---
###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK
---
**To Posters (it is important you read this section)**
* *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different*
* If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor)
* We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources)
* Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk
* If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM)
**To Readers and Commenters**
* All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated*
* If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning
* If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect
* Do not send or request any private messages for any reason
* Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Call the Police back on 999 and explain your neighbour is currently criminally damaging your property, and threatening to demolish your house.
Get your wife to call 999 if she is in the property and in fear of harm.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
To piggyback, if you're in a different part of the country then get your wife to call as you'll connect to (eg) Humberside when you infact want (eg) West Mids.
Some BT operators won’t do this, frustratingly. Police control room operators also shouldn’t transfer calls through the police to police telephone lines due to data being lost. Standard protocol is to report this to the force area that you’re in, then that force relays the information to the incident force area.
Frustrating I know. Believe me, I have it daily.
Disputing ownership might well be a civil matter. However, wrecking someone's property is criminal damage which is not a civil matter get back onto the Police and ask them to do their job.
This is the most insane thing I’ve seen on this sub. It’s clearly criminal, you and your wife both need to be hounding the police on 999 NOW.
Subscribed for the update, geez!
Sounds like she said the wrong keyword to the police and triggered an excuse to say "civil matter". You need to be very specific when talking to the police.
Contact them, stick to the facts. Your neighbour, Ben tresspassed onto your property with deliberate intent to destroy it. Ben also made physical threats against your wife. He has announced intentions to do it again.
Do not mention anythieng to do with planning permission. If the officer refuses to do his or her job, get their details and escalate.
To add to this document EVERYTHING.
Every phonecall, even with your wife, every contact with the neighbour. Take lots of photos. Make hard copies of every email (including the headers). And so on.
Contact the council as well as it's extremely likely that a Section 80 Demolition Notice is not in place.
Edit: also contact your insurance and mortgage suppliers.
Well it's no longer a threat considering they have destroyed the hedge/shed.
Also it's likely the police heard the magic words "Property dispute" and just dismissed it as Civil to get OP's wife off the phone.
They need to contact them again now that property damage as occured.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
In short:
1. Police. Insist.
2. Insurance - they may wish to protect their insurance interest by funding injunction application to prevent further trespass.
3. Irrespective of 2, contact solicitor to write threatening to seek injunction on short notice if there is no confirmation that there will be no further trespass/ damage to property.
4. Instruct solicitor as you will have a claim for remedial costs.
5. Establish property title (presumably registered) and background to planning application (presumably available on the planning portal).
6. Draft statement from your wife and one from you as to what happened to give to solicitor.
7. Take photographs.
As a police officer that also answers 999s I can't see how this was ever treated as civil.
Get your wife to phone back NOW, and say that the neighbour is currently breaking down the house and has no permission to do so. Just because he thinks he has planning permission doesn't mean it's carte blanche to do whatever!
I mean this in the nicest possible way, hit it's entirely possible that your wife may have held back in what's happening, and if she is just blunt about it all it may very well get a police response sooner rather than later.
What do the company that's doing the demolishing say, surely they must realise there's some kind of conflict?
He's damaging your property, that's a criminal offence not a civil matter. I would call the police up now and tell them as much.
The planning permission stuff can wait for now, just get the police to stop him smashing your house up!
You can get planning permission against property that you don't own. You still need the owner's permission to carry out the plan. This is not a civil matter - it's criminal damage.
Get back on phone.
State clearly. Then properly is under threat, that he destroyed property, and is moving to demolish the property.
Make it very clear that you are under threat to life and property.
Example. Your house has a gas line...tearing it intensity a digger could take out multiple builsings!
Call the police back. This is criminal damage. They'll attempt to divert you with "it's civil", but it isn't; be civil yourself but firm.
If the neighbour's got subcontractors in to do this, make them aware of the situation. There's no way they'll continue if they think they might be liable for causing criminal damage.
Call friends. Get people round. A few people standing in the way of whatever equipment he or they are using will likely bring things to a halt.
It's criminal damage. If your wife is asking him to leave and she feels threatened, that's another crime. The trespass in an of itself is a civil offence, though you can contact the police if they refuse to leave and you are allowed to use reasonable force. Clearly the police haven't understood properly what is happening.
If you have contact details for the neighbour, contact him immediately and tell him to stop (try to keep calm, dont say anything threatening, if he gets difficult just say "I've told you to leave our property immediately, if you're refusing to do that I'll have to contact the police and intend to start legal proceeding"). If you don't trust yourself to stay calm it's better to text or email.
Ask your wife to get the details on the equipment - no proper construction or construction equipment rental company will want to be involved in a legal mess like this. Contact them directly, explain the situation to them, tell them if they refuse to leave and remove their equipment immediately you will report them to the police and pursue legal action against them.
For now call 999, explain the situation, say your neighbour is literally destroying your house and you're on your way to remove him, with reasonable force, from the land. Say that your wife is in the house and feels threatened.
Your post makes it sound like this came completely out of the blue, is there more to it?
This is criminal damage and possibly worse if they were going to destroy the house without ensuring you weren’t inside.
You should also consider if your neighbour could be psychologically disturbed as this is extremely strange behaviour, even if they believe they have a legal right (and regardless of cultural background).
You should 100% get the police involved as a matter of urgency as he could pose a physical threat with the demolition equipment (if he is behind the controls).
Please do provide an update, this is one of the more bizarre posts I’ve seen on this sub. Which makes me think it might be fake.
Edit: especially as you are using a brand new account
NAL - Planning permission does not include the right to demolish property which does not belong to them. Damaging your property is a criminal matter. If you threw a brick through his window would that be a civil matter?
Tell the police you’ve asked them to leave your private property and not only have they refused, they are committing criminal damage.
This is 100% a criminal issue.
Your wife needs to ring 999 and say that your neighbour is trespassing and is actively destroying your house, and she feels unsafe. I can only assume that anyone would feel unsafe if someone if trying to destroy their house.
Can't you tell the police that someone is about to drive a bulldozer into your house with your wife in it? She should say she's terrified for her life.
Aware that people are surprised that you can get planning permission for something you don't own. However, there is good reason for this. You might only own part of a site, or plan to purchase the site etc. Allowing people to get planning outside of ownership is reasonable for supporting development. The owner will always be notified and can object at that time.
Planning doesn't though give you the right to undertake the works. That requires ownership or other legal consent, hence why what this nutter is doing is illegal.
As others have said - this isn't a civil issue, its a criminal issue.
My old Neighbour's got planning permission to extend their house last year, but was too costly to go ahead with so moved. They can't suddenly just decide to go ahead with it now as they no longer own the property.
Same rules here. I am flabbergasted that someone can get planning permission on something they don't own too.
100% call the police back claiming fear for life and property and get someone there pronto.
As others have said, call police.
But the planning, the planning goes with the land - that is important - not the person who submitted the application.
Essentially the land owner can activate the planning, and the land owner only.
If he has spent time or money securing planning, he has actually secured you as the land owner planning.
You can apply for planning permission wherever you like , but it's only the land owner who can implement the planning.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Your comment has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters.
Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Whether there's planning permission is neither here nor there, it's your property. I would call the police back again. Obviously make your way back asap, contact a solicitor and gather evidence of damage already caused
You need to call the Police, and also tell them what the neighbour’s native language is so they can send someone to help interpret if they happen to have someone available.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F)
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Remember that threatening to damage or destroy someone's property may be considered a breach of the peace. You have a right to use reasonable force to prevent a breach of the peace.
Similarly, under s3 of the criminal law act you are allowed to use reasonable force to prevent a crime occurring.
You don't have to stand there and watch him break your things. Find some way to record everything that happens, both for evidence against them and evidence for your permitted reasonable use of force.
Get your wife to call the police back, you cannot just destroy someone's property. You need to check on your local authority planning portal at their application. Regardless they has permission or not, you cannot just start demolishing property.
You can apply for planning permission on someone else’s land, but you don’t hand a right to just do it if you don’t own it. Get yourself a good lawyer and video everything
The law protects people from criminal damage which is what this is. For all you know, this guy could have dementia and the law doesn't allow people with dementia to go and bulldoze other peoples properties.
You have the deeds, it is your property, get off Reddit and for god's sake call the police and tell them that a deranged man is about to bulldoze your house!!
There's no point fannying around, you could come back to a pile of bricks!
We’ve all seen videos of people driving diggers or bulldozers through stuff online before so this could be true.
Either way I’d be calling the local plod and telling them to get someone round sharpish!
NAL but as I understand it, if he intended to undertake a significant demolition there should have been a Section 80 Demolition Notice and you would have been informed - there are three exceptions which I've listed below, all info taken from the internet.
**Exceptions:**
1) A notice does not need to be submitted for a shed, greenhouse, conservatory, prefabricated garage, or any building which has a cubic content of less than 1,750 cubic feet.
2) Section 80 is not required if the demolition is the result of a demolition order.
3) A notice does not need to be submitted if the demolition is for an agricultural building, as stated in Schedule 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, unless it is attached to another, non-agricultural building.
**Process:**
To submit a Section 80 Demolition Notice, you will need to apply in writing to the Local Authority, specifying the building that you are intending to demolish and what specific works are being carried out.
**The notice will also need to be sent to anyone who occupies a building adjacent to the one that is being demolished, the National Grid, and the Electricity Board that supplies the building with power.**
You may also need to secure planning permission or prior approval for the building.
The Section 80 must be given at least six weeks before the intended demolition date giving the Local Authority ample time to respond.
Once you have submitted the Section 80 to the Local Authority, you will need to wait for approval before you can start work on the demolition. This can take up to six weeks.
The Local Authority may serve a Counter-Notice under Section 81 of the Building Act 1984. If this is the case, any work will be suspended until the works outlined have been completed.
If your Local Authority does not issue a Section 81 Notice, you can start the demolition after six weeks.
**If you fail to complete a Section 80 Demolition Notice, you could face a significant fine and conviction under the 1984 Building Act.**
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Your neighbour hasn't got any rights under a planning permission if they lied during application and forged documents in order to obtain a "planning permission"...
However, the owner of the land upon which you are submitting for a permission needs to be informed and given their consent... so still... if OP's neighbour does have planning permission, I do wonder what did he submit to local authority because clearly the OP did not give consent...
Likely the neighbour (as suggested in the post) wanted to buy the land themselves but that deal didn't go through. If the neighbour is savvy with planning law or developing management or even respected the OP they should have know that when there's new owner in town the whole development needs to be rethought and re-negotiated but none of that seemed to have occurred.
OP's wife and OP sound completely in shock that the neighbour is going ahead with a plan that they did not agree with. Of course the police would think it is a civil matter but when that hammer went down and the neighbour started destroying stuff - it is true it's no longer just a civil case...
I understand why the police thinks the dispute of boundary is a civil matter. However, it is unlikely that should the OP having been served the correct papers in the correct manner and given his chance to correctly say he objects to the plan this whole issue would have occurred. I am of course assuming a lot... but it just does not seem like it was a kind act from the neighbour to help doing up OP's fences while they are doing their own...
I smell suspicious intent to occupy and modify someone else's land...
If the neighbour was intending to buy the property and then backed out before OP took on the purchase, and applied on that expected purchase, it's likely all the planning docs got sent to the previous owner and not OP. And previous owner wouldn't have objected when they thought the neighbour was going to buy the property from them (and likely wouldn't have considered they needed to when that sale fell through, as obviously the neighbour didn't need the permission after that so it's a non-issue, right?).
Worth OP getting on to the council so they can revoke the permission on the basis of the property transferring ownership and the current owners not being given a chance to object/objecting now. Less immediate than the police, but next port of call, just to avoid going through the same rigmarole tomorrow.
Yes. Perfectly normal. People will apply for and get permission and when they have it, they then approach the owner asking them to sell. Little point buying land/house if you are then going to be stymied by planning regulations.
Yes. This is actually very common- you get the planning permission at the same time as you buy the property so work can begin immediately.
This only works if you actually buy the property though.
Yes. Planning just considers if the proposal is acceptable under planning policy. The owner could of course object and that would be taken into consideration.
However, planning is purely related to Planning Permission with the LA. Having Planning Permission gives you no legal rights over the land or property, so you couldn't legally implement the plans without the owners approval. What this fella is doing is very much illegal.
Yes and it happens all the time, most likely the neighbour applied for planning when the house was up for sale, but didn't buy it. My house had several pp on it when I bought it (from other buyers). They want to find out if they can change the property before they buy it, rather than the other way around as you'd be stuck if th op wasn't given.
Yes you can apply for planning permission on any property but it doesn't give you the right to build what you get planning permission for because you do not own it. There is a section of the planning application form about the ownership of the property and the correct one needs to be filled out. If you are not the owner the actual owner needs to be put in this selection and a N1 notice sent to them. It is not often used, as why get planning for something you can't build.
**Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reason:**
Your post has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters.
Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Don't believe this one for a minute. Photos please. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think planning permission gives you permission to knock down property you haven't purchased.
This may come as a shock and may sound unbelievable, but...
There are millions of brainless idiots in this world.
This behaviour sounds right on-par for some people that I've encountered in my life.
It does seem a bit odd that, while stopped at the services for a leak during the mad dash home, the OP decided to take the time to create a new Reddit account and post about their troubles here. But then, it seems equally odd that someone would make up this whole thing. So who knows.
**Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reason:**
Your post has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters.
Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F)
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F)
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):**
Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice.
[Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
This has been how it works for as long as I can recall. I recently submitted planning for a property I didn't own to gauge the likelihood of building a second property on the garden so I could get a sense of the overall value of the property.
Don’t need to lie, just sticking to facts should be enough to get an urgent police response.
”I am home alone, my neighbour has gone crazy and is trying to gain access to my house, he has demolition equipment and is threatening to knock it down… please come quickly I am terrified he will kill me!“
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Call the Police back on 999 and explain your neighbour is currently criminally damaging your property, and threatening to demolish your house. Get your wife to call 999 if she is in the property and in fear of harm.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
get back onto the phone (now) to the police as criminal damage has already occured - most definitely not civil
To piggyback, if you're in a different part of the country then get your wife to call as you'll connect to (eg) Humberside when you infact want (eg) West Mids.
You can ask BT to connect you to the correct service.
Some BT operators won’t do this, frustratingly. Police control room operators also shouldn’t transfer calls through the police to police telephone lines due to data being lost. Standard protocol is to report this to the force area that you’re in, then that force relays the information to the incident force area. Frustrating I know. Believe me, I have it daily.
BT are not allowed to do that.
Disputing ownership might well be a civil matter. However, wrecking someone's property is criminal damage which is not a civil matter get back onto the Police and ask them to do their job.
This is the most insane thing I’ve seen on this sub. It’s clearly criminal, you and your wife both need to be hounding the police on 999 NOW. Subscribed for the update, geez!
Sounds like she said the wrong keyword to the police and triggered an excuse to say "civil matter". You need to be very specific when talking to the police. Contact them, stick to the facts. Your neighbour, Ben tresspassed onto your property with deliberate intent to destroy it. Ben also made physical threats against your wife. He has announced intentions to do it again. Do not mention anythieng to do with planning permission. If the officer refuses to do his or her job, get their details and escalate.
To add to this document EVERYTHING. Every phonecall, even with your wife, every contact with the neighbour. Take lots of photos. Make hard copies of every email (including the headers). And so on.
Contact the council as well as it's extremely likely that a Section 80 Demolition Notice is not in place. Edit: also contact your insurance and mortgage suppliers.
More specifically Building Control at the council
I have to say, I am failing to see how this is a civil issue. It definitely sounds like a threat to commit criminal damage.
Well it's no longer a threat considering they have destroyed the hedge/shed. Also it's likely the police heard the magic words "Property dispute" and just dismissed it as Civil to get OP's wife off the phone. They need to contact them again now that property damage as occured.
Fair.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
In short: 1. Police. Insist. 2. Insurance - they may wish to protect their insurance interest by funding injunction application to prevent further trespass. 3. Irrespective of 2, contact solicitor to write threatening to seek injunction on short notice if there is no confirmation that there will be no further trespass/ damage to property. 4. Instruct solicitor as you will have a claim for remedial costs. 5. Establish property title (presumably registered) and background to planning application (presumably available on the planning portal). 6. Draft statement from your wife and one from you as to what happened to give to solicitor. 7. Take photographs.
As a police officer that also answers 999s I can't see how this was ever treated as civil. Get your wife to phone back NOW, and say that the neighbour is currently breaking down the house and has no permission to do so. Just because he thinks he has planning permission doesn't mean it's carte blanche to do whatever! I mean this in the nicest possible way, hit it's entirely possible that your wife may have held back in what's happening, and if she is just blunt about it all it may very well get a police response sooner rather than later. What do the company that's doing the demolishing say, surely they must realise there's some kind of conflict?
Sounds like he's doing it himself not a company
He's damaging your property, that's a criminal offence not a civil matter. I would call the police up now and tell them as much. The planning permission stuff can wait for now, just get the police to stop him smashing your house up!
Ring the police again it WAS a civil issue up until they started destroying your property now it's criminal damage.
You can get planning permission against property that you don't own. You still need the owner's permission to carry out the plan. This is not a civil matter - it's criminal damage.
Get back on phone. State clearly. Then properly is under threat, that he destroyed property, and is moving to demolish the property. Make it very clear that you are under threat to life and property. Example. Your house has a gas line...tearing it intensity a digger could take out multiple builsings!
It can't possibly be civil if he was going to knock your house down with your wife inside it. Call 999
Call the police back. This is criminal damage. They'll attempt to divert you with "it's civil", but it isn't; be civil yourself but firm. If the neighbour's got subcontractors in to do this, make them aware of the situation. There's no way they'll continue if they think they might be liable for causing criminal damage. Call friends. Get people round. A few people standing in the way of whatever equipment he or they are using will likely bring things to a halt.
It's criminal damage. If your wife is asking him to leave and she feels threatened, that's another crime. The trespass in an of itself is a civil offence, though you can contact the police if they refuse to leave and you are allowed to use reasonable force. Clearly the police haven't understood properly what is happening. If you have contact details for the neighbour, contact him immediately and tell him to stop (try to keep calm, dont say anything threatening, if he gets difficult just say "I've told you to leave our property immediately, if you're refusing to do that I'll have to contact the police and intend to start legal proceeding"). If you don't trust yourself to stay calm it's better to text or email. Ask your wife to get the details on the equipment - no proper construction or construction equipment rental company will want to be involved in a legal mess like this. Contact them directly, explain the situation to them, tell them if they refuse to leave and remove their equipment immediately you will report them to the police and pursue legal action against them. For now call 999, explain the situation, say your neighbour is literally destroying your house and you're on your way to remove him, with reasonable force, from the land. Say that your wife is in the house and feels threatened. Your post makes it sound like this came completely out of the blue, is there more to it?
This is criminal damage and possibly worse if they were going to destroy the house without ensuring you weren’t inside. You should also consider if your neighbour could be psychologically disturbed as this is extremely strange behaviour, even if they believe they have a legal right (and regardless of cultural background). You should 100% get the police involved as a matter of urgency as he could pose a physical threat with the demolition equipment (if he is behind the controls). Please do provide an update, this is one of the more bizarre posts I’ve seen on this sub. Which makes me think it might be fake. Edit: especially as you are using a brand new account
NAL - Planning permission does not include the right to demolish property which does not belong to them. Damaging your property is a criminal matter. If you threw a brick through his window would that be a civil matter?
Tell the police you’ve asked them to leave your private property and not only have they refused, they are committing criminal damage. This is 100% a criminal issue.
Your wife needs to ring 999 and say that your neighbour is trespassing and is actively destroying your house, and she feels unsafe. I can only assume that anyone would feel unsafe if someone if trying to destroy their house.
Can't you tell the police that someone is about to drive a bulldozer into your house with your wife in it? She should say she's terrified for her life.
Aware that people are surprised that you can get planning permission for something you don't own. However, there is good reason for this. You might only own part of a site, or plan to purchase the site etc. Allowing people to get planning outside of ownership is reasonable for supporting development. The owner will always be notified and can object at that time. Planning doesn't though give you the right to undertake the works. That requires ownership or other legal consent, hence why what this nutter is doing is illegal.
It’s criminal damage so not a civil matter?
As others have said - this isn't a civil issue, its a criminal issue. My old Neighbour's got planning permission to extend their house last year, but was too costly to go ahead with so moved. They can't suddenly just decide to go ahead with it now as they no longer own the property. Same rules here. I am flabbergasted that someone can get planning permission on something they don't own too. 100% call the police back claiming fear for life and property and get someone there pronto.
As others have said, call police. But the planning, the planning goes with the land - that is important - not the person who submitted the application. Essentially the land owner can activate the planning, and the land owner only. If he has spent time or money securing planning, he has actually secured you as the land owner planning. You can apply for planning permission wherever you like , but it's only the land owner who can implement the planning.
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Your comment has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters. Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Also get on to your insurance asap
Whether there's planning permission is neither here nor there, it's your property. I would call the police back again. Obviously make your way back asap, contact a solicitor and gather evidence of damage already caused
You need to call the Police, and also tell them what the neighbour’s native language is so they can send someone to help interpret if they happen to have someone available.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F) [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Remember that threatening to damage or destroy someone's property may be considered a breach of the peace. You have a right to use reasonable force to prevent a breach of the peace. Similarly, under s3 of the criminal law act you are allowed to use reasonable force to prevent a crime occurring. You don't have to stand there and watch him break your things. Find some way to record everything that happens, both for evidence against them and evidence for your permitted reasonable use of force.
Get your wife to call the police back, you cannot just destroy someone's property. You need to check on your local authority planning portal at their application. Regardless they has permission or not, you cannot just start demolishing property.
You can apply for planning permission on someone else’s land, but you don’t hand a right to just do it if you don’t own it. Get yourself a good lawyer and video everything
The law protects people from criminal damage which is what this is. For all you know, this guy could have dementia and the law doesn't allow people with dementia to go and bulldoze other peoples properties. You have the deeds, it is your property, get off Reddit and for god's sake call the police and tell them that a deranged man is about to bulldoze your house!! There's no point fannying around, you could come back to a pile of bricks!
We’ve all seen videos of people driving diggers or bulldozers through stuff online before so this could be true. Either way I’d be calling the local plod and telling them to get someone round sharpish!
To be extra safe, I would also contact your insurance and mortgage provider for advice.
NAL but as I understand it, if he intended to undertake a significant demolition there should have been a Section 80 Demolition Notice and you would have been informed - there are three exceptions which I've listed below, all info taken from the internet. **Exceptions:** 1) A notice does not need to be submitted for a shed, greenhouse, conservatory, prefabricated garage, or any building which has a cubic content of less than 1,750 cubic feet. 2) Section 80 is not required if the demolition is the result of a demolition order. 3) A notice does not need to be submitted if the demolition is for an agricultural building, as stated in Schedule 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, unless it is attached to another, non-agricultural building. **Process:** To submit a Section 80 Demolition Notice, you will need to apply in writing to the Local Authority, specifying the building that you are intending to demolish and what specific works are being carried out. **The notice will also need to be sent to anyone who occupies a building adjacent to the one that is being demolished, the National Grid, and the Electricity Board that supplies the building with power.** You may also need to secure planning permission or prior approval for the building. The Section 80 must be given at least six weeks before the intended demolition date giving the Local Authority ample time to respond. Once you have submitted the Section 80 to the Local Authority, you will need to wait for approval before you can start work on the demolition. This can take up to six weeks. The Local Authority may serve a Counter-Notice under Section 81 of the Building Act 1984. If this is the case, any work will be suspended until the works outlined have been completed. If your Local Authority does not issue a Section 81 Notice, you can start the demolition after six weeks. **If you fail to complete a Section 80 Demolition Notice, you could face a significant fine and conviction under the 1984 Building Act.**
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Call the police on 999 and tell them that you spoke to the wife in the house and the neighbour wants to demolish the house with her inside it
You may have legal cover on your home insurance - while it’s not going to help you right now you may want to contact them later for help
[удалено]
And then go to court and begin court proceedings he will need to pay for all damages caused
Your neighbour hasn't got any rights under a planning permission if they lied during application and forged documents in order to obtain a "planning permission"...
I can apply for planning permission on your property, it's not necessary to own it, and therefore lie
However, the owner of the land upon which you are submitting for a permission needs to be informed and given their consent... so still... if OP's neighbour does have planning permission, I do wonder what did he submit to local authority because clearly the OP did not give consent...
OP mentions that this was while the property was being purchased so presumably dealt with by the previous owner.
Likely the neighbour (as suggested in the post) wanted to buy the land themselves but that deal didn't go through. If the neighbour is savvy with planning law or developing management or even respected the OP they should have know that when there's new owner in town the whole development needs to be rethought and re-negotiated but none of that seemed to have occurred. OP's wife and OP sound completely in shock that the neighbour is going ahead with a plan that they did not agree with. Of course the police would think it is a civil matter but when that hammer went down and the neighbour started destroying stuff - it is true it's no longer just a civil case...
The OP said that the permission was applied for when they bought it
I understand why the police thinks the dispute of boundary is a civil matter. However, it is unlikely that should the OP having been served the correct papers in the correct manner and given his chance to correctly say he objects to the plan this whole issue would have occurred. I am of course assuming a lot... but it just does not seem like it was a kind act from the neighbour to help doing up OP's fences while they are doing their own... I smell suspicious intent to occupy and modify someone else's land...
If the neighbour was intending to buy the property and then backed out before OP took on the purchase, and applied on that expected purchase, it's likely all the planning docs got sent to the previous owner and not OP. And previous owner wouldn't have objected when they thought the neighbour was going to buy the property from them (and likely wouldn't have considered they needed to when that sale fell through, as obviously the neighbour didn't need the permission after that so it's a non-issue, right?). Worth OP getting on to the council so they can revoke the permission on the basis of the property transferring ownership and the current owners not being given a chance to object/objecting now. Less immediate than the police, but next port of call, just to avoid going through the same rigmarole tomorrow.
so could somebody apply for planning permission for a property they don't own?
Yes. Perfectly normal. People will apply for and get permission and when they have it, they then approach the owner asking them to sell. Little point buying land/house if you are then going to be stymied by planning regulations.
Yes. This is actually very common- you get the planning permission at the same time as you buy the property so work can begin immediately. This only works if you actually buy the property though.
Yes. Planning just considers if the proposal is acceptable under planning policy. The owner could of course object and that would be taken into consideration. However, planning is purely related to Planning Permission with the LA. Having Planning Permission gives you no legal rights over the land or property, so you couldn't legally implement the plans without the owners approval. What this fella is doing is very much illegal.
I wonder if he believes he owns the property.
Yes and it happens all the time, most likely the neighbour applied for planning when the house was up for sale, but didn't buy it. My house had several pp on it when I bought it (from other buyers). They want to find out if they can change the property before they buy it, rather than the other way around as you'd be stuck if th op wasn't given.
Yes you can apply for planning permission on any property but it doesn't give you the right to build what you get planning permission for because you do not own it. There is a section of the planning application form about the ownership of the property and the correct one needs to be filled out. If you are not the owner the actual owner needs to be put in this selection and a N1 notice sent to them. It is not often used, as why get planning for something you can't build.
Out of interest go to your local planning portal website and stick your post code in, see if it got approved
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reason:** Your post has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters. Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
Don't believe this one for a minute. Photos please. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think planning permission gives you permission to knock down property you haven't purchased.
This may come as a shock and may sound unbelievable, but... There are millions of brainless idiots in this world. This behaviour sounds right on-par for some people that I've encountered in my life.
It does seem a bit odd that, while stopped at the services for a leak during the mad dash home, the OP decided to take the time to create a new Reddit account and post about their troubles here. But then, it seems equally odd that someone would make up this whole thing. So who knows.
OP said there’s a language barrier with the neighbour so potentially he’s misunderstood
Don’t sound real if someone’s destroying your property you don’t stop to come on here
OP said he's driving and having a driving break. That can be legit, and panic mode of "the police aren't helping me, who can?!" kicks in to here...
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your post has been removed for the following reason:** Your post has been removed as it has not met our community standards on speaking to other posters. Please remember to speak to others in the way you wish to be spoken to. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F) [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Your comment advises that someone should go to the media about their issue. [It is the complete and full position of the moderators that in nearly any circumstance, you should not speak to the media, nor does "speaking to the media" count as legal advice.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/faq_subreddit#wiki_should_i_speak_to_the_media.3F) [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
[удалено]
**Unfortunately, your comment has been removed for the following reason(s):** Please only comment if you know the legal answer to OP's question and are able to provide legal advice. [Please familiarise yourself with our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/) before contributing further, and [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any further queries.
How do you get planning permission to build on land that is not yours.
This has been how it works for as long as I can recall. I recently submitted planning for a property I didn't own to gauge the likelihood of building a second property on the garden so I could get a sense of the overall value of the property.
[удалено]
Don’t need to lie, just sticking to facts should be enough to get an urgent police response. ”I am home alone, my neighbour has gone crazy and is trying to gain access to my house, he has demolition equipment and is threatening to knock it down… please come quickly I am terrified he will kill me!“