Storm damage – guttering on neighbouring property

John,

I really can’t understand your roofer, scaffold poles are long and straight, usually quite easy to pass through a house, even straight through the windows front to back if necessary. Also, mini scaffold comes into pieces which could pass through the house and slot together in the back garden.
– I think he is just trying to make a job out of it !

As regards tracking down if someone has died, just have a word with the local vicar, he/she will usually know, and could pass your number to relatives if they exist. If not, the vicar may know who would deal with any issues.

I’m sure I’ll have some people who strongly disagree with my next suggestion! ….
As a last resort, can you reach it out of an upstairs window with a pole, and dislodge the whole guttering if it is loose anyway, as long as there is no danger when it falls, which it may do on it’s own if left.
If it’s a metal gutter it’ll be really heavy and could be quite dangerous though.
A “controlled fall” may be better than it coming down in a storm and going through a window, perhaps.

PS. Love the picture for this thread ! 🙂

Guttering should easily hold several tiles so you may find the fascia board is rotted out, If you get any snow then it will be down,, due to regulations ladders are not permitted over a certain height, fitting brackets & 3 to 4metres of guttering of a ladder is dangerous and a nightmare of a job, as you need to keep moving it across to fit brackets then again to clip it into place,

Land registry search costs £3 and is easy to do on the net. You might get lucky and find the owner that way but he is equally likely to be registered as … next door. In any case, you will know the name of the owner and hence be able to continue with your detective work.

Ever tried knocking on doors up and down the street ? Somebody might point you in the right direction.

God forbid, he could be dead inside the house.

A tower could well be the most practical short term solution but then it could likely happen again unless the roof is fixed properly.

If you need to trace the deceased owner/occupier of a property try the local registry office for registered deaths.

Reply to the comment left by “DC ” at “14/02/2014 – 09:58“:

Yes, but surely you need a name for that, not just the address…

If there was a death recently, then their name might still be on the electoral register, which you can view at the local council offices.

In addition to checking the current registered owner with the Land Registry http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/public/property-ownership if the current owner has died and the new owner hasn’t yet been registered, you can do a search with Land Registry to check for any pending applications (i.e. to register a new owner) – see Practice Guide 12 http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/professional/guides/practice-guide-12 You would need to use form OS3 for a search without priority. Failing that, try the Probate Registry http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/probate/copies-of-grants-wills – a search with them will reveal a will and grant of probate (assuming the deceased owner made a will)

There are still properties which are not registered if they have not changed hands in several decades. The council should have details of whoever was liable for the council tax last.