Mother's Four-Year Nightmare After Neighbour Tears Down His Half of Their Home

A mother in Leeds, England, says her dream of owning a home turned into a four-year nightmare after her neighbour tore down his side of their shared house. Shivarna Mitra, 44, bought a three-bedroom home in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, and spent years saving up for it. But after her neighbour demolished his half of the building, her home was left with serious damage that she says she cannot afford to fix. She now describes the situation as one of the worst experiences of her life.

Shivarna moved into her home in May 2021 after spending more than a year searching for the perfect place. She paid £217,000 for the house and then spent around £80,000 more making it exactly the way she wanted. She also spent about £35,000 on the garden, adding artificial grass, a deck, and new fences. She said it was the ideal home for her family, with plenty of space for her young son and her elderly mother.

The trouble began when an elderly woman who lived next door sold her home in July 2022. The new owner, Chris Rhodes, bought the property for £280,000. When Shivarna first met him, she said he seemed friendly and told her about plans to change his side of the house. However, things got tense when she asked him not to knock down the shared wall between their two homes.

Mr Rhodes applied for planning permission to build extensions twice and both were approved by Leeds City Council. But Shivarna claims he used those approvals as a reason to demolish his entire side of the building, which he denies. Work started in October 2022, and at first Shivarna said she was not too worried. She admitted she did not know much about construction at the time.

By December 2022, Shivarna became alarmed when Mr Rhodes removed the roof from his side of the property. This left large holes in her walls and roof, letting in cold winter air. In January 2023, she called Leeds City Council saying Mr Rhodes was breaking his planning rules. She claims the council told him to stop, but work continued until May 2023, when he was officially ordered to halt.

The home became overrun with pests after the damage set in. Rats chewed through electrical wires, meaning the whole house had to be rewired. Squirrels and wasps also got inside, and mould and damp spread throughout the rooms. Because the house was so exposed to the cold, Shivarna's energy bills soared to around £630 a month.

To make things even harder, Shivarna was diagnosed with cancer and had to have a major operation during this same period. Instead of resting and recovering, she found herself sending emails and fighting for help from her hospital bed. She said the situation has made her very ill and the stress has been overwhelming. 'I didn't ask for this,' she said. 'No one would ask for this, but it shows it can happen to anyone.'

Mr Rhodes has a different view of what happened. He says a storm caused his outer wall to become unsafe, and he claims he had to pull it down quickly to protect other people nearby. He says the council only told him after the fact that he needed permission to demolish it. He also denies that his work caused any of the problems Shivarna has reported.

Mr Rhodes later tried to build a large five-bedroom house on the empty plot next door. His first application was turned down, but a second design was approved in May 2024. He never completed the work and sold the land in May 2025 to a new couple for £115,000. Shivarna says she is not confident a house will ever be built there.

Leeds City Council confirmed the property was demolished without the proper permissions after safety concerns were raised. Officials say they have since inspected Shivarna's home and found it to be structurally stable. The council advised her to contact her insurer and seek legal advice, saying the dispute is a private matter. Shivarna's insurance company has started a legal case, but she says it could be two more years before it goes to court.