A man who illegally demolished his half of a semi-detached home has insisted he is not a 'neighbour from hell' despite allegedly leaving the property's other side faulty and unsellable.
uncertain
he → demolish → side
Chris Rhodes, 47, has defended his decision to pull down his side of the building, located in Pudsey in Leeds, after former neighbour Shivarna Mitra, 44, claimed she was subjected to a four-year-long 'nightmare' following its demolition.
asserted
she → defend → demolition
Ms Mitra, who still lives at the site with her infant son and elderly mother, said her side has been left with damp and mould and her electrics were damaged after Mr Rhodes, who has since left the UK, pulled down his side.
asserted
who → live → side
She says she is unable to fix the issues because she cannot gain access to the land next door and fears her house, which has become structurally unsafe, is unsellable.
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which → say → land
But father-of-four Mr Rhodes has defended his choice to tear down his three-bedroom property, which he purchased in July 2022 for £280,000, and blamed Ms Mitra and the council for complicating the 'unfortunate' situation.
'
asserted
he → defend → situation
There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and I a significant amount of money and stress also,' he said, adding these same circumstances 'created a bad situation of which I tried to work with all parties concerned at every point to resolve'.
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I → be → point
'Sadly, I cannot say the same about Shirvana.'
asserted
I → say → Shirvana
Shortly after purchasing the home, Mr Rhodes – who is a carpenter and currently self-employed – applied to Leeds city council for planning permission for two extensions at the site in June and August 2022, both of which were approved.
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both → purchase → which
In October 2022, work began at the site.
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work → begin → site
Shivarna Mitra's home pictured next to the pile of rubble and undergrowth which remains after Chris Rhodes demolished his half of their semi-detached property
Chris Rhodes pulled down his portion of the property leaving a pile of rubble and wild undergrowth – but he denies that the work caused damage to Ms Mitra's home
The two homes are pictured in 2020 before the building work.
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homes → picture → work
Ms Mitra said she saved up for years to put a deposit down on the 'dream' house in May 2021
But
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she → say → May
Ms Mitra claimed Mr Rhodes used the planning applications to illegally demolish the house – something which he denies.
asserted
he → claim → which
She called Leeds city council in January 2023, claiming her neighbour's work was in breach of planning consents.
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work → call → consents
Ms Mitra claims the authority asked him to stop, which Mr Rhodes disputed.
uncertain
Rhodes → claim → which
Rather, Mr Rhodes said he was 'ignored' and felt as though he was being 'punished' by the council's planning team when trying to apply for permission to build his home.
He also claimed a local councillor posted 'negative posts about the property without any attempt to gain the facts of what was happening' and said Ms Mitra would openly comment on the posts saying she 'would do everything she could to stop us building the house'.
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us → say → house
Ms Mitra denies this.
asserted
Mitra → deny → this
Despite demolishing his home, Mr Rhodes never built a new house and instead sold the land with planning permission to two new owners earlier this year for £115,000.
asserted
Rhodes → demolish → 115,000
He said he sold the plot because he 'did not want my wife and children exposed to all the nastiness' and alleged Ms Mitra was 'trying to stop us building at every possible point'.
asserted
us → say → point
Mr Rhodes also pushed back on Ms Mitra's claim that he was 'aggressive' toward her after she reportedly told him not to knock down his house.
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she → push → house
He said: 'This did not happen and I was in no way, shape or form, aggressive with her.
'
asserted
I → say → her
In fact I did not see her when I visited the site to see the dangerous wall.
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I → see → wall
She was abusive and aggressive towards the builders and I made a point of telling them to please ignore her.'
Mr Rhodes also said Ms Mitra, who says she was not abusive or aggressive, made it difficult for him to complete work, and claimed she called the fire brigade to report non-existent fires at the property.
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she → make → property
'It is my opinion that she doesn't have a firm grasp of reality and doesn't understand everything that people have tried to explain to her,' he said.
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he → have → her
Ms Mitra purchased her home in May 2021 after saving up for years to put a deposit down.
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Mitra → purchase → deposit
She subsequently spent £80,000 on renovations in the months afterwards, including on a £35,000 garden with astroturf and a new kitchen.
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She → spend → astroturf
Ms Mitra says she saved up for years for her three-bedroom house in Pudsey, Leeds, only for her neighbour's building works to leave it 'unsellable'
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
She said: 'It was perfect for my family.
uncertain
It → say → 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.
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us → have → garden
The mother recalls she did not worry too much when work began in 2022 to Mr Rhodes's home as 'she didn't know much about construction or building practices'.
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she → recall → construction
By December, however, she said things had changed after Mr Rhodes removed his property's roof, which she said left gaping holes and exposed her to the cold weather.
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she → say → weather
Mr Rhodes says due to a storm 'the gable wall became unsafe' and then 'following HSE [the Health and Safety Executive] 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
But Ms Mitra argued had the council ordered him to stop at this point, instead of in May 2023, the situation would have been salvageable.
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.
'
uncertain
I → argue → outside
From the foundations, first floor, second floor, and up to the roof I am now exposed.'
asserted
I → expose → roof
Ms Mitra's property has now been left with holes in its walls and roof, which has led to rats chewing through electrical wires as well as squirrels and wasps coming in.
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squirrels → leave → wires
Damp and mould also spread across the site, while the electrics, carpet and wallpaper have been damaged after rainwater seeped in.
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rainwater → spread → site
Mr Rhodes did acknowledge that during the works, the gable wall between the two homes 'became unsafe' but at a 'great cost' he immediately tried to make it safe.
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it → acknowledge → cost
He said: 'I had a discussion with the HSE and it was agreed [that pulling the wall down] was necessary and the correct course of action to avoid any risk or danger to others and their properties.
'
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pulling → say → others
We [the builder] immediately took the wall down to make it safe, and the front wall had to come down also.
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wall → take → wall
Walls in parts of Ms Mitra's home that were recently renovated are covered in damp and mould
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
Ms Mitra's attic has holes, while rain water has seeped in and electrics have been damaged
In May 2023, Leeds city council handed him an official stop order in May 2023 which he says he 'fully complied with'.
uncertain
he → renovate → which
He added: 'I had a meeting with the planning enforcement officer and he notified us that we should have submitted an application to demolish to the council.
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we → add → council
'This goes against what the Health and Safety Executive said and I had an obligation, both legally and morally to immediately make things safe.
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things → go → obligation
…and 29 more, not listed.
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