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AIBU?

Neighbours burnt my fence

52 replies

Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:36

Backstory - neighbour is selling his home to his son ( son currently living there) & son has MH issues ( was a doorman - took steroids etc ). Last year he threw himself out of his window ( son ) as he'd argued with his g/f and ( although banned) took the car and damaged 3 neighbours cars. Has always been aggressive with me ( am single mum and he's a bully imo ). So I got new fence last year at the back due to the old one being knackered. It's 6ft so I thought I'll have as little to do with him as possible plus he has aggressive dog ( I had a 3 yr old dd). All fine then his dad rings me demanding why I haven't consulted him ( dad) and sensing his old knackered fence back ( builder had taken to tip as it was about 20 years old and wrecked)

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Bishbashthrash · 19/04/2019 16:38

So is it legally your fence or his fence?

Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:39

Told him this and he went into a major strop saying I'd taken his property etc fast forward to today. Came home to find the son had had a bonfire and burnt one of the panels. Rang neighbours dad to ask for neighbours no. His dad came up to have a look and said it just needs painting over. ( It doesn't ) I asked if he would replace one panel+ he refused and said he would rip mine down and out a new lower fence in. I said could you let me know then I will take mine down. He refused and said he would destroy mine like I had destroyed his!

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Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:40

The fence that is burnt is mine

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Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:41

I am now worried that the son will come home from work and kick off or there may be repercussions in the future. I'm so worried. Please help me get a grip. Tia

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CaptainJaneway12 · 19/04/2019 16:42

Was it on your boundary wall?

Wallywobbles · 19/04/2019 16:42

Legally the fence always belongs to one or other of the houses. It doesn't belong to a person.

Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:43

The posts for the fence are directly on the boundary line

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WattdeEll · 19/04/2019 16:44

No one can advise you unless you are able to say if the fence on the boundary you took down and replaced was legally yours to replace.

youarenotkiddingme · 19/04/2019 16:46

But who is responsible for the fence? Usually in a row it's the fence on one side that you are responsible for and where gardens are back to back it'll say who is responsible for it.
If he is then when he puts up new fence then move your taller one inside your boundary and out it up.

Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:46

Neighbour dad said he put the original fence up. I've been her 15 years it was knackered when I moved in. It's directly on the boundary line

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Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:47

It's on the left

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Wallywobbles · 19/04/2019 16:47

Yup but that doesn't make it yours. Unfortunately.

TreadingThePrimrosePath · 19/04/2019 16:48

Which way were they facing you? Posts then planks, or planks on your side with the posts on his? The deeds to your house should identify whose boundary it is, although you can erect a barrier on your own land up to 2m high, in front of the fence.

QforCucumber · 19/04/2019 16:49

Are the posts in your side or the neighbours side?

WattdeEll · 19/04/2019 16:50

It doesn’t matter if it is knackered, if it didn’t legally belong to you then you are at fault for removing it.
You need to find our which house the boundary belongs to.
It does not matter if it is on the left, the right or the back, each boundary is different.
You need to refer to your deeds to see who the boundary belongs to. If it is him, you ought to replace his fence with one of the height that was there originally and move your taller fence inside your boundary.

Passthecherrycoke · 19/04/2019 16:50

You shouldn’t have taken down and dumped a fence he had paid for I know you had the best of intentions but no wonder he’s pissed off

ArchbishopOfBanterbury · 19/04/2019 16:51

Check your deeds to find out who is responsible for the boundary.

TheInvestigator · 19/04/2019 16:52

If it's his fence then you shouldn't have touched it, shouldn't have disposed of it and certainly shouldn't have put up a new, completely different fence.

If you wanted a 6 foot high fence then you needed to put it on your side of the boundary with new fence posts installed on your side which belong to you.

If you came home today and your fence bad been ripped up and a new one put in, would you be annoyed? Because that's exactly what you just did to his property.

thirdfiddle · 19/04/2019 16:52

Boundary fences do usually belong to one house or other. Unfortunately if this boundary is his, then technically yes you shouldn't have interfered even if most people would say you'd have been doing him a big favour. Check the deeds though, it might not be his at all.

Mapril · 19/04/2019 16:53

Eek. If it was his fence that you took down, then essentially haven't you just replaced HIS fence? So he's burnt his own fence.

Passthecherrycoke · 19/04/2019 16:54

But whether or not the fence responsibility is his as per the deeds, the OP knows the existing fence was paid for and installed by him. So either way, she shouldn’t have ripped it down. As a PP said she should’ve installed her 6 ft fence against his on her land

S1naidSucks · 19/04/2019 16:55

It doesn’t matter which side the fence was facing. It’s only considered a curtesy to have the ‘good side’ facing your neighbours if you put up a fence. It has no standing in law. You would be better posting in Garden Law, OP. They’re very good at giving the legal advice you need.

www.gardenlaw.co.uk/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=24

WorraLiberty · 19/04/2019 16:56

Just get your own fence posts put in and slide your 6ft panels into them.

That way they can either put panels into their posts or choose not to.

Mamalicious16 · 19/04/2019 16:56

I don't know if he DID install the original fence fwiw. I need to check my deeds

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Passthecherrycoke · 19/04/2019 16:57

The deeds won’t tell you who installed the fence, just who was legally responsible. Many people are forced to pay for fences that aren’t their responsibility for various reasons

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