UK mom bought a semi-detached house and spent $100k in renovations before ’nightmare’ neighbor demolished his side: ‘We’re stuck’

“Four years [ago] next month, we have a demolition — illegal demolition,” Mitra told SWNS. “All of a sudden… they were taking everything down.”

Her neighbor had totally torn down the house attached to hers, making some of her internal walls external and leaving parts of her house open to the elements. She’s had to deal with rats, high heating bills and even mold, thanks to water leaking through holes in the house.

“The list of problems is endless, and I don’t have the funds or the help to fix it,” Mitra told SWNS.

Here’s why she’s being left high and dry, despite having home insurance — and what to expect if you end up in a similar situation.

Mitra does have legal options, but the court system is moving too slow to help her

Mitra has both home insurance and legal expenses cover, an optional add-on for UK home insurance that will cover your court fees if you have to sue a third party for damaging your home.

But the legal system isn’t moving fast enough to actually help her get out of her current unhealthy situation.

“It’s not as simple as what people think to get it into court,” Mitra told SWNS.

The Leeds City Council agreed that the neighboring house was, indeed, torn down “without necessary permissions.” But it also said that the house “remained structurally stable” and advised Mitra to get in contact with her home insurer.

Civil litigation is a slow and complicated process. More complex lawsuits can take over a year — and messing up even one part of the process, which is a common occurrence, can cause significant delays.

Until Mitra is able to take the case to court, she has very few options. She can’t even sell the house to get some of her money back — at least, not at the price she spent to buy and renovate it.