10 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE My neighbours have built an extension over my property by 15 INCHES... it has destroyed my home and left me facing £85k bill
A single mother has claimed a neighbour 'destroyed' her home after building a new wall that encroaches onto her property by 15 inches.
Brenda Grant, from Uxbridge, west London, said Amarjit Singh Dhunna sliced her plastic conservatory roof to build his own extension wall, but left small gaps allowing water to run and leak into her property.
After taking the case to court, Ms Grant owes £25k to her solicitor and fears she could lose her home of 22 years.
The mother-of-one also faces a £60k bill to fix the water damage to her walls and floors.
Ms Grant told MailOnline: 'Since he cut the roof, water has been coming into the conservatory; I have a report from a builder that it is destroyed.
'This has made me depressed. I have anxiety and panic attacks. I lock myself in the house and I am withdrawn, I don't come out.
'My son [is so depressed] he doesn't go to school. Basically he locks himself in his room.'
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After the building work went ahead in March 2021, Ms Grant lodged a complaint claiming she had never been informed and businessman Mr Dhunna did not have planning permission to cut the roof and build over it.
A small store room connects her property to Mr Dhunna's next door and the pair disagree about where the boundary lies.
However, when Ms Grant got a land surveyor out to investigate, a report suggested Mr Dhunna's new wall hangs over the boundary line by 0.4metres - around 15 inches.
She claims her neighbour had no right to cut the plastic roof and argued the new wall clearly hangs over onto her land.
Ms Grant said: 'I sit in the house and I cry all day because I can't believe that someone's cut my roof.
'It's traumatising to point that I just want to kill myself, [...] even my son wanted to kill himself because of the amount of emotional stress, panic attacks, and he's lost out on five years of his life.'
In October 2021, months after the work took place, Mr Dhunna - who does not live in the property but houses tenants there - received retrospective planning permission for the build by Hillingdon Council.
'It was given to him even though I tried to tell the council that he's on my land,' Ms Grant said.
The red line shows the boundary between the two properties. The green line suggests Mr Dhunna's new roof line is hanging over onto Ms Grant's land
'When they cut the roof, because they didn't put any gutter in or any lead flashing, when it rains the water comes down into the property, so it's destroyed the conservatory.
'The floor is sunk and the walls have subsided inside. So the builder said it's £60,000 for that.'
Ms Grant claims she has hired three land surveyors who have all stated encroachment onto her land.
The court case is set to continue next week at Central London County Court.
Ms Grant worked in customer service for British Airways but was let go as a result of poor mental health.
She has now set up a GoFundMe in a desperate bid to raise the money for her legal costs.
