A Leeds mother says her home has been left damaged and exposed after her neighbour demolished his half of their semi-detached property, in what she describes as a four-year “nightmare”.
Shivarna Mitra, 44, claims the building work in Pudsey left holes in the walls and roof of her three-bedroom house, allowing rainwater, rats, squirrels and wasps to enter.
She said damp and mould spread through the property while she was recovering from cancer, with water damaging the electrics, carpet and wallpaper. Ms Mitra also claims rats chewed through electrical wires.
The mother bought the house for £217,000 in May 2021 after saving for years, and says she spent a further £80,000 on renovations, including a new kitchen and a £35,000 garden with artificial grass.
“I was really chuffed when I bought it – but the whole ordeal has been a nightmare and it’s caused me to be very ill,” she said.
Ms Mitra lived at the property with her three-year-old son and elderly mother. She now fears the house may be unsellable because of its alleged structural problems and says she cannot carry out repairs without access to the neighbouring land.
She claims her original neighbour sold the adjoining property to Chris Rhodes for £280,000 in July 2022. Mr Rhodes initially told her about his plans, but Ms Mitra said he became aggressive when she asked him to reconsider knocking down the downstairs party wall.
Leeds Council approved two applications for extensions submitted by Mr Rhodes in June and August 2022. Ms Mitra alleges that he used those permissions as a basis for demolishing the property, a claim he denies.
Mr Rhodes said a storm had made the gable wall unsafe and that, “following HSE guidance” and to avoid danger to people and neighbouring properties, he removed it along with another wall.
Ms Mitra said she became concerned after the roof was removed in December 2022. She contacted Leeds Council the following month, claiming the work breached the planning permissions.
She said the council served a stop notice in May 2023, but believes action came too late to prevent the damage. “From the foundations, first floor, second floor, and up to the roof I am now exposed,” she said.
Mr Rhodes denies that his building work caused the damage to Ms Mitra’s home. He later applied to build a five-bedroom house on the site, but that application was refused in July 2023. A second design was approved 10 months later, although he did not complete the work.
The plot was subsequently sold for £115,000 to another couple who, Ms Mitra claims, have also not co-operated with her.
She said the damage had left her facing high heating costs, with bills reaching about £630 a month. “The list of problems is endless, and I don’t have the funds or the help to fix it,” she said.
Ms Mitra’s insurer has launched a legal claim, but she said it could be two years before the case reaches court. She also criticised the council for treating the dispute as a civil matter and said officials had not visited to ensure her home was safe.
Leeds City Council confirmed that the neighbouring property had been demolished “without necessary permissions” after concerns about its structural stability. However, it said an inspection found that Ms Mitra’s property “remained structurally stable”.
The council advised her to contact her home insurer and seek legal advice, adding that it would continue to monitor the site and take appropriate action if necessary.
Mr Rhodes said the situation had caused him and his wife “a significant amount of money and stress”. He described it as “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said he had tried to work with all the parties involved to resolve the matter.
