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Hi :tinysmile_grin_t:
Joined a while back in April 2013 and have just read a few threads, so before I start with any questions and asking for advice I guess I had best put my issues down in one place and say Hello while I'm here... You can skip to How, Why, Who.. below if you find this too long..
ABOUT ME.
Born in 1963 and just coming up to the big 50.
Not sure how I managed to get this far but it's been difficult journey over the years.
At 16 years old I suffered the bereavement of my Mum who I absolutely loved although being so young I never really knew her as a person, she was my mum and in those few years she taught me well. I was sitting at home preparing for exams and the TV was on waiting for Corrie and mum was in the kitchen. I came out to get myself a cup of tea and let mum know it was coming on after the ads and there she was in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs unconscious. She was breathing and quietly moaning so I telephoned my neighbour who I trusted to be able to help and my mum was taken to hospital. Two weeks on life support and it was decided the brain hemorrhage she suffered was terminal and she would not recover.
Since then I have battled with the feelings and questions of What If.. And the guilt for not being there for her and able to help..
I'm intelligent enough to know it was out of my hands and what will be will be but, the fact of being there and being so helpless and not knowing how long she had been lying at the bottom of the stairs just a few feet away from me and I didn't hear her has troubled me and still does. I'm not religious but not atheist either and this trauma and bereavement has led me to being a Humanist. I do for others when they need help and ask for nothing in return... It's my way of living with the helpless situation I suffered and a way of making good for letting my Mum down.
Over the years I've run from every relationship when I have that dreadful feeling of being relied upon and not being there to protect or help, and it's also affected my work and career as when I've been offered promotion I have the same feelings of wanting to stay in a position where I'm happy in doing my job and feel the pressure in not being able to cope with being paid more.. Most times I'm doing the very job and or work but having the label on just puts me in that position where I feel I'll let them down, so I move on...
I lived in a modest little bungalow for the last 18 years and helped my neighbours (most of them elderly) as and when they needed help, simple little DIY jobs they couldn't do and my direct neighbours house was let. I'd look after his garden when the house was empty fix storm damage etc and welcome new tenants and show them the tips and tricks with the boiler and meters, stop cocks and do little jobs on the house that most tenants don't have the tools for. Just a decent helpful neighbour and happy to help and asked for nothing in return.
Depression..
I was diagnosed as suffering from depression back in June 2010.
I had a pretty bad breakdown in February, the culmination of struggling and being beaten down for so long and losing my home and it being sold off way way under market value. It wasn't just the value but, I followed the sale and I'm pretty sure the EA and maybe the mortgage company did some pretty underhand stuff here with offers being retracted and sale price being lowered.. I came away with over £12,000 debt after the repossession and sale and I should have had at least £30,000 in the bank to start over.
I had been in a pretty bad way well before June 2010 after suffering years of anti-social behaviour outside my home and following years of negligence and failure by my local council, and also it seems struggling to pay the council tax as I believe my home was banded incorrectly by the VOA.
Bought my modest little home & price
1993 I bought my modest little bungalow. It was for sale in early 1993 for £46,000 the same price as the council tax valuation by the V.O.A (valuation office agency) And I went through my building society (Abbey National) who I had banked with for many years. I was nearly there with the deposit although I was single and it was just out of my reach. Later in the year September 1993 I noticed it advertised with a different EA and it was cheaper.. So the Abbey National manager approved my mortgage for £38,000 and I had a deposit of £2,500 and I made the offer which was accepted.
I had visited the bungalow and had a chat with some of the neighbours and it seemed just perfect for me. 2 bed and a perfect position overlooking a valley albeit a city scape. Terraced gardens and surrounded by greenery and trees although directly opposite it had a row of local shops and was positioned on a raised footpath above the street. The conveyancing was going well and then my solicitor gave me a copy of the title deeds and plan. It didn't show the access to the rear garage at the bungalow as it was. The neighbours fence line had been moved back allowing the twelve foot alley way to the garage but on the deed plan there was only a four foot opening to the property. The solicitor explained if the neighbour wanted this land back he could move his fence back to where it should be an I would lose the access to my garage. It seems that I was the only one who had noticed this problem.
So back to speak to the manager at Abbey National and they agreed it would be a risk and the original offer of £40,000 was too high and knowing the access to the garage could be lost she kindly spoke to the EA on my behalf and we put in a lower offer to reflect this. I received a call from my bank and it was accepted so my new offer of £32,000 was going through and I had a much smaller more affordable mortgage. Happy days..
How, Why, Who..
November 1993 I moved in and got my head down with tidying up the place and got some overtime in to pay for it.
This bungalow was different from all the others on the street as it had a much smaller rear "Yard" and being end of terrace it had a small side garden and larger front gardens which extended to the front in small terraces and grass slopes alongside the council owned footpath and steps down to street level. At conveyancing I had paid for a copy of the title deeds and plan so I had to hand the details of the boundaries and fencing and all notes, charges and details for the property. It was built on the site of a Napoleonic Fort or Gun Tower defense which was now pretty much all below ground apart from some of the walls which made up a small part of my boundary walls and this is why I had requested a copy of the deeds, being an unusual plot I wanted to know for sure what was mine and my rights and responsibilities.
In 1994 I notified my local council that part of the handrail on the footpath and steps was broken, some was loose and another part missing completely on the steps.
Later while tidying my garden I found a large section of brick post which I was not sure of ownership and again notified the council it was here and asked should I dispose of it along with a great deal of Fly-Tipped waste in my gardens. This brick post was obviously part of the handrail and where the steel handrail was fixed originally and the council suggested I leave it there so they had a template to work from when they came out to inspect and make good the repairs. A year later and nothing was done and with winter and icy footpath and steps coming I got my welding kit out and fixed what was broken. I had a small Sycamore tree here in the front garden which had been coppiced many times and the one of the regrown stems had I believe caused part of the problem with the broken handrail with it having grown against the rail. Again I notified the council of the repairs I had completed and that just the one small part of the handrail and the brick post now required fixing.
In the summer of 1996 the council finally made the repairs to the missing handrail. They did this by completely blocking all access to my garden and by encroaching on my property by digging and fitting a steel handrail and concreting it in on my garden. They didn't follow the original layout of the brick post and rail but extended the rail with a kink so it was pretty obvious it was and went over the boundary and onto my garden. They also left the remains of the brick post on my lawn and all the spoil from the digging was just spread over my garden.
I complained to the council about the encroachment and all the mess and the fact I had lost access to my property. The council stated they would not encroach on any property but if they had it would be resolved and they needed time to inspect the site and check if it was on my garden. A few months later and they came and removed pretty much all of the handrail and I had access back but part of the rail remained over on my property and they had also left all of the concrete footings and the stumps of the steel posts in my garden.
These two images clearly show my corner post and the remains of the fencing on my property which damaged and bent over to facilitate the council encroaching on my property. On the two photos above you can also see the remains of the wrought iron posts and chainlink fencing on the far side of my garden terrace here.
This wasn't satisfactory but at least I had access back and I could get on with clearing all the fly-tipped rubbish and clean up the garden. To date here I had removed several tons of builders waste buried under years of vegetation and weeds and tangled with the roots of ivy. Broken bathroom fittings, old boilers, tiles, clay sewer pipes, iron gates, buckets filled with concrete, parts of a concrete mixer and other things like car parts, brake linings and a small engine block. I would spend a couple of hours digging it up and bagging it and then have a run to the local tip in the car. It was slow but I was getting on top and clearing it.
Several months later and the council's handrail department were back and had re-installed another section of handrail back onto my garden.
I thought I had made them fully aware of my boundary, and the position of my original fence here was clearly marked with a corner post that was part of my boundary fence and showed clearly where my boundary was. When I looked closely the council had removed the corner post when they reinstalled the handrail (several months later I found the corner post as the workmen had just thrown it in a hedge). The original brick post was still on my lawn and now I realise that the council didn't remove it because it wasn't theirs. The brick post that the original handrail was fixed to was part of my boundary and the council seem to know this, that's why they left it and that's why they hid the corner post in the hedge.
To be continued .... Yes there's more..
Joined a while back in April 2013 and have just read a few threads, so before I start with any questions and asking for advice I guess I had best put my issues down in one place and say Hello while I'm here... You can skip to How, Why, Who.. below if you find this too long..
ABOUT ME.
Born in 1963 and just coming up to the big 50.
Not sure how I managed to get this far but it's been difficult journey over the years.
At 16 years old I suffered the bereavement of my Mum who I absolutely loved although being so young I never really knew her as a person, she was my mum and in those few years she taught me well. I was sitting at home preparing for exams and the TV was on waiting for Corrie and mum was in the kitchen. I came out to get myself a cup of tea and let mum know it was coming on after the ads and there she was in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs unconscious. She was breathing and quietly moaning so I telephoned my neighbour who I trusted to be able to help and my mum was taken to hospital. Two weeks on life support and it was decided the brain hemorrhage she suffered was terminal and she would not recover.
Since then I have battled with the feelings and questions of What If.. And the guilt for not being there for her and able to help..
I'm intelligent enough to know it was out of my hands and what will be will be but, the fact of being there and being so helpless and not knowing how long she had been lying at the bottom of the stairs just a few feet away from me and I didn't hear her has troubled me and still does. I'm not religious but not atheist either and this trauma and bereavement has led me to being a Humanist. I do for others when they need help and ask for nothing in return... It's my way of living with the helpless situation I suffered and a way of making good for letting my Mum down.
Over the years I've run from every relationship when I have that dreadful feeling of being relied upon and not being there to protect or help, and it's also affected my work and career as when I've been offered promotion I have the same feelings of wanting to stay in a position where I'm happy in doing my job and feel the pressure in not being able to cope with being paid more.. Most times I'm doing the very job and or work but having the label on just puts me in that position where I feel I'll let them down, so I move on...
I lived in a modest little bungalow for the last 18 years and helped my neighbours (most of them elderly) as and when they needed help, simple little DIY jobs they couldn't do and my direct neighbours house was let. I'd look after his garden when the house was empty fix storm damage etc and welcome new tenants and show them the tips and tricks with the boiler and meters, stop cocks and do little jobs on the house that most tenants don't have the tools for. Just a decent helpful neighbour and happy to help and asked for nothing in return.
Depression..
I was diagnosed as suffering from depression back in June 2010.
I had a pretty bad breakdown in February, the culmination of struggling and being beaten down for so long and losing my home and it being sold off way way under market value. It wasn't just the value but, I followed the sale and I'm pretty sure the EA and maybe the mortgage company did some pretty underhand stuff here with offers being retracted and sale price being lowered.. I came away with over £12,000 debt after the repossession and sale and I should have had at least £30,000 in the bank to start over.
I had been in a pretty bad way well before June 2010 after suffering years of anti-social behaviour outside my home and following years of negligence and failure by my local council, and also it seems struggling to pay the council tax as I believe my home was banded incorrectly by the VOA.
Bought my modest little home & price
1993 I bought my modest little bungalow. It was for sale in early 1993 for £46,000 the same price as the council tax valuation by the V.O.A (valuation office agency) And I went through my building society (Abbey National) who I had banked with for many years. I was nearly there with the deposit although I was single and it was just out of my reach. Later in the year September 1993 I noticed it advertised with a different EA and it was cheaper.. So the Abbey National manager approved my mortgage for £38,000 and I had a deposit of £2,500 and I made the offer which was accepted.
I had visited the bungalow and had a chat with some of the neighbours and it seemed just perfect for me. 2 bed and a perfect position overlooking a valley albeit a city scape. Terraced gardens and surrounded by greenery and trees although directly opposite it had a row of local shops and was positioned on a raised footpath above the street. The conveyancing was going well and then my solicitor gave me a copy of the title deeds and plan. It didn't show the access to the rear garage at the bungalow as it was. The neighbours fence line had been moved back allowing the twelve foot alley way to the garage but on the deed plan there was only a four foot opening to the property. The solicitor explained if the neighbour wanted this land back he could move his fence back to where it should be an I would lose the access to my garage. It seems that I was the only one who had noticed this problem.
So back to speak to the manager at Abbey National and they agreed it would be a risk and the original offer of £40,000 was too high and knowing the access to the garage could be lost she kindly spoke to the EA on my behalf and we put in a lower offer to reflect this. I received a call from my bank and it was accepted so my new offer of £32,000 was going through and I had a much smaller more affordable mortgage. Happy days..
How, Why, Who..
November 1993 I moved in and got my head down with tidying up the place and got some overtime in to pay for it.
This bungalow was different from all the others on the street as it had a much smaller rear "Yard" and being end of terrace it had a small side garden and larger front gardens which extended to the front in small terraces and grass slopes alongside the council owned footpath and steps down to street level. At conveyancing I had paid for a copy of the title deeds and plan so I had to hand the details of the boundaries and fencing and all notes, charges and details for the property. It was built on the site of a Napoleonic Fort or Gun Tower defense which was now pretty much all below ground apart from some of the walls which made up a small part of my boundary walls and this is why I had requested a copy of the deeds, being an unusual plot I wanted to know for sure what was mine and my rights and responsibilities.
In 1994 I notified my local council that part of the handrail on the footpath and steps was broken, some was loose and another part missing completely on the steps.
Later while tidying my garden I found a large section of brick post which I was not sure of ownership and again notified the council it was here and asked should I dispose of it along with a great deal of Fly-Tipped waste in my gardens. This brick post was obviously part of the handrail and where the steel handrail was fixed originally and the council suggested I leave it there so they had a template to work from when they came out to inspect and make good the repairs. A year later and nothing was done and with winter and icy footpath and steps coming I got my welding kit out and fixed what was broken. I had a small Sycamore tree here in the front garden which had been coppiced many times and the one of the regrown stems had I believe caused part of the problem with the broken handrail with it having grown against the rail. Again I notified the council of the repairs I had completed and that just the one small part of the handrail and the brick post now required fixing.
In the summer of 1996 the council finally made the repairs to the missing handrail. They did this by completely blocking all access to my garden and by encroaching on my property by digging and fitting a steel handrail and concreting it in on my garden. They didn't follow the original layout of the brick post and rail but extended the rail with a kink so it was pretty obvious it was and went over the boundary and onto my garden. They also left the remains of the brick post on my lawn and all the spoil from the digging was just spread over my garden.
I complained to the council about the encroachment and all the mess and the fact I had lost access to my property. The council stated they would not encroach on any property but if they had it would be resolved and they needed time to inspect the site and check if it was on my garden. A few months later and they came and removed pretty much all of the handrail and I had access back but part of the rail remained over on my property and they had also left all of the concrete footings and the stumps of the steel posts in my garden.
These two images clearly show my corner post and the remains of the fencing on my property which damaged and bent over to facilitate the council encroaching on my property. On the two photos above you can also see the remains of the wrought iron posts and chainlink fencing on the far side of my garden terrace here.
This wasn't satisfactory but at least I had access back and I could get on with clearing all the fly-tipped rubbish and clean up the garden. To date here I had removed several tons of builders waste buried under years of vegetation and weeds and tangled with the roots of ivy. Broken bathroom fittings, old boilers, tiles, clay sewer pipes, iron gates, buckets filled with concrete, parts of a concrete mixer and other things like car parts, brake linings and a small engine block. I would spend a couple of hours digging it up and bagging it and then have a run to the local tip in the car. It was slow but I was getting on top and clearing it.
Several months later and the council's handrail department were back and had re-installed another section of handrail back onto my garden.
I thought I had made them fully aware of my boundary, and the position of my original fence here was clearly marked with a corner post that was part of my boundary fence and showed clearly where my boundary was. When I looked closely the council had removed the corner post when they reinstalled the handrail (several months later I found the corner post as the workmen had just thrown it in a hedge). The original brick post was still on my lawn and now I realise that the council didn't remove it because it wasn't theirs. The brick post that the original handrail was fixed to was part of my boundary and the council seem to know this, that's why they left it and that's why they hid the corner post in the hedge.
To be continued .... Yes there's more..
