A builder claims his neighbour’s extension has left him with a collapsed fence, a garden stinking of sewage and a rat infestation.
Etitaz Raja, 34, bought a three-bed doer upper in Northamptonshire for £150,000 in 2017 with his life savings – and hoped to sell it soon to fund buying his dream home.
But he now fears he’ll never be able to find a buyer due to ongoing building work by his next-door neighbour Abul Azad.
Mr Azad, 51, was given permission for his extension in 2018 and in January this year 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 – a claim Mr Azad denies.
Etitaz Raja, 34, bought the three-bed doer-upper 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 in January this year 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 Raja says pipes carrying sewage are now exposed, with 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 because there’s no earth for it to be stuck in.
Mr Raja, an experienced builder, 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, an experienced builder, claimed a large pile of the excavated soil is attracting the rats
He said because of the situation, the fence dividing the two gardens has collapsed because there’s no earth for it to be stuck in
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.
Neighbour Mr Azad received planning permission for a ground and first-floor extension in June 2018.
By March 2023, the extension had not been completed and the permission expired, according to council documents.
However in January 2024, Mr Raja discovered builders had created a giant hole in his neighbour’s garden that has still not been filled in.
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
However in January 2024, 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 because of the situation, the fence dividing the two gardens has collapsed because there’s no earth for it to be stuck in.
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.
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’.
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 re-applied for planning permission on Thursday, April 4.