Should I pay for half the fence

[Iamamagpie]

I live in the middle of a row of houses where each house has responsibility for the fence on the left as you look out into the back garden. Some of the fence panels have blown down between my garden and the next door neighbour to the right. This means that these fence panels are NDN’s responsibility. She has asked that we split the cost with her. Not only for replacement panels but for a whole new fence between our houses.

I know that legally, it is NDN’s fence so we don’t need to contribute but I feel awkward about refusing as I know money is a bit tight for her. On the other hand, we replaced our fence 2 years ago and didn’t ask our left hand side neighbour to contribute.

If we don’t contribute, the fence might not get replaced at all and we’ll have an opening between our gardens. There are no children or dogs to consider from either of us.

So would you just suck it up and go halves for the sake of neighbourly relations and privacy in the garden? Or think that I’ve already paid for the fence I’m responsible for, so why should I pay for someone else’s fence?

No

It depends if you can afford it. If you can and you know she is struggling with money then yes I would.

I'd go halves. I did that with a fence in our garden and another neighbour did similar with us.

The first neighbour had previously moaned about us painting "her fence" a dark colour (on our side), but she didn't clock when she said she was replacing it and I offered to go halves, that then she couldn't then moan.

I mean I could have left it unprotected and it isn't like she could see our side!