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AIBU?

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Original poster

To want to knock nails back through to neighbour's garden

87 replies

FindingTheBalance · 29/05/2025 18:31

We have obnoxious neighbours that we've had disputes with since they moved in. I made the mistake of asking them to turn music down so my baby could sleep and after two polite requests they said if we ever spoke to them again they'd report us for harrassment. Since then we've had issue after issue with them with them shouting abuse at us, spreading lies about us around our kids school and generally a-hole behaviour like encouraging their dogs to jump up at the fence and bark when we come in the garden.

Anyway, my husband just came in with a gash down his arm. Turns out they keep attaching items to their fence, but use crazily long nails to do so. We were already aware of a new set down one third of the fence so have blocked those off from the kids. But we've now discovered another set of them just behind our children's den that we're dismantling to build a bigger one. It's a blessing our kids haven't been stabbed by them as they climb around there all the time.

Would aibu to just hammer the nails back through? Or cut them flush with the panel? If they were reasonable neighbours I'd talk to them first but that's sadly not the case.

OP posts:
Lassango · 31/05/2025 12:21

Hacksaw the ends off. Or do what my husband would do and randomly push in some long screw into their side.

Your neighbours are absolute cretins though.

DdraigGoch · 31/05/2025 11:21

FindingTheBalance · 31/05/2025 09:39

We can't. They threatened us with harrassment if we ever spoke to them again. They've done this to basically all the neighbors who have complained to them over the years. They're very much of the mentality "we'll do what I want, but throw a hissy fit if anyone does anything to upset us".

Show quote history

They can threaten all they like, but if it isn't harassment then the police won't do owt.

MissMoneyFairy · 31/05/2025 10:13

You cant reason with an idiot, you can paint reflective paint on corks so they can seen at night, you don't want anyone or animals getting hurt. I'd ignore them, can you put up your own fence and when theirs inevitably collapses just leave it to them to sort. Goodness knows what his carpentry work is like.

HuffleMyPuffle · 31/05/2025 10:09

I wouldn't go damaging the screws as you'll invite issues from them for damaging their property but I'd be going to Citizens Advice about whether you could sue them/pursue them for injury caused by negligence

lostinthesunshine · 31/05/2025 09:51

If it’s their fence, then I don’t think you can do anything to the screws, other than putting a cap on them (wine cork or similar). Yes, they are protruding from the panel, but not far enough to be past the fence post which is most likely the boundary.

However, this means that the screws are fully on their property, so…

What you could do is threaten to sue for injury incurred on their property 😜

(in reality, if you don’t want to escalate their behaviour, put corks on the ones that are at the back of your flower beds, and put panels on your sides where the screws are causing more of an issue.)

Original poster
FindingTheBalance · 31/05/2025 09:51

I went along yesterday recording all the large screws sticking through the fence. A set of them are holding up wooden slates to increase the fence height. The neighbors have then put two tonne of soil against the fence panels to build a planter along the fence. The fence is buckling under the weight of the additional slates and soil, so soil is now leaking through onto our side. I honestly don't think the fence can hold this weight indefinitely.

I guess we just let the whole thing gradually collapse? And then put any remnants back on their driveway?

Like I said, this guy is a carpenter and builder and I just don't get how he can be so bad at this.

To want to knock nails back through to neighbour's garden
OP posts:
Original poster
FindingTheBalance · 31/05/2025 09:42

MyCyanReader · 30/05/2025 08:40

Just cut the end of the screws off and don't mention it to the neighbour.

They're either trying to get a reaction or just thick.

The worrying thing is he's a carpenter. And has his own building company.

I still think he's of the mentality "I don't care about anyone else apart from myself. Stop picking on me!". Based on what he's said to us and other neighbours in the past.

OP posts:
CarrotVan · 31/05/2025 09:42

Get a dremel multi tool - useful for lots of jobs

Original poster
FindingTheBalance · 31/05/2025 09:39

JohnofWessex · 30/05/2025 11:22

Ask them to remove the screws

We can't. They threatened us with harrassment if we ever spoke to them again. They've done this to basically all the neighbors who have complained to them over the years. They're very much of the mentality "we'll do what I want, but throw a hissy fit if anyone does anything to upset us".

OP posts:
Original poster
FindingTheBalance · 31/05/2025 09:37

AppleAng35 · 30/05/2025 13:30

Honestly I would move house, they sound awful. Life’s too short to live next to cunts. And hammer a bunch of nails into your side of the fence in a pattern that spells out “fuck you” on move out day.

The thought has crossed our minds but apart from them the house is lush and we've spent years making it our home. It's also three minutes walk from the kids' school so convenient for now. Besides we've realised there's sadly a lot of cunts and there's every chance we'd spend thousands of pounds moving only to end up next to another set of them. We mostly try and ignore and then deal with whatever they throw at us.

OP posts:
AppleAng35 · 30/05/2025 13:30

Honestly I would move house, they sound awful. Life’s too short to live next to cunts. And hammer a bunch of nails into your side of the fence in a pattern that spells out “fuck you” on move out day.

MinnieGirl · 30/05/2025 12:59

We had this. Our neighbours are nice but thick as mud, and don’t get that if they drill nails in, the ends will come through our side…we had to at one stage…
Hubby used a grinder to get rid of them.

hididdlyho · 30/05/2025 11:29

I'd be tempted to get a hammer and bash the sticking out ends so they lie flat against the fence (an L shape). That way it will be impossible for them to unscrew whatever they've attached without asking you to straighten the screws out first, but you haven't permanently damaged them by cutting.

JohnofWessex · 30/05/2025 11:22

Ask them to remove the screws

ExpressCheckout · 30/05/2025 10:03

imisscashmere · 30/05/2025 09:57

Please don’t waste your time following this absolutely ridiculous advice 😂

Take some photos for your records then make the screws safe from your side.

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Thank you for your absolutely ridiculous reply Flowers

Fluffyholeysocks · 30/05/2025 10:01

I'd cut them off with some bolt cutters. Don't bother with corks.

Ozgirl76 · 30/05/2025 09:58

I’d just cut them off and if they say anything I’d feign total innocence.
Neighbour “you cut our screws off the fence what are you playing at??”
You - “I don’t know what you mean. Surely you wouldn’t put in a screw that would come through the fence. That would be insane, and if someone in our family got injured, there’s a whole host of criminal offences you could have committed, as well as civil ones. So no, I don’t know anything about your fence screw”

Suntree32 · 30/05/2025 09:58

If the fence is their's, in theory, the fence posts should be on their side of the boundary. It doesn't look as though the screws go any further than the fence posts jut out into the garden, so cutting them due to overhanging your garden may not be correct. They are clearly being petty and ridiculous, but if removing them in anyway damages anything on their side, it may well cause even more abuse from them.

imisscashmere · 30/05/2025 09:57

ExpressCheckout · 30/05/2025 09:06

Don't cut or remove the screws yet. These are evidence. Ensure you have a good range of photographs, time-stamped. Ensure that you are also keeping a diary and record of all conversations with them.

Based on what you are saying, this does seem designed to injure.

Speak to:
Local councillor (they probably won't do anything useful though)
Local police (log it with 101)
Citizens advice (to understand the law a bit more)
Legal advisor (to actively pursue the problem)

Do you have legal advice cover as part of your insurance, part of your job, or any other memberships you might have? Worth checking.

Please don’t waste your time following this absolutely ridiculous advice 😂

Take some photos for your records then make the screws safe from your side.

PostmanPatAlwaysRingsTwice · 30/05/2025 09:50

It’s not a civil matter if they’re doing this to try and cause injury or upset. You should ask them to remove the screws. Then, unless they say they were unaware, apologise and fix it, contact police on 101.

Schweden · 30/05/2025 09:46

ExpressCheckout · 30/05/2025 09:06

Don't cut or remove the screws yet. These are evidence. Ensure you have a good range of photographs, time-stamped. Ensure that you are also keeping a diary and record of all conversations with them.

Based on what you are saying, this does seem designed to injure.

Speak to:
Local councillor (they probably won't do anything useful though)
Local police (log it with 101)
Citizens advice (to understand the law a bit more)
Legal advisor (to actively pursue the problem)

Do you have legal advice cover as part of your insurance, part of your job, or any other memberships you might have? Worth checking.

It's a civil matter, on private land, nothing to do with the local councillors, so no they won't do anything useful because it isn't within their remit.

sonoonetoldyoulifewasgonnabethisway · 30/05/2025 09:46

We put panels on our side of the fence because of this. It looks like the across bits of wood (don't know correct term) are on your side, so this could be a solution?

BreatheAndFocus · 30/05/2025 09:35

Take photos, including of your DH’s injury, showing the screws. If you have something to hold beside them to show the length of the protruding bit, do that too. You need to keep records of this.

Then, I’d wait until the neighbours were out and cut/saw the ends of all the screws so they’re flush against your side of the fence. Say nothing to your neighbours.

ExpressCheckout · 30/05/2025 09:06

Don't cut or remove the screws yet. These are evidence. Ensure you have a good range of photographs, time-stamped. Ensure that you are also keeping a diary and record of all conversations with them.

Based on what you are saying, this does seem designed to injure.

Speak to:
Local councillor (they probably won't do anything useful though)
Local police (log it with 101)
Citizens advice (to understand the law a bit more)
Legal advisor (to actively pursue the problem)

Do you have legal advice cover as part of your insurance, part of your job, or any other memberships you might have? Worth checking.

johnd2 · 30/05/2025 09:06

I think people are over thinking it, some people are just not that practical; our neighbour repaired a fence panel and literally left 50+ screws poking out on our side.
Just a few screws like the OPs it would take longer to get the angle grinder out than to cut them.