A man who demolished half of his semi-detached house before moving abroad has insisted the work was necessary, denying that he was a nightmare neighbour. Chris Rhodes, 47, bought the three-bedroom house in Pudsey, Leeds, for £280,000 in July 2022 and secured permission for two extensions. However, he said a storm left the gable wall between the properties unsafe, forcing him to have it demolished.
Neighbour's complaints
His neighbour, Shivarna Mitra, 44, claims the works left parts of her £217,000 home exposed, causing damp, mould and soaring heating bills of around £630 a month. She also claims rats damaged electrical wires and squirrels and wasps entered the property.
She 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. I have the heating on full blast in the winter as well as portable heaters," reports The Mirror.
Denials and counterclaims
Chris denied that his building work caused the problems and claimed he had tried to resolve the situation with everyone involved. "Sadly, I cannot say the same about Shivarna," he added. The two have been at loggerheads for years. Chris also denied being aggressive towards Shivarna and accused her of being aggressive towards builders, which she denied.
He also claimed she obstructed the works and contacted the fire brigade over alleged fires at the property, claims she strongly disputed. Shivarna described the years-long dispute as a "nightmare".
Impact on neighbour
Shivarna, who bought her home in May 2021 and spent around £80,000 renovating it, says she is now unable to carry out some repairs because she cannot access the neighbouring land and fears the property is unsellable. Chris denied her claims that his builders damaged her home.
He said a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) agreed the wall needed to be removed immediately to protect people and nearby properties. However, Leeds City Council said the demolition took place without the necessary permissions. Chris was later told that a demolition application should have been submitted.
Planning consequences
Chris said he accepted there could be planning consequences but argued safety was his "number one priority", adding that he had a legal and moral duty to make the site safe. Chris later secured permission for a redesigned five-bedroom replacement home but never built it, instead selling the plot with planning permission for £115,000 earlier this year. He said he sold because he "did not want my wife and children exposed to all the nastiness".
Leeds City Council said the demolition followed structural instability during construction work, but confirmed the building had been taken down without the necessary council permissions. A spokesperson said: "The building was subsequently taken down by the owner without the necessary Council permissions being in place. The owner was advised by Leeds City Council to submit a Section 80 Demolition Notice but did not do so."
