EYESORE NEXT DOOR

MY next door neighbour has turned his garden into a builders’ yard. This is a residential area, but he’s storing all types of materials, including concrete paving slabs, fencing and so on, and there’s rubble everywhere. Is there anything I can do about it? IF your neighbour really is running a business from his back garden, then he’s probably doing so without planning permission. Write to the council’s planning department, which can order him to stop. I also suggest you check your title deeds which may contain covenants governing what the property may be used for. But if the garden is simply an eyesore I’m afraid there may be very little you can do about it except build a fence. owned for a limited number of years or months and is usually subject to a ground rent. If a property is Freehold and Free there is no rent charge or ground rent; if the property is subject to a rent charge it means that whilst the property owner still owns it forever, he must pay an annual charge in the form of a rent. The rent charge owner has certain rights in the property, just as a building society has rights as mortgagee. Rent charges on freehold property are sometimes – wrongly – referred to as ground rents. There are statutory rights to enable a freeholder to buy out a chief rent: contact your solicitor. ago in Birmingham without leaving a will. Although her solicitors appear to have made an effort to trace next of kin, they eventually handed over everything to a cousin who claimed to be the sole surviving relative – even though she was certainly aware of our existence! IT sounds as though you are entitled to inherit from your aunt’s estate. If everything has already been distributed to your cousin you can bring a claim against her to recover your share. It may be important to find out precisely what attempts were made by your aunt’s solicitors to trace next of kin; you may have a claim against them too. You may need to seek advice in bringing these claims.

Call SAS Daniels LLP Solicitors on 0161 475 7676 or 01625 442 100. Visit www.sasdaniels. co.uk. If you have any legal questions write to Weekly Law and You, MEN Media, Mitchell Henry House, Hollinwood Avenue, Chadderton, OL9 8EF, or leave your query on the legal advice line 0117 964 4794.