Google...

Is my friend!

The saga continues.

The man from the Council called me back this morning and said that he was coming out on Monday morning to inspect the flat and sort out the building warrants on a retrospective basis.

The Council won't get involved in the legal implications though so I've done some of my own digging in the meantime. There are some perks in being in my line of work so I tapped into that today. One of the property lawyers pulled a copy of my title deeds for me so I read through them at lunchtime. They're pretty clear. Under no circumstances is it cool to cut a hole in the roof without consent from all the owners.

My phone rang this afternoon (withheld number) and it was 'Mark' - the Landlord and culprit of said hole in the roof. He seems a very pleasant young man on the face of it although not forthcoming with any details, like his surname. No matter, I found that out this morning when I looked at the letting agents website and traced his registration number. What do you know? He's not actually registered the property. I'm guessing he'll be doing that quite soon too.

He's doing his best to pass himself off as a little naive and innocent. Well he thought he was I guess. I've not shattered his illusions just yet...

Anyway, I asked him for a contact number and with a little hesitation he gave me a landline and said it was his work number. Told me his mobile had been lost in Poland at the weekend and he was waiting for a new one being delivered.

We had a bit of a chat and I explained that the fabric of the building was the concern of all sixteen owners. This includes the roof and he wasn't authorised to cut a hole in it and stick a skylight in without the relevant paperwork or indeed consent. I explained that my problem isn't so much that the skylight is there, I just want to ensure that I don't have to take responsibility for it if something goes wrong with it in the future.

He then proceeded to compare each flat putting in a flue for a new boiler to the work he'd done. Hmmm... I think that's what is known as grasping at straws young man.

He confirmed verbally that he would foot the bill to have all the title deeds changed. I suspect he may change his mind when he knows just how much that's going to cost him. He then went on to say that he understands where we're coming from and would do whatever he had to in order to rectify the situation and if that means he takes out the skylight and fills the gap then that's what he'd do. It was all very pleasant.

He also spoke with my other neighbour today... I'm not sure he's figured out that she and I are talking amongst ourselves and comparing notes but she gave him it way tighter than me. I'm pretty sure he wasn't banking on Cagney and Lacey.

Not two minutes after we'd hung up, he rang me back and remarkably he had his 'new' mobile number for me. Said that his work would probably have trouble finding him and better to call his mobile.

Well that poked my curiousity like a rag to a bull so I googled the landline. It quickly became clear why he didn't want me to ring his work. It's an electrical company, specialising in work on rental properties, preparing certificates for Landlords etc. Then I thought maybe I'd have a poke on Companies House and see just who owns the company. Guess who? No go on... have a guess!

So for a spare hour and a quid later I pretty much know everything I need to know about our new neighbour including his home address, his date of birth and information about the companies he owns. All thanks to a little bit of information that he handed me on a plate.

I've just been right through his holiday snaps on Facebook and it turns out we have a mutual friend. Ha! Check your privacy settings people. It's a small world so if this little exercise teaches us anything at all, this city is a village and all it takes is one tiny morsel of information and you're wide open for anyone to find. (I could probably tell you his inside leg measurement if I looked close enough).

Tomorrow I'm going to speak to a residential conveyancing lawyer and see what the correct procedure is before I speak to the rest of my neighbours.

Maybe then I'll introduce myself to Mark properly.

*grins*