Hey guys, so I’m in a bit of a sticky situation and need some advice on how to handle it. A while back, my neighbor wanted to build his house close to my land, and we agreed on a distance of 5 meters from the border. However, turns out they built it only about 1.3 meters away, which is way closer than we agreed upon. Now they’re asking me to sign off on this after the fact so they can legalize the building and get all the necessary certificates. If I don’t sign, they might have trouble selling or registering the house, as it doesn’t meet the required distance regulations.
Here’s where it gets interesting — I wouldn’t mind taking ownership of the house since I was planning to build in that area anyway, which would save me a lot of trouble. But they’ve priced it at €300k, way above the market rate of similar houses selling for around €200k. So my question is, if I refuse to sign, can I use that as leverage to negotiate a significantly lower price, like a 30-40% discount?
In my mind, they have a few options: either they pay me off to get my signature, sell me the house at a more reasonable price, or potentially have to make costly adjustments to comply with regulations. Am I on the right track with this line of thinking? Has anyone been through a similar situation and can offer some advice?
Update: Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the comments, but I’ve decided to consult with a lawyer to get some professional advice on how to proceed. I’ll keep you all updated once I have a plan in place!