Neighbour's scaffolding blocking signal? Legal options?

[andykn]

My girlfriend's next door neighbour has just had scaffolding put up outside their house and it seems to block her Sky signal. We think its for painting initally but they have applied to do a loft extension too so it could be up for a few months. The extension itself will not block the dish.

What recourse does she have legally? Can she ask them to pay to move her dish?

Paradoxically, their dish is not affected, could she get them to pay to connect her Sky to their dish?

Thanks

Andy

 

[ijd]

what did the neighbours say when she approached them about this matter?

 

[solidamber]

I dont think blocking a signal is an legal issue, I remember when the canary wharf tower was built it blocked the TV signal to large area, residents took the developers to court the following ruling was made... Hunter v Canary Wharf (1997) established there is no right to TV reception .

 

[andykn]

what did the neighbours say when she approached them about this matter?

She doesn't have any easy way of talking to them, they've only just bought the place and haven't moved in yet.

And it would help to know her rights first.

 

[ijd]

they would probably be mortified if they new there was an issue,it could be that if they have just moved in they are keen to get the place sorted,as scaffolding is very expensive it is unlikely to be there that long, perhaps if you were to approach them in a welcoming way and mention the problem, you will probably find the decorating is taking place next week and the scaffolding will be removed
quite promptly,in which case you should do the neighbourly thing and be patient. however if the loft is going to be converted and the scaffolding is going to be up some time, they may offer to reach a resolution amicably, however going armed to the hilt with all your rights could backfire, you may come across as aggressive and all negotiations will fail at the first post, remember ignorance is bliss, if they are difficult, then you should perhaps go down the i will need to speak to my solicitor route, the threat of legal expenses will probably be enough to disarm them. if you are reasonable with them there is no reason why they would not be reasonable with you, it is unlikely as the new folk they would want to alienate any of their new neighbours.

 

[MDR]

A neighbour over the other side of the road had this problem when an old bungalow was taken down next to him and a new house was built. It might be an idea to ask someone who is working on the property for a contact number and then you can chat to the owners directly. What this guy arranged was for the dish to be bolted on the scaffolding in a good signal position while the scaffolding is up. Around here in devon i see scaffolding up for months just to clean the front and repaint properties. Obviously they would not be aware of the problem unless you make it known that this problem exists.

I would avoid going in all guns blazing regardless to how it can sometimes feel as if one's situation has been ignored, i doubt if they even know that sky dish signals can be so touchy if the path is blocked, the best scenario is to establish how long the scaffolding will be up and if it's going to be up for a month or more then get some arrangement to have it sited for now on the scaffolding and then for it to be returned to it's original position when the scaffolding comes down, it would be a little harsh if you had to pay for that to be done when a man with a ladder and access to the signal quality and strength could sort it, once sky gets involved it's always money.

 

[andykn]

they would probably be mortified if they new there was an issue,it could be that if they have just moved in they are keen to get the place sorted,as scaffolding is very expensive it is unlikely to be there that long, perhaps if you were to approach them in a welcoming way and mention the problem, you will probably find the decorating is taking place next week and the scaffolding will be removed
quite promptly,in which case you should do the neighbourly thing and be patient. however if the loft is going to be converted and the scaffolding is going to be up some time, they may offer to reach a resolution amicably, however going armed to the hilt with all your rights could backfire, you may come across as aggressive and all negotiations will fail at the first post, remember ignorance is bliss, if they are difficult, then you should perhaps go down the i will need to speak to my solicitor route, the threat of legal expenses will probably be enough to disarm them. if you are reasonable with them there is no reason why they would not be reasonable with you, it is unlikely as the new folk they would want to alienate any of their new neighbours.

The thing is, she needs to know if there is a 'speak to my solicitor' route at all.

If there isn't and the neigbours aren't willing to offer any help, she can at least say 'please can I put my dish on yout scaffolding?' instead of threatening a non existent legal route.

 

[pablo99]

I can't believe you are talking about solicitors when you haven't even spoke to the neighbour??????

You think they should pay to move the dish???? How much do you think a solicitors letter is gonna cost you? Far more than it would cost for you just to pay and move the dish to improve line of sight past the scaffold.

I'm sure the neighbours & scaffolders will be very reasonable and are probably unaware there is a problem. Probably very apologetic once they find out there is.

An adjustment to the scaffold will hopefully be all that is required and the dish can remain where it is.

Hope all goes well.

Pablo

 

[ijd]

I can't believe you are talking about solicitors when you haven't even spoke to the neighbour??????



I'm sure the neighbours & scaffolders will be very reasonable and are probably unaware there is a problem. Probably very apologetic once they find out there is.

An adjustment to the scaffold will hopefully be all that is required and the dish can remain where it is.

Hope all goes well.

Pablo

my sentiments exactly, would not even think about legal position until i had an informal chat over a cup of tea, what on earth would these people think of you if you start ranting about your rights, personally you would get my back up and i would be as obstructive as possible

 

[ijd]

The thing is, she needs to know if there is a 'speak to my solicitor' route at all.

what would it matter until you have spoken to them, would you use a sledge hammer to crack a nut, would you even think about using one

 

[ijd]

The more i think about this,makes me think, you have these people down as being unreasonable, and that is very unreasonable of yourself making you an unreasonable person, if that is the case you will go through life finding people are very unreasonable because people will generally reflect your own unreasonable behaviour, however i don`t think you need a psychology lesson, just be nice about it.

 

[alternate]

Agree with most of what has been said. You should not be even think of a legal position at this stage - but you asked do here it is. You have no position.

There is no legal right to a clear line of sight across someone else's property assuming they have planning permission - and you do not need planning permission for temporary structures such as scaffolding.

 

[andykn]

my sentiments exactly, would not even think about legal position until i had an informal chat over a cup of tea, what on earth would these people think of you if you start ranting about your rights, personally you would get my back up and i would be as obstructive as possible

You mentioned the solicitors!

 

[andykn]

Agree with most of what has been said. You should not be even think of a legal position at this stage - but you asked do here it is. You have no position.

There is no legal right to a clear line of sight across someone else's property assuming they have planning permission - and you do not need planning permission for temporary structures such as scaffolding.

Thanks for the tip. I just thought it was important to clarify whether my girlfriend would be asking for a favour or a right. There's a big difference between asking them if they'd mind paying to have the dish moved and asking if they'd mind having her dish on their scaffolding.

It is impossible for the neighbours to reconfigure the scaffolding to accomodate a line of sight for the dish and we appreciate that it is not unreasonable for them to have the scaffolding.

The whole thing is complicated by the fact that they've only just bought the place and we have no idea who they are, it may well be a property lettting company or housing association.

 

[ijd]

you were asking legal position,

You mentioned the solicitors!

i mentioned talking to solicitors as a last resort if they were unreasonable about it. IE if they said clear off as a walkaway statement ` i will have to seek legal advice`