O right of use and enjoyment of land or propriedade by an owner or occupier has long been established in law.
No entanto, os proprietários não têm o direito absoluto de utilizar os seus terrenos da forma que desejarem.
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.
A interferência por incómodo pode assumir muitas formas, como o excesso de ruído, a poluição do ar ou da água, o bolor e a humidade, a vibração e a invasão de raízes de árvores, por exemplo.
Proceedings in the civil courts do offer a remedy for concerned parties, but it can often be a challenging and lengthy process.
As autoridades locais têm poderes para impor medidas de correção, mas isso está sujeito aos caprichos do tempo, dos interesses e dos orçamentos.
O que é que acontece quando as coisas correm mal e como é que se pode apresentar um pedido de indemnização?
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.
A secção 82 permite que um indivíduo solicite ao Magistrates’ Court uma ordem de redução:
- exigir que o requerido elimine o incómodo, num prazo especificado na decisão, e execute todas as obras necessárias para o efeito
- proibir a recorrência do incómodo e exigir que o requerido execute, num prazo especificado na decisão, as obras necessárias para evitar a recorrência
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.
Isto confere um poder significativo ao requerente e representa um instrumento valioso para retificar o que é suscetível de ser uma situação angustiante para o 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.
(Atenção: 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.)
