to not offer some money to my neighbour?

[Thereistoomuchconfusion]

In October we stripped our garden right back. The shrubs on the side of our house to the left had grown into our neighbours fence and we carefully cut them back, however it left the fences wobbly and fragile.

In the recent winds the fences have gone.

I am wandering if we should offer some/all of the money towards them I saw on Saturday he had brought some more panels and overnight more have gone. I cannot help feeling guilty that if we hadn't cut down all the shrubs (we let our garden over grow for three years, apart from grass, so the shrubs had well and truly grown onto the fence).

They haven't ask for any money but I can see they have new panels.
Should I go and offer some? I don't even know if they are our fences or theirs?

Any help appreciated.

If its a boundary fence then you either have to find documentation to prove who's it is, or do what most people who like to get on with their neighbours do and chip in.

YWBU not to offer to split the cost, whether your hedge trimming was responsible for weakening the hedge or not, but more so that your plants probably did cause the structure to be weakened.

I'm no legal eagle though. I just think its always better to offer...

We would always pay half for fences that border our garden

Just wanted to add I would ask them, but I hardly see them, as she works in Holland and he works shifts and I work night shifts, so we barely see them. Shall I write them a note? wwyd?

I think if you're sure that one or more of your actions or inactions (is that even a word) has caused the problem, then yes it would be nice to offer some help with the cost. I'd write a note and pop it through.

Ok thanks. That helps, I will write them a note to offer half the money then. This is my first house so I am clueless on these matters, and we always say hi to our neighbour and send Christmas cards but otherwise we hardly have any interaction.
Thanks

Always helps to have your neighbours on good terms. I would def offer.

I would definitely offer, even if they refuse i am positive they will appreciate the gesture.

Our neighbours took down half of the boundary fence when our house was empty, never offered to pay towards a new one but did offer to help put it up. But then promptly went out all over the arranged weekend. Coupled with other piss take stuff communications are limited

Might be a small price to pay for friendly neighbour relations.......

Agree with others - do offer. They will appreciate the thought even if they say no.

It would be nice to offer, if you can afford it.

I'd always gone on the assumption that the boundary on the left is yours. You might want to check out exactly who owns the fence.

Offer.

We've just arranged to pay half with the neighbOurs on b

We've just arranged to pay half with the neighbOurs on both sides after ours came down in the storm. We have a LOT of fencing - cheapest price so far, for our share, is over £1,000

Our dog dug under the fence that our neighbour was responsible for and we paid for new panels.

If it's your fault you pay. Definitely. Not legally maybe, but morally that's right.

We often have fence panels go down in high winds. The people next door are retired and are also very efficient, and as DH and I both leave for work in the dark and return in the dark (well in winter at least), it's often weekend before we realise there are shiney new fence panels in the garden. Always go straight round and offer to pay half. Honestly don't know who is technically responsible but always thought it was fair to share the cost. Not least because they have clearly done the work as well.

D

I believe the general rule about fence responsibility is that if the posts are on your side it is your responsibility

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The diagram above is meant to be our garden and in this case the fence on the left is our responsibility while the fence at the bottom is the neighbours.
(So is the one on the right but I couldn't get the diagram to work)

We had to put up new fences and our neighbours offered to pay half of the cost of one side, as they are a lot less well off than us. Then when we finished they refused to pay. Sorry, it has no real bearing on your story, but after reading your post it just made me so angry all over again! We havent spoken to them since.... I would offer and follow through :)

I would definitely check out who owns which boundary. It will be in your deeds and should have been in other documents too when you bought the house. Doesn't stop you being generous and coughing up even if it isn't your responsibility.

We're in the position of being responsible for all of the boundary fences around our garden. When panels have come down neither our next door neighbour (whose blasted fruit tree is very much responsible for the collapse) nor the council (again their annoying "hedgerow" very much responsible) nor the people at the back (admittedly no fault that I can see) have offered to contribute. I've hacked back the fruit tree quite viciously (but legally), same for the council's hedgerow (maybe slightly less legally) in the hope it does not happen again but don't think any the worse of them for not contributing.

You would be very nice to offer to contribute.

You said that because you let the garden overgrow, the fence was left weakened when you finally removed the shrubs, therefore you have a responsibility to pay at least half for the new panels, morally if not legally.

Kelly2000 rest assured I have now offered.

Thanks for all the replies, I put a note through earlier

Oh. I have posts that sit between panels but the 'bad' side of the fence is on my side (the recessed side if that makes sense) on both boundaries
. Guess I'm buggered then.

Neighbour popped round tonight and said not to worry about it and he was sorry he hadn't replaced the fences before now!! Crazy!! We are gonna help him put them up on Sunday, so happy ending all round

I would ask to see a quote/the costs and offer a contribution, if you can afford it offer half.