal if the neighbours represent themselves, hold their hands up and exclaim 'mea culpa' at the earliest opportunity.

Given my neighbours ongoing behavior since the solicitors letter, this makes it more likely that costs will be awarded to me.

Or a court may award costs against you after deciding that you are the one acting unreasonably by complaining about someone singing in their own home, tapping on your fence twice, shouting at the footie on TV and having BBQ 5ft from conservatory door.

The forced sale is because you owe money to someone and its your only asset, not as a form of punishment

Exactly and that's what I and others are taking issue with; you seemed to suggest in earlier posts that you believed an Order for Sale would be a likely result of you taking your neighbour to court over harassment.

Currently your only costs are around £2k but you seem to be convincing yourself they will definitely eventually be over £100k, that your neighbour will be found liable for them and has no other funds resulting in a forced sale. Of course such things do happen but it's extremely rare and invariably only happens over much higher amounts and when one or more of the parties involved is completely intransigent and ignores the warnings from the court.

For the avoidance of doubt I do have a lot of sympathy with your plight and do believe that laws and enforcement need to be changed regarding anti-social neighbours, however you need to be realistic that in my opinion any legal action you instigate is not going to result in your neighbour being forced to sell up.

[Blinkin73]

Oh, the irony! Civil law applies to what has actually happened, not what might happen in the future!

I and others are telling you what is most likely going to happen in court based on the situation as of today, you on the other hand are conjuring up an ever-increasing cocktail of hypothetical worst-case situations that you believe will ultimately result in a forced sale...



Similarly a developer could turn up tomorrow and want to buy the whole street at a premium to bulldoze everything and build a new luxury estate.
Or, your neighbours could get knocked down by a bus and the problem goes away.
Or, your neighbours could win the lottery and move to the Bahamas and the problem goes away.

If any of the above three things happen then your house hasn't been devalued by one iota.

What evidence do you have that your house has actually been devalued by 20-30%? Were you in the final stages of selling your home and the buyer asked for a 30% reduction once they met your neighbours? Or is just that you "think" your house might be devalued?



You are the one the neighbours have a problem with, if you sell and move away then the problem may simply go away. You can't seriously be suggesting that any future buyer would pre-emptively take out an injunction against their new neighbour just in case of future bad behaviour?!?!



Or costs could be minimal if the neighbours represent themselves, hold their hands up and exclaim 'mea culpa' at the earliest opportunity.



Or a court may award costs against you after deciding that you are the one acting unreasonably by complaining about someone singing in their own home, tapping on your fence twice, shouting at the footie on TV and having BBQ 5ft from conservatory door.



Exactly and that's what I and others are taking issue with; you seemed to suggest in earlier posts that you believed an Order for Sale would be a likely result of you taking your neighbour to court over harassment.

Currently your only costs are around £2k but you seem to be convincing yourself they will definitely eventually be over £100k, that your neighbour will be found liable for them and has no other funds resulting in a forced sale. Of course such things do happen but it's extremely rare and invariably only happens over much higher amounts and when one or more of the parties involved is completely intransigent and ignores the warnings from the court.

For the avoidance of doubt I do have a lot of sympathy with your plight and do believe that laws and enforcement need to be changed regarding anti-social neighbours, however you need to be realistic that in my opinion any legal action you instigate is not going to result in your neighbour being forced to sell up.

I suggest you do some research. It's standard practice in such cases to have three estate agents come and value your property based on what your house would be and what your house is now worth with neighbours who cause nuisance or harassment.

I really wish I could upload the noise I had to listen to today. Shouting tamping feet and swearing so loud I can hearnit whilst sitting in my other neighbours house with her windows closed. If I ask someone to stop smoking weed bynmynpatio doors and their response is to turn the radio on loudly and sing at the top of their voice with their back door open or chant "what a wicked piece if filth" at me over and over, that's harassment.

My neighbours have already written to mynsolicitor saying they've done nothing wrong, whilst still trespassing, causing a nuisance and harassing me.

i see you've either not understood or conveniently forgotten the assaults trespass, nlocking my drive way, erecting fences on my land, threatening me, hammering on my walls in the middle of the night, hitting my car and defamation.

I came here hoping I might get some more information. I see now that it's mainly people, some well meaning, just giving their opinion, regardless of whether they have any knowledge on the situation or not. My mistake.

I will upload a few articles though as examples for those who wish to understand more about civil law.

[Blinkin73]

The case of Kaye v Lees (2023) EWHC 152 (KB) is a significant judgment concerning the enforcement of debts under the Debt Respite Scheme, particularly in relation to Mental Health Crisis Moratoriums (MHCMs). The dispute originated from a claim by Mr. Ivan Kaye against Ms. Amanda Lees for nuisance and harassment, leading to a County Court judgment in Mr. Kaye's favour and an award of £96,963 in damages, plus £50,000 in costs. Ms. Lees failed to pay the judgment debt, prompting Mr. Kaye to seek enforcement through a charging order and subsequent order for sale of her leasehold interest in the property.

Ms. Lees applied for multiple MHCMs, which temporarily halted enforcement actions. The court found that she did not meet the criteria for a MHCM, as her mental health condition was not of a serious nature and she was not receiving crisis, emergency, or acute care or treatment. Consequently, the court ruled that the MHCM was improperly granted, constituting a material irregularity. The court also issued an injunction preventing Ms. Lees from applying for any further MHCMs for a period of two months.

This case underscores the importance of adhering to the eligibility criteria for MHCMs and highlights the potential for creditors to challenge improperly granted moratoriums. It also illustrates the complexities involved in enforcing debts when multiple moratoriums are applied and the debtor's mental health condition is in question.

For further details, you can refer to the case summary provided by Shelter England: Kaye v Lees (3) - Debt case law summaries.

[islandgirl]

I came here hoping I might get some more information. I see now that it's mainly people, some well meaning, just giving their opinion, regardless of whether they have any knowledge on the situation or not. My mistake.

You have been given information by legally qualified contributors. I deal with council cases for ASB in court. I am a councillor involved in a similar issue within my ward. I think I have some knowledge as do others. If you do not wish to hear what we are all saying that is fine. My only request is that you please keep us updated on your progress. I wish you well and hope that you prove us wrong in due course.

[Blinkin73]

Pensioner Ordered to Sell Home After Boundary Dispute

In September 2025, a 76-year-old woman in Poole, Dorset, was ordered to sell her bungalow to cover a £113,266 legal bill following a five-year boundary dispute with her neighbour. The conflict began when the neighbour replaced a fence, allegedly moving it one foot onto the pensioner's land. Despite initial rulings and appeals, the legal costs escalated, leading to the court's decision to sell the property to satisfy the debt.

[Blinkin73]

You have been given information by legally qualified contributors. I deal with council cases for ASB in court. I am a councillor involved in a similar issue within my ward. I think I have some knowledge as do others. If you do not wish to hear what we are all saying that is fine. My only request is that you please keep us updated on your progress. I wish you well and hope that you prove us wrong in due course.

That's still very different from civil law though.

For starters the losing party is unlikely to be left will a bill for costs running into then10s of thousands, and the damage to a property in respect of its value isn't a factor in social housing but is routinely part of nuisance trespass and harassment claims

The fact that my solicitor sent them a letter asking them to give undertakings not to trespass, or cause nuisance or harassment as an easy cost free way out and they've declined that opportunity. The Courts aren't goingnto look at that favourably especially in relation to costs. The fact that they've now escalated the noise by shouting at other football matches shows defiance, something else the Courts don't like. Making a counterclaim That's meritless will also go down badly.

But thank you for being reasonable in your response.

I doubt I will come here again.

Maybe you could all reach out to Atticus, who's a solicitor by trade and supervises solicitors in law centres, to check out if what I'm saying is true. I'm not saying a sale Order is guaranteed or that I'm going to be awarded a huge amount of damages, but I had hoped for more of an intellectual discussion on those areas with people in the know.to help make an informed decision