En right of use and enjoyment of land or propiedad by an owner or occupier has long been established in law.
Sin embargo, los propietarios no tienen el derecho absoluto de utilizar sus terrenos como les plazca.
This is because one person’s right to do whatever they want on their land could conflict with another person’s rights.
In 1860, private nuisance was defined in Bamford contra Turnley as “any continuous activity causing a substantial interference with a claimant’s land or his use or enjoyment of that land.” A private nuisance claim is therefore regarded as a civil wrong that can give rise to a claim against the person causing the nuisance.
Las molestias pueden adoptar muchas formas, como el exceso de ruido, la contaminación del aire o del agua, el moho y la humedad, las vibraciones y las raíces de los árboles que invaden propiedades ajenas, por ejemplo.
Proceedings in the civil courts do offer a remedy for concerned parties, but it can often be a challenging and lengthy process.
Las autoridades locales tienen competencias para exigir la adopción de medidas correctoras, pero esto depende de los avatares del tiempo, los intereses y los presupuestos.
¿Qué ocurre entonces cuando las cosas salen mal y cómo se puede presentar una reclamación?
An effective route for the individual to address any nuisance if a landlord fails to act is through the procedure laid out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Most people are surprisingly unaware of this procedure, however it is being used more frequently.
El artículo 82 permite a cualquier persona solicitar al Juzgado de Primera Instancia una orden de cese de actividades:
- exigir al demandado que ponga fin a la molestia, en el plazo fijado en la resolución, y que realice las obras necesarias a tal efecto
- prohibir que se repita la molestia y exigir al demandado que, en el plazo fijado en la resolución, realice las obras necesarias para evitar que se repita
Should the court take the view that the nuisance exists or is likely to recur then failure to comply with the order may amount to a criminal offence.
Esto otorga un poder considerable al solicitante y constituye una herramienta valiosa para resolver lo que probablemente sea una situación angustiosa para el residente.
Claims for private nuisance can be made by owners of the land, those with exclusive possession of the land or those occupying the land as a tenant or licensee.
A benefit of this procedure is that an application, properly made, does not carry the same adverse costs risks as civil proceedings. If you win, you may be entitled to have your costs paid. It can also be executed quite quickly, which may lead to the nuisance be rectified more speedily.
(Tenga en cuenta: This article was originally published on our previous website and is provided for general information purposes only. While it reflects the legal position at the time of writing, the law may have changed since publication. For up-to-date advice tailored to your circumstances, please contact our team.)
