1 month ago
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An electrician claims his neighbour's renovation has left him with a collapsed fence, a garden stinking of sewage and a rat infestation.
Etizaz Raja bought the three-bed property in Northamptonshire for £150,000 with a mortgage in 2017 with his life savings - and hoped to sell it soon to fund his dream home.
The 34-year-old spends the week living in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire while the property is being renovated and returns to it on weekends.
But Mr Raja now fears he'll never be able to find a buyer for the property due to ongoing building work by his next-door neighbour Abul Azad.
Mr Azad, 51, was given permission for his extension some six years ago and dug the foundations but then stopped to receive further advice.
In that time however, Mr Raja's fence has collapsed into the 10ft-deep hole and he now says he can smell sewage and see rats - a claim Mr Azad denies.
Etizaz Raja, 34, bought the three-bed property in Northamptonshire for £150,000 in 2017 with his life savings - and hoped to sell it soon to fund buying his dream home
His next-door neighbour Abul Azad was given permission for an extension in 2018 and workers dug an enormous hole in his garden
Mr Raja's fence has collapsed into the 10ft-deep hole as a result - and he said he can smell sewage and see rats
Mr Azad received planning permission for a ground and first-floor extension in June 2018.
Council documents said Mr Abul had to have started work by August 2021 - three years from permission being granted - for the permission to be valid.
He started work by digging the hole in early 2023, according to Mr Raja.
Mr Azad said he's now waiting on advice from engineers about filling the hole, which he excavated because he wanted 'better' soil to build his extension upon.
But the work means pipes carrying sewage are now exposed, which Mr Raja says has caused liquid to leak out into the garden.
This has discoloured the temporary wood used to hold the earth in place and attracting flies, he claimed.
He said because of the situation, the fence dividing the two gardens has collapsed. Mr Raja said it was caused when his garden 'started sliding' due to Mr Abdul's construction work.
Mr Raja claimed a large pile of the excavated soil is attracting the rats.
He said: 'It stinks - we've got rats running around in the garden.
'When I walked over [to his neighbour's garden], I saw a rat running over the fence towards the brook.
'I've been here seven years. I've never seen a rat in my life.'
Devastated Mr Raja said he's had sleepless nights worrying about his neighbour's property and fears his life savings will be tied up in a house he no longer wants.
He said the stress has caused weight loss - and is furious with the council for not intervening.
Devastated Mr Raja said he's had sleepless nights worrying about his neighbour's property and the fears his life savings will be tied up in a house he no longer wants
Pipes he said carrying sewage have been left exposed, causing liquid to leak out into the garden - discolouring the temporary wood used to hold the earth in place and attracting flies, he claimed
MR Raja said the stress has caused him to lose one and a half stone in weight and he can't sleep at night
The construction work at his neighbour's extension has been affecting Mr Raja's property
The property was an investment for Mr Raja but he said he is now in a financial loss and doesn't think anyone will buy the property due to the state it is in
Devastated Mr Raja fears said he's had sleepless nights worrying about his neighbour's property and the fears his life savings will be tied up in a house he no longer wants
Mr Raja claimed a large pile of the excavated soil is attracting the rats
He said because of the situation, the fence dividing the two gardens had collapsed after his garden 'started sliding' due to Mr Abdul's construction work
He said: 'It was an investment for me. Right now I'm in a financial loss. I don't think anyone's gonna buy the property in the state it's in.
'It's changing my demeanour.
'I've lost a lot of weight. I was at 90kg when this started. I'm at 80kg now because of stress. I'm not sleeping at night. That's my lifetime saving.
'I don't stay there on the weekends in case the property collapses.'
Mr Raja spends the week currently living in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire while his Northamptonshire property is renovated, returning to it on weekends.
He bought it in 2017 for £150,000 and planned to do it up to a 'high standard' so he could sell it and move closer to his family in Buckinghamshire.
The renovation work on his property began in August 2023, according to him,
Mr Raja claimed he has made several attempts to flag his concerns to West Northamptonshire council.
He said on two separate occasions, it sent over a building control officers to investigate but it has not taken any action.
When an officer came on March 8, Mr Raja claimed he did even not venture into the garden.
Mr Raja spends the week currently living in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire while his Northamptonshire property is renovated, returning to it on weekends
He bought the house in 2017 for £150k and planned to do it up to a 'high standard' so he could sell it and move closer to his family in Buckinghamshire
West Northamptonshire Council said: 'We have assessed the structure; it is not deemed to be in a dangerous state.
'Therefore, no action is required from our perspective, but we have let the neighbour know that they might be able to take private action under the 'Party Wall Act''.
Mr Azad said he has now fixed the broken sewage pipes.
He said the council visited the property on Wednesday, April 3, and determined that its current state is 'OK'.
He labelled Mr Raja's behaviour 'very rude' and said his allegation about rats was a 'lie'.
Mr Azad said he now wants to build a two-story extension as he needs more space in his house as he has eight people living in the property and they are 'struggling for room'. This includes his five children, his wife and his elderly father.
He has been living in the address since 2007.
Mr Raja discovered builders had created a giant hole in his neighbours garden that has still not been filled in
Mr Raja claimed he has made several attempts to flag his concerns to West Northamptonshire council
He said his neighbour is a 'good friend' as they are both Muslims with Mr Azad being Bangladeshi and Mr Raja being Pakistani.
He said since Mr Raja bought the property in 2017 they have got on well and there had been 'nothing to complain'.
The takeaway owner said he 'tried' to fill the hole but was told not to by Mr Raja, who separately said he had structural concerns about the way it should be carried out.
Mr Azad said he's now waiting on advice from engineers about filling the hole, which he excavated because he wanted 'better' soil to build his extension upon.
He said: 'We needed the hole for the foundation. The soil not good. We have to go down another metre because the soil not good.'
Mr Azad said he had to submit a new planning proposal due to needing the deeper foundation. Only once he gets the green light for those plans will he be able to continue with the construction of the extension.
He re-applied for planning permission on Thursday, April 4.
