'Nightmare neighbour demolished his half of my dream forever home to build a mansion'

'Nightmare neighbour demolished his half of my dream forever home to build a mansion' A mum had hoped her £217,000 house would be her family's "forever home", but claims she is now unable to sell it after years of problems that saw rats in the house A mum faced a four-year “nightmare” when her neighbour's house, which was attached to her own home, was demolished without permission. Shivarna Mitra, 44, was left with little more than a layer of bricks protecting parts of her £217,000 home after the neighbouring half of the semi-detached property in Pudsey, Leeds, was torn down. The mum claimed holes in the walls and roof allowed rainwater into the three-bedroom house, which she shares with her young son and elderly mother. The condition of the house deteriorated as squirrels and wasps entered the house. Rats also got inside and chewed through electrical wires. The problems had left the home she once dreamed of raising her son in “unsellable”. The ordeal unfolded while she was going through cancer and underwent a major operation. She said: “I was really chuffed when I bought it - but the whole ordeal has been a nightmare, and it’s caused me to be very ill. I have gone through cancer and had a major operation while all this was going on, so instead of recovering, I’m fighting battles from my hospital bed on emails.” Shivarna had spent years saving for a deposit before buying the property in May 2021, and spent more than a year searching for what she believed would be her “forever home”. She then poured about £80,000 into transforming it for her family, including roughly £35,000 on landscaping the garden. She said: “It was perfect for my 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.” But 18 months after she moved in, the property next door had a new owner, Chris Rhodes. She claimed he appeared friendly and charming, before informing her of the work he planned to carry out - which she pleaded with him not to. Despite her request, Chris submitted two planning applications for extensions in June and August 2022, both of which were approved by Leeds City Council. The work began in October 2022 and Shivarna initially had few concerns. But she became worried when the roof of the neighbouring property was removed, allegedly leaving holes that exposed her home to the winter weather. Shivarna contacted Leeds City Council in January 2023 because she believed the work breached the planning consents. She claimed the authority asked him to stop, which he denied. Chris claimed that a storm had caused the gable wall to become unsafe and that, “following HSE 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. But, it was only once the wall had been taken down, the council said he should have applied to demolish it. The work continued until May, when he was served an official stop notice. Shivarna said: “In the time he was asked to stop, 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. From the foundations, first floor, second floor, and up to the roof I am now exposed. If the council put in the stop notice in January, there would still be the shell of a house attached, and I wouldn’t be as big of a mess.” As the neighbouring plot remained empty, Shivarna claimed problems continued to develop. 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. My bill is about £630 a month.” On top of the hefty bill, rats had got inside and chewed through wires, she said: “Walls are cracked, expensive wallpaper and carpet has been ripped up. The decking had to be ripped up due to builders messing with the foundations and cutting through it, resulting in rats all under the new decking.” Chris denied his building work caused the problems. Shivarna said: “The list of problems is endless, and I don’t have the funds or the help to fix it. I didn’t ask for this, no one would ask for this, but shows it can happen to anyone. “Everyone is shocked when they come and see it as they don’t expect to see the house completely removed. I spent a lot of money to turn this into a house of my dreams, but now I have nothing to show for it.” In July 2023, Chris applied for permission to build a new five-bedroom “mansion” on the site, but the application was refused. A second application for another five-bedroom house design was granted in May 2024, but the new property was never completed. Chris later sold the plot with planning permission for £115,000 to another couple, as he claimed he had been treated unfairly by the council during the new-build application process. Shivarna claimed the new owners were also “not cooperating” with her and feared the neighbouring property would never be rebuilt. She is now wanting to leave the area but claimed the problems had made her home unsellable. She has since launched a legal claim, but it would take several years before the case reaches court. Leeds City Council confirmed the neighbouring property had been demolished “without necessary permissions” following concerns about structural instability. It said a team had inspected the property and found it “remained structurally stable”. The council added: “As these are privately owned properties, the council advised Ms Mitra to contact her house insurer and take legal advice. The council will continue to monitor the site and take any appropriate action as necessary.” Chris said: “There were very unfortunate circumstances that cost my wife and me a significant amount of money and stress. This was a series of unfortunate circumstances that have created a bad situation, of which I tried to work with all parties concerned at every point to resolve.”