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This is a LOT of speculation.... but hopefully a hive mind can narrow down and pro's/con's and options.
Our "house" is a converted dorma essentially, 1920's brick downstairs and wooden frame 1/2 story on top...
When we moved in we had some damp on one wall but fixed the gutter and dug out the sandy clay and put lots of aggregate and sand in the hole. (more as a belt and braces) - main issue was the person put the gutters up tried saving money by stretching the lengths 6" rather than buying another length and cutting... so joints didn't fit etc.
The DPC is slate... and the side of the house with damp has a render on the bottom 1' (as do any original bungalows on the road)
This seemed good (no damp) for a few years (6-7?) then the house next door was bought by developers...
Everything they did was a botch/illegal etc. but we just wanted them gone and tried to ignore them (until they burned down part of our fence and destroyed a polytunnel). I was also working away 25/30 days at the time.
They stole some garden (a few inches) and fenced off what was a dual access path to the back between the houses (where I'd previously dug and put in sand and gravel) .. the plans just aren't good enough to say 100% and we just wanted them gone ASAP.
Retrospectively it would have been better to at least lodge objections and stuff but they were proper cowboys... I remember them joking to each other how the roof would be lucky to last a year so they needed to sell quickly... the neighbours entire back garden is basically 6" of top soil and the bulldozed (mini one) all the rubble from the work and just sprinkled soil on top.
Anyway they put in a path.. its pebbles on top but no easy way for me to know what's under it but I'd not discount concrete if that was easier and this covers the bottom of the render by a few inches...
The render has now cracked (3-4mm gap in places) and to my eye the wall seems possibly bent... and when it rains the entire bottom part of the wall is wet (say 1' to 4' in a wavy line so way above DPC) even though it can't be direct rain (1' ish wide gap between walls) it seems it has to be soaking up as I can't see how else the wall is wet.
As an aside but sorta relevant - last year I had to replace the fence and posts and swapped the wood for concrete.
The neighbour wanted a straight fence and was very taken aback when I pointed out his patio was built over my land according to the original concrete posts... and I'd need to cut his patio stone to make it straight. His complaint was really "I paid for landscapers so they must be correct" but he eventually conceded the original fence posts still in and broken off under his patio were the boundary.
I assume the developer closed the one off company the second the sale was done... (as the neighbour say's he had to pay for the roof to be redone) and because they were those sort of cowboys. (We got promised they'd replace the burned fence and destroyed polytunnel from their burning anything they didn't just bury but they just sodded off and didn't of course)
So now what to do?
Preferably lowest cost and incrementally...
I hope you feel better for getting some of that off your chest.
Not exactly sure what the question is though. A picture would probably help.
Is your house detached? Who's path intersects with your render? Who's wall is bent?
Why isn't there an easy way to see what's under a pebble path? Just dig some pebbles out of the way to see.
I hope you feel better for getting some of that off your chest.
Not really, its worrying me sick but ...
Not exactly sure what the question is though. A picture would probably help.
I've never worked out how to do photo's on here ... the basic question though is how to proceed and pro's/cons?
I guess I could get some structural engineer for example but that's useless if I can't afford the remedy or if I should really be paying a solicitor over the changes to the boundary.
Why isn’t there an easy way to see what’s under a pebble path? Just dig some pebbles out of the way to see.
The path is on what the neighbour was sold as their land... whether it is or not is another matter as before the developer changed it it was access to both and a straight line between the original fence posts probably goes down the middle somewhere?
Is your house detached? Who’s path intersects with your render? Who’s wall is bent?
It's detatched... the question who's path is part of the question. (As above)
Any the bottom of my wall (facing his house) appears (maybe) to be bowed assuming the render cracked where it bowed/bent...
First thing I'd do is get a builder round to see what they think.
Secondly if there really is subsidence caused by neighbouring work I'd be on to my insurance company.
Boundaries - download your land registry documents to check who is right first. Then just put it back to house it was. Going legal is a fast-track to going broke! Just look at the Daily Mail website every few days!! 🙂
And uploading images is easy now - just click the visual tab when creating a post. Click image icon at end and upload from your computer/phone. No need for 3rd party hosting.
download your land registry documents to check who is right first
I'd be surprised if it was easy to see precisely where the boundary goes.
Gives you a good idea though. Nothing will be precise on a 100 year old property.
But arguing over a few inches is futile.
Cant quite work out what you are asking? Is it subsidence you are worrying about? whatever you do, do not speak to your insurance company until you are confident you actually need to.....
Did they dig foundations close to your house? Party wall legislation goes into some detail around what is ok / not ok with regards to proximity to neighbours foundations. I'm not suggesting the legal route, just that it will give you an idea of what the law thinks could cause an issue (and therefore you should have an agreement)
Its highly unlikely a path would cause any issues, the cheapest way to do that is to smash down some sand and chuck pebbles on top. Or do you think they dug it stupid deep to fill with rubble?
Re boundaries - Look at the land reg plans, but I wouldn't hold your breath that they will be accurate enough, Ours don't even detail whose fence is whose. Its a bit late now though given they are long gone. I even think there is some legislation around length of time you have to challenge (I think 7 years) or it basically becomes part of their garden
Sounds like you may be getting a bit to stressed and need to step back
Cant quite work out what you are asking? Is it subsidence you are worrying about? whatever you do, do not speak to your insurance company until you are confident you actually need to…..
No insurance anyway** but also the same really... (Cash buy with my entire working life savings basically)
I guess to answer directly its one of the things I'm worried about...
Did they dig foundations close to your house? Party wall legislation goes into some detail around what is ok / not ok with regards to proximity to neighbours foundations. I’m not suggesting the legal route, just that it will give you an idea of what the law thinks could cause an issue (and therefore you should have an agreement)
I was away mostly at the time ... but If I had to guess I'd say they didn't (if for no other reason than they'd not get anything mechanised in) and I'm really wondering on the subsidence side if they actually should have before adding a full extra storey.
I guess "on what the law thinks" there is also the question of who's problem is this?
I'm assuming the developer just folded the one off company (or my neighbour wouldn't have paid for the new roof he needed himself after little over a year)
Re boundaries – Look at the land reg plans, but I wouldn’t hold your breath that they will be accurate enough, Ours don’t even detail whose fence is whose. Its a bit late now though given they are long gone.
I looked and you really can't say from the plans BUT the original 1920's posts are actually still in and cut off underground...
Can't work out photos sorry but put on the kids instagram...
One in dry showing the size of the crack and the other when its raining...
Its highly unlikely a path would cause any issues, the cheapest way to do that is to smash down some sand and chuck pebbles on top. Or do you think they dug it stupid deep to fill with rubble?
I think its possibly got concrete and its above my DPC ? The water in the wet photo seems like its only soaked up...
Without removing the render or taking the floor up inside I can't be sure... but I've had the floors all up previously and hence I know mine is slate and based on memory its lower down than theirs you can see in the photo. Their wall is new and what was previously a garage .. (non original) whereas mine is the original wall.
Sounds like you may be getting a bit to stressed and need to step back
You're probably right but I've been ignoring and putting off... big wet patch 3' high right by my bed makes it hard to ignore at night
Big wet patch on your internal wall, or just worrying about the one on your render?
Water could be getting in under that render, though it looks like quite a narrow passageway and with eaves and guttering I wouldn't have thought it gets heavily weathered. Above DPC could be an issue though, get a spade and spend 20mins digging out the pebbles next to your wall to see what is down there. At least then you know.
Is the DPC visible from the outside? Or is it under the render?
Water can track from anywhere, so whilst if the crack on the other side of the wall is close to the damp patch its likely it could be coming from somewhere else too.
Is the crack recent? The could have easily done it by knocking it when moving something down the narrow corridor.
If you saw the state of my 1920s pebbledash you would have a heart attack!
OP is a free memebr so can;t just upload photos as the muffin man says.
Upload images to postimages.org, click 'hotlink for forums' and paste into text box on here. Thats literally all you need to do.
My immediate thoughts on seeing the second photo is that you have a splashback issue off the stepping stones. Have you checked both your and neighbors gutters etc? Go out during heavy rain and see what is happening, you will be amazed what I see on a lot of property
The crack may be typical movement in an older property. However it will be allowing water an easier route in to the fabric of the building. As cement renders are fairly waterproof, once in, the moisture can't get out again, so will continue to build/penetrate the wall. In that location, drying out is quite unlikely even in an exceptional summer.
Any structural survey while be a case of monitoring over a period of time to start with.
No insurance anyway** but also the same really… (Cash buy with my entire working life savings basically)
I guess to answer directly its one of the things I’m worried about…
Err, what - as in no house insurance at all!!! 😳
Is the new path entirely on your neighbour's claimed land?
Has someone tried to wobble out that bit of wooden fence post? The crack in the render may have been caused initially by someone levering it outwards. Then just expanded/delaminated over time.
The best thing is to have a friendly conversation with the neighbour, say that the level of the path may be bridging your DPC and could you dig a small test pit there to check? It could be that you need a gap created around the base.
I notice that there is also a bit of green on the new wall to roughly the same height as yours, so it could be a more general slow drying issue. Is there a new fence/gate that is interrupting airflow down the space?
Oh, and if you really haven't got buildings insurance, you need to get that sorted.
Big wet patch on your internal wall, or just worrying about the one on your render?
Its not water dripping off in buckets inside but paint peeling and very damp... less damp in the dry then after heavy rain damp again
My immediate thoughts on seeing the second photo is that you have a splashback issue off the stepping stones. Have you checked both your and neighbors gutters etc? Go out during heavy rain and see what is happening, you will be amazed what I see on a lot of property
Yeah, neighbours have no gutters on that side at all its a /\ roof and gutters at front and back ... my gutter has one very small drip (once a minute in heavy rain) from a joint (weirdly where the dry patch is) but that is also the apex of their roof... I've been out and looked and I can't actually see it happen though from my property and never managed to rush out and look when it starts raining...
The crack may be typical movement in an older property. However it will be allowing water an easier route in to the fabric of the building. As cement renders are fairly waterproof, once in, the moisture can’t get out again, so will continue to build/penetrate the wall. In that location, drying out is quite unlikely even in an exceptional summer.
Thanks...I could pull the bathroom floor up without too much work and probably get along to the inside. It will also let me measure where the DPC actually is...
Would sealing the crack then putting a fan on the inside be a thing to try? (Could I fill with something like bitumen sealant that has a little give as well?)
No insurance anyway** but also the same really… (Cash buy with my entire working life savings basically)
I'm not sure I understand this, but as someone else asked - are you saying you don't have building insurance? Buying a house with cash does not take away the need for house insurance.
I doubt that the path has caused subsidence . More likely that the very dry year last year will cause movement, and this has been the case for a older buildings (one reason why you need building insurance).
Damp issues like this are not uncommon on older buildings. I have a similar issue and trying to find the cause is difficult. You can get damp specialists to help, which might help with the anexity and stress of it all.
Are the two photo's of different locations?
One appears to have a drain pipe or similar but that isn't shown in the wider view picture of the path?
Is the render cracked in multiple locations?
As said above, dig the pebbles out behind your bedroom wall and see what's there. Then phone a couple of local builders.
Its not water dripping off in buckets inside but paint peeling and very damp… less damp in the dry then after heavy rain damp again
OK, that's definitely a problem that needs addressing then. If the surface level of the new path is above your DPC, that needs to be rectified so that all that water doesn't lie against your wall.
Is the new path entirely on your neighbour’s claimed land?
Yes, he's not so much claiming (to be fair to them) it's what they were sold by the developer...
They got properly stiffed to be honest...
I didn't interfere as I just wanted them gone it took months (maybe over a year) for them to do this in whaty seemed like their spare time (evenings, weekends, late at night etc.) ... then all of a sudden the joint access was fenced off last day, estate agent putting up sign next day.
I notice that there is also a bit of green on the new wall to roughly the same height as yours, so it could be a more general slow drying issue. Is there a new fence/gate that is interrupting airflow down the space?
True and you can also see their DPC... and it looks to me that their wall is wet up to the DPC.
This used to be open both ends then as above suddenly the developers put a fence either end on my side and disappeared. The bottom one is solid but the end from the photo is a open lattice.
The best thing is to have a friendly conversation with the neighbour, say that the level of the path may be bridging your DPC and could you dig a small test pit there to check? It could be that you need a gap created around the base.
Mr Neighbour is OK but Mrs Neighbour is a nightmare over anything like that.
Safe to say she won't let me dig a hole in her path... she'll want some expensive company she chooses to do it.
Could be that you can identify the DPC level just by removing the layer of pebbles in a small area, unless the level of the path is significantly above what it used to be. If you have access to the side, just do that.
But the water could just be entering via the cracks in the blown render. Is it single skin or cavity wall?
Are the two photo’s of different locations?
One appears to have a drain pipe or similar but that isn’t shown in the wider view picture of the path?
Nope just as far as I can get so one with the drainpipe is almost straight down... (basically corner me leaning over their fence) and the other is along the wall
Is the render cracked in multiple locations?
From what I can see without trespassing there are 3 visible bits... where is disappears into the pebbles so it may well continue underneath.
As said above, dig the pebbles out behind your bedroom wall and see what’s there. Then phone a couple of local builders.
I can dig the front garden but the path is raised quite a bit over my garden... and Mrs Neighbour isn't going to let me dig her path she is going to want to pick her own posh company.
When I was replacing the fence posts she wouldn't allow me access and told me I had to use a landscaping company she picked. I did it all from my side and when I was carrying the fence posts through my house threatened to report me to "someone" because I shouldn't be lifting them.
She threatened to have it knocked down if it wasn't straight... then went apeshit when I pointed out to have them straight I'd need to put them in a straight line and that meant cutting her patio that was built over my garden by 6".
[basically, according to her FIL she has issues with "people who do manual work" being allowed to live in proximity to people like her if you get the drift]
Actually that's an idea, FIL is an ex railway engineer... and parents often come around when they are away and I get on with them really well so I might be able to get his help pointing out its not doing their house any good either.
martinhutch
Could be that you can identify the DPC level just by removing the layer of pebbles in a small area, unless the level of the path is significantly above what it used to be. If you have access to the side, just do that.
But the water could just be entering via the cracks in the blown render.
Well as per last post... I can wait till her FIL is around but I can't see it round the front either and their path is raised above my garden... but I know its in there as I've had every bloody floor up since moving in .. I also have a hazy memory that I think I found it when I dug out the pathway years ago before developers/cowboys were next door and took the rest of the built up detritus back to a level below.
Is it single skin or cavity wall?
Cavity... probably one of the earlier ones...
I’m not sure I understand this, but as someone else asked – are you saying you don’t have building insurance? Buying a house with cash does not take away the need for house insurance.
Fair point... (using your example below) - I did for a couple of years (building only) but it went up and I didn't have the money...
I doubt that the path has caused subsidence . More likely that the very dry year last year will cause movement, and this has been the case for a older buildings (one reason why you need building insurance).
Just to be clear... my thoughts were more them adding another story without doing any more foundations is why I'm worried.. the path is another possible cause... as is "cracked render alone"
Damp issues like this are not uncommon on older buildings. I have a similar issue and trying to find the cause is difficult. You can get damp specialists to help, which might help with the anexity and stress of it all.
I've a couple of buddies who I ride with and dig with that are builders.. so maybe I'll see if one will have a look and see what they think. ironically one of them is in the last photo of the insta before the damp photos
From what I can see without trespassing
You really need to get the ownership of the land sorted as well as your damp problem.
It doesn't matter where the developer put the fence. If it's not correct, remove it...have the argument and get it resolved.
Right from what you've said it's unclear if your neighbor has a gutter or you have a gutter above the area in question. Regardless the first step is to establish where the water is coming from - in my experience as a builder it will be coming from above in almost all situations ie it's falling from the sky directly or via gutters or down pipes that leak or overflow in heavy downpours or due to blockage/poor lead or zinc details.
Once you've worked out where the source is you can rectify it and then think about the wall. Once the water source is found and stopped the wall will no longer be getting wet but will remain damp as it slowly dries. To speed this up you could expose the internal area where the damp is penetrating and get air movement in there. Ideally you could run a dessicating dehumidifier which would act very quickly in drying things out in a few days or a couple of weeks
Externally I would make sure first that ground level is below your dpc as a priority. After that I would monitor and see if the render slowly dries, which it should assuming you have stopped the source of the water. If it was my wall, I might do nothing. However if things were not quickly resolving I would consider cutting off the render and leaving it exposed to allow drying, and then re rendering at a later date. The presence of the crack would not immediately bother me unless movement was evident, but it's almost certainly letting the falling/splashing water in.
I deal with this sort of thing all the time, it can be very worrying for the homeowners but it's typically resolved without major issues or expense so don't stress
You mentioned that you put aggregate down along your wall base, this is good practice to ensure your building is not sitting in saturated soil which then soaks into the building itself.
Sorry I can't help with your boundary dispute
Fair point… (using your example below) – I did for a couple of years (building only) but it went up and I didn’t have the money…
Please sort this!
My wife works in insurance so she see's a lot of "it'll never happen to me" scenarios. A house is hundreds of thousands to rebuild if you had a fire.
Get the money, sell something, eat beans for a month or two, all the alternatives are worse.
your neighbour isn't actually allowed to refuse you access for maintenance to your property. true they can be an arse about it, but it is a right to be able to do work such as repair that render or investigate.
with regards to digging...it's pebbles, hell take a photo and try and put the top layer back exactly as was.
if you get below it and its concrete I could understand she may have concerns but honestly it's super easy to patch, and it won't be visible with the pebbles on top!
tbh I'd have a dig when they were out for the day if they are that hard to deal with. it'll be less than 15mins to move that top layer of pebbles unless it's mega deep. (unlikely as pebbles cost more than mot)
kormoran
Right from what you’ve said it’s unclear if your neighbor has a gutter or you have a gutter above the area in question. Regardless the first step is to establish where the water is coming from – in my experience as a builder it will be coming from above in almost all situations ie it’s falling from the sky directly or via gutters or down pipes that leak or overflow in heavy downpours or due to blockage/poor lead or zinc details.
We have a gutter but they don't (on that side), I've been out in really heavy rain and there is a very slight drip from one joint... but it's almost nothing (Not saying it shouldn't be fixed but its really small and actually above the dry spot on the render.. and can't account for the amount of water)
Obviously some comes between the houses but its gotta be nearly vertical for it to be direct rain... I've been out and looked and if anything its when the wind is blowing it from their roof (without gutters ^)
What I mean by that is the passageway is somewhere you'd stand if it was raining and expect to be "mostly dry" compared to out in the open... so it "should in general" have less water falling than the front or back the house. (Unless the rain is vertical) but obviously as you say its coming from somewhere.
Once you’ve worked out where the source is you can rectify it and then think about the wall. Once the water source is found and stopped the wall will no longer be getting wet but will remain damp as it slowly dries. To speed this up you could expose the internal area where the damp is penetrating and get air movement in there. Ideally you could run a dessicating dehumidifier which would act very quickly in drying things out in a few days or a couple of weeks
That sounds very do-able... at the other side of the house we had an issue (previous owner had used a damage olive on the water inlet pipe - I know that as the chipped off bit was missing when I removed the compression fitting) ... I ended up replacing the joists and floor after fixing and shoved a high flow fan inside and a humidity meter and that seemed to dry out pretty good over a few weeks... (I left it as long as possible open especially after I'd laid a new covering of concrete but floors need to go back in at some point)
Externally I would make sure first that ground level is below your dpc as a priority. After that I would monitor and see if the render slowly dries, which it should assuming you have stopped the source of the water. If it was my wall, I might do nothing. However if things were not quickly resolving I would consider cutting off the render and leaving it exposed to allow drying, and then re rendering at a later date. The presence of the crack would not immediately bother me unless movement was evident, but it’s almost certainly letting the falling/splashing water in.
Yep, I'm gravitating towards the DPC... and I seem to remember removing the accumulated soil / clay and stuff when we moved in and had damp the other end... at that time we had a different neighbour
I deal with this sort of thing all the time, it can be very worrying for the homeowners but it’s typically resolved without major issues or expense so don’t stress
Thank you....
You mentioned that you put aggregate down along your wall base, this is good practice to ensure your building is not sitting in saturated soil which then soaks into the building itself.
Yeah, I'm a geologist and fairly practical (and stick drainage into trails we build) so it just seemed like common sense at the time.
You really need to get the ownership of the land sorted as well as your damp problem.
It doesn’t matter where the developer put the fence. If it’s not correct, remove it…have the argument and get it resolved.
Well the rear fence got moved... eventually Mrs Neighbours FIL managed to explain that if she wanted the fence straight between the existing concrete post at the bottom and the passage then it had to be a straight line and that line went through her posh landscaping company patio.... took a while... stretching a string and asking her so if this string is straight how can the fence be straight and showing her the "original" 1920's concrete posts...
The issue now is more access/water... I'm not unsympathetic they got sold a real pig in a poke... then their posh landscapers built patio right to the ended of the (not straight) fence... (the ones she was insisting I use) so she obviously got screwed over a 2nd time. Her argument was "this is a respectable company how can you know better than them". (erm I can hold a bit of string luv)...
TBH I'm now questioning if the landscaping company put in the pebble path and raised the level even more?
DT78
your neighbour isn’t actually allowed to refuse you access for maintenance to your property. true they can be an arse about it, but it is a right to be able to do work such as repair that render or investigate.
Yeah, went through all that with the fence... eventually though I just did it from my side with a foot on theirs for example when I was cutting the stone patio... she was still a complete arse. I took the bloody door frame out of the kitchen to get the post/stump puller through... just to avoid asking them.
I got back with the concrete posts and she started threatening to "report me" for carrying them.. "sure who to"... went through the "you must replace"... went through me explaining "it's my fence if you want to pay for another feel free"... went through "their right to attach things to my fence or paint it without asking" .. went through the "I can get a court order for access"..
This is why I'm so reticent to involve them at all.
Just occurred to me our bungalow originally had a chimney up that wall... so the chimney at least must have been inside my boundary?
This is why I’m so reticent to involve them at all.
Unfortunately you have a penetrating damp issue which may be due to works on their property, you need to investigate so it can be remedied. If it is down to the way their path has been constructed, that needs to be addressed before it causes more damage, which will have to be fixed at their expense.
I reckon five minutes of scooping gravel with your builder mate while they're out for the day will reveal the source of the issue.
Can you follow the level of your dpc around visually from the front or rear of the property and see where it might be along that side?
Away at the moment so on mobile
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“If it is down to the way their path has been constructed, that needs to be addressed before it causes more damage, which will have to be fixed at their expense.”
Is that established?? What sort of process is this ?
Presumably I’d need a structural engineer or someone if they don’t want to change their path ?? Then what’s the process ??
im asking in advance as from previous experience mrs neighbour starts inventing laws she thinks must exist.
In part my reticence in talking about it is she will probably go see a solicitor before I even know what the cause is.
When I bought the fence posts she must have been waiting for me to arrive to twist HSSE and tell me I wasn’t allowed to carry the fence posts .. but I cheerfully told her I wasn’t doing this as a job thank you
“I reckon five minutes of scooping gravel with your builder mate while they’re out for the day will reveal the source of the issue.
Can you follow the level of your dpc around visually from the front or rear of the property and see where it might be along that side?“
yeah I think those are both on the cards though bloody difficult as they both semi wfh and have a semi live in nanny who seems to move in when they are away
Is that established?? What sort of process is this ?
In simple terms, if I do something on my property which leads to damage to an adjoining property, I am legally liable for the costs of correcting it. Obviously it's never that straightforward in the real world, but IF it can be shown that they have raised the level of their path and constructed it in such a way that it lets water bridge your dpc then they would be liable for the costs of putting everything right. Of course, it's still possible that it's nothing to do with them.
In an ideal world, you'd sit down over a cup of tea and discuss it like good neighbours and never let it get that far...but from what you've said you'll have to play a longer, more careful game and try not to antagonise them too early.
Do you have no home insurance, buildings or contents? Many contents policies will have legal cover.
Your render is blown, it would be reasonable to ask for access to the path with your builder mate to address that issue.
Just occurred to me our bungalow originally had a chimney up that wall… so the chimney at least must have been inside my boundary?
Might be worth a look at the plan attached to the title deeds. They are usually drawn with thick lines which scale at around 1metre thick, but you may be able to tell whether the boundary is in line with the face of your flank wall or if it is set away from the wall to allow for a projecting chimney.
Martinhutch
(Sorry still away and no computer)
“Obviously it’s never that straightforward in the real world“
I appreciate that but at least in theory
If it was the neighbours the other side or previous occupant it would be no prob to have a cuppa and chat it over .. (or a beer with the other side)
fundamentally I think mrs neighbours issue is they got sold a complete pig in a poke but also I can’t remember 100% if they were the ones put in the path or the “developer“
(ie was this before or after they were the owners and if that makes them responsible or the folded limited company they bought from ?? )
Literally no insurance at all. I had buildings only but the price went up one year and I just couldn’t afford it at the time. (Quite literally couldn’t have paid without borrowing something I had no idea when I might pay off)
I guess I didn’t renew when I had the money because it was just another thing I’d be paying until I couldn’t again - probably not the smartest decision but that’s where I am
Get your insurance sorted. Like now. Go on moneysaving whatsit and get a quote. Seriously do it now.
Seriously do it now.
Not least of which it will probably get you free (or cheap) legal support.
So you can at least get into the beginnings of sorting the issue. Rather than thrashing around, which is effectively what you are doing now.