- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
A mother says she has been living a four-year 'nightmare' after her neighbour illegally demolished his half of their semi-detached home.
asserted
neighbour → see → home
Shivarna Mitra, 44, claims she saved up for years for her three-bedroom house in Pudsey, Leeds, and had been living there happily with her three-year-old son and elderly mother.
uncertain
she → claim → son
But just 18 months after buying the £217,000 'forever home', Ms Mitra's 'aggressive' neighbour Chris Rhodes pulled down his portion of the property leaving a pile of rubble and wild undergrowth.
asserted
neighbour → buy → rubble
The mother's side has been left with holes in its walls and roof, which she says have allowed in rats - who chewed through electric wires - as well as squirrels and wasps.
asserted
who → leave → wires
Damp and mould also spread across the once tranquil home, all while Ms Mitra was recovering from cancer.
asserted
Mitra → spread → cancer
Rainwater also seeped into the house, damaging the electrics, carpet and wallpaper.
asserted
Rainwater → seep → electrics
She now fears her house is unsellable after becoming structurally unsafe - and the mother is helpless to fix the issues as she cannot gain access to the land next door.
asserted
she → fear → land
Ms Mitra said: '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.
asserted
me → say → it
Shivarna Mitra's home pictured next to the pile of rubble and undergrowth which remains after her neighbour illegally demolished his half of their semi-detached property
The neighbour was only served a stop notice months after he started the project, when it was 'too little too late', according to Ms Mitra
Ms
uncertain
it → picture → Mitra
Mitra, pictured, claims she saved up for years for her three-bedroom house in Pudsey, Leeds, only for her neighbour's building works to leave it 'unsellable'
'
uncertain
works → picture → it
The list of problems is endless, and I don't have the funds or the help to fix it.
asserted
I → have → it
I didn't ask for this, no one would ask for this, but shows it can happen to anyone.
asserted
it → ask → anyone
I spent a lot of money to turn this into a house of my dreams but now I have nothing to show for it.
asserted
I → spend → it
Images appear to show damage, including holes in Ms Mitra's walls and roof and overgrown land next door littered with detritus.
asserted
Images → appear → detritus
The neighbour - who denies his building work caused the damage - was only served a stop notice by the council months after he started the project, when it was 'too little too late', according to Ms Mitra.
uncertain
it → deny → Mitra
He has since sold the plot with planning permission for £115,000 to another couple but the new pair are also 'not cooperating' with her, she claims.
uncertain
she → sell → her
Ms Mitra said: 'Water has got in through the roof and holes in the wall and has caused mould and damp, affecting my son's chest and my health but no one cares.
asserted
one → say → chest
I have the heating on full blast in the winter as well as portable heaters.
asserted
I → have → winter
'Walls are cracked, expensive wallpaper and carpet has been ripped up.
asserted
carpet → rip → ?
The decking had to be ripped up due to builders messing with the foundations and cutting through it, resulting in rats all under the new decking.
asserted
builders → have → decking
The two homes pictured in 2020 before the building work.
asserted
homes → picture → work
Ms Mitra said she saved up for years to put a deposit down on the 'dream' house in May 2021
Recently renovated rooms now have walls covered in damp and mould, pictured
uncertain
rooms → say → damp
The mother's side has been left with holes in its walls and roof, which she says have allowed in rats - who chewed through electric wires - as well as squirrels and wasps
Chris Rhodes, pictured, pulled down his portion of the property leaving a pile of rubble and wild undergrowth.
asserted
Rhodes → leave → rubble
He denies the works caused damage to Ms Mitra's home
Ms Mitra said she saved up for years to put a deposit down on the 'dream' house and spent £80,000 on renovations in the months after purchasing it in May 2021, including on a £35,000 garden complete with astroturf, and a new kitchen.
uncertain
she → deny → astroturf
The mother added: 'It was perfect for my family.
asserted
It → add → family
It had a big garden for my son to play in and enough living space for him to grow up and for us to live comfortably.
asserted
us → have → garden
She said her original neighbour, an elderly woman, sold the property to Mr Rhodes for £280,000 in July 2022.
asserted
neighbour → say → July
He seemed 'friendly and charming', according to Ms Mitra, and informed her of the work he planned to do.
But things soon changed, she claims, when she asked him to reconsider plans to knock down the downstairs party wall and he became aggressive.
Mr Rhodes lodged two planning applications for two extensions in June and August 2022, both of which were approved by Leeds Council.
But Ms Mitra claims he used the approvals as an excuse to illegally demolish his house, which he denies.
uncertain
he → seem → which
The mother recalls she did not worry too much when work began in 2022 because 'she didn't know much about construction or building practices'.
asserted
she → recall → construction
By December, however, things had changed after Mr Rhodes removed his property's roof allegedly leaving gaping holes and exposing Ms Mitra to the cold weather.
uncertain
Rhodes → change → weather
She says she called Leeds Council in January 2023 claiming her neighbour's work was in breach of planning consents.
asserted
work → say → consents
Ms Mitra claims the authority asked him to stop, which he denied.
uncertain
he → claim → which
Mr Rhodes says that due to a storm 'the gable wall became unsafe' and 'following HSE guidance' and 'to avoid any risk or danger to others and their properties' he pulled down the wall as well as a further front wall.
asserted
he → say → wall
The mother argues that had the council ordered him to stop when he first started, instead of in May 2023, the situation would have been salvageable.
uncertain
situation → argue → May
She said: 'He had pulled down his side of the party wall and the breeze blocks meaning I only had a layer of bricks protecting my house from the outside.
asserted
I → say → outside
'From the foundations, first floor, second floor, and up to the roof I am now exposed.
asserted
I → expose → roof
Rain water has seeped into the house, damaging the electrics, carpet, and wallpaper
In July 2023, Mr Rhodes had an application to erect a new five-bedroom 'mansion' refused, but a second application for another house design was granted 10 months later.
He did not complete the work and later sold the plot, claiming he was treated unfairly by the council during the new build application process.
asserted
he → seep → process
Ms Mitra says the council has not helped her and officials have argued that the dispute is a civil matter.
asserted
dispute → say → her
Her insurance has filed a legal claim, but it is still two years before it goes to court, according to the mother.
uncertain
it → file → mother
She said: 'The council have a duty of care to its residents - I have not felt that way.
asserted
I → say → residents
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
