Couple forced to move after next door neighbours build a home so close to their house they can touch it from the window
- Couple were forced to move after house built so close it touched their gutter
- Bridie Ward said she was not notified about unit development until construction
- She urged home owners to check council websites for building applications
A couple claim they were forced to move home after their neighbours built a property so close they could reach out and touch it from their window.
Bridie Ward and her husband were not notified of the development next to their house in Rosewater, Adelaide.
‘It was until the builders tore down our fence and the frame started going up that we realised how close it would be,’ Ms Ward told Daily Mail Australia.
A couple claim they were forced to move home after their neighbours built a property so close they could reach out and touch it from their window (pictured)
Bridie Ward (pictured) and her husband were not notified of the development next to their Rosewater, Adelaide house
‘We felt blocked in. It was shocking and very frustrating and it made us feel quite powerless.’
Ms Ward said there is no process in South Australia for notifying neighbours when new developments affect their bounderies.
When the Wards originally purchased the property there was a house with the backyard adjacent to the fence.
However, when the house was sold the new owners decided to knock down the house and build a three unit development.
When the couple called the council to complain about the frame of the new development touching their property, they were told their property was actually 10cm over the boundary.
‘If that was discovered during the surveying process we would have paid them for the square metres at an approved price, and moved our boundary over 10cm,’ she said.
Ms Ward said that while council had initially knocked back plans for the development it was approved by the Environment, Resources and Development Court.
She said they considered fighting the approval but decided they did not want to go through a lengthy and expensive court battle so eventually decided to move.
Ms Ward said there needs to be a change in legislation to better deal with new developments impacting the boundaries of neighbours.
She also urged home owners to check development applications in their area through their council website and sign up for notifications.
Ms Ward urges said there needs to be a change in legislation to better deal with new developments impacting the boundaries of neighbours