Is neighbour being U?

[nowanexpertloounblocker]

I've just gone into the garden and noticed that the neighbour has fixed rows of spikes all along our adjoining fence! I assume it's to stop our cat getting into his garden, as another neighbour told us that he had been moaning that our cat jumps over the fence into his garden and annoys him by sitting on his outer windowsill. He's never mentioned our cat to us directly, though I'm not sure how I could prevent a cat from wandering around wherever it wants short of keeping her locked in the house all day and night forever.

Aside from him not even asking, even though I walked past him earlier today, it looks horrendous and my house is on the market!

Is he being unreasonable?

I don't care about him trying to deter my cat from his garden, that's fine. Use willow screening/citrus/spray water/do whatever in your own garden. I do care that the fence looks like a prison wall and that I am desperate to move and it's hard enough as it is in the current climate. And he didn't even ask or mention it! Rude!

I'm not convinced my deeds are clear about boundaries though - all neighbours have adopted the "left side" rule though.

I use prikka strips around my fence to deter cats/foxes as I keep chickens. They're not designed to cause injury, just make it an uncomfortable place to sit. Of course, if he's attached it to your fence you have a right to have issue.

It is the left side, if I'm standing with my back to the house. Can't find any deeds, only mortgage agreement. It sounds like I probably own it because it has been maintained by previous owners. But even if it's not clear, you would think he would have mentioned it. Getting angrier the more I think about it (but still too much of a wimp to say anything...trying to think of what can I put in my garden or house to piss him off though.)

If you make a fuss about it then won't you have to mention it when filling in any forms for the house sale. I would leave it and if any prospective buyers say anything then just say its a cat deterrant and leave it at that. I doubt I would notice.

My dad has some on his fences. He's a keen bird watcher and wanted to stop cats from scaring them away. They are not sharp enough to damage a cat - well he's never had any cats impaled and dying on them anyway

I would leave it, its not illegal and I wouldn't want to start a ruck over it.

He isn't allowed to do that....if a person injured themselves on his fence, he could be prosecuted.

We were recently burgled and my husband wanted to do something similar to the top of our gate (thats how the thief got access to our property). The local police security officer provided a free security check and he told me that its illegal and we should definitely not do it.

He was quick enough to complain to (nice) neighbours on the other side of him when they put bunting up on their own side of the fence with the English flag on for the jubilee, and said it was offensive because he's Welsh!?

"Then it is your fence. Take the spikes off and put them through his letterbox."

Simple but effective.

OP: can you link to example picture online? I just glanced at some of the products for sale & they are all Butt-ugly. I can see why you're horrified.

My fence is on the right as I look down the garden so it's not always the left side.

But if your neighbours put it up then the chances are it's yours. Though there's a chance the previous owners were daft enough to pay for a boundary they weren't responsible for. The ex owners of my house went halves on next doors fence. Next door neighbour then expected us to go halves on a new fence last year and wasn't happy when I said no!

I display a sign at point of access to my garden warning about the strips. I was told I had to in order to prevent myself being prosecuted should someone injure themselves trying to vault over my gate to nick my telly

Probably best to have a polite chat with him and avoid it becoming an issue as if he is as grumpy to get annoyed about the St. George cross in bunting he's probably got no problem spilling some anti freeze for your cat to drink either.

It's crazy, Chickens. And yet if you had a sign up saying "Beware of the dog" and your Chihuahua bit someone your insurance would pay out purely because in their (skewed) opinion putting the sign up is acknowledging that the dog is likely to bite someone!

maryz yes that's the exact stuff!

I am going to buy hundreds of cats and build a cat house and cat ladders to help them climb over his fence. Don't even like cats, the cat is DH's anyway. But if that's what it takes...

Alternatively I still have some bunting left over from the jubilee street party (which grumpy neighbour didn't attend) which I could drape attractively across the spikes.

Wish i could put up spikes around my garden fence to stop cats doing the toilet in my garden. I think you are being unreasonable as some of us like our gardens and children to be poop free.

And I'm going to put the washing machine and tumble drier on during night feeds with DS, and park in his space, and host a karaoke night etc etc etc.

DH has just told me that I should have better things to worry about, which is probably true.

The fence is generally the property of the owner who has the supporting struts in their garden. So if there are concrete or wooden poles that are holding the fence up, and they largely project into your garden (rather than presenting a smooth face between fence and support) then the fence is very probably yours. The same is true for garden walls: look to see which side the supporting piers are on.

As someone else up there ^ said, the respectable side of the fence is usually on the non-owner's side.

Yes the concrete posts are on our side.

"I'm not sure how I could prevent a cat from wandering around wherever it wants short of keeping her locked in the house all day and night forever"

Course you can't - so surely those spike things are worth a go.

Mention loudly to the nice neighbour that you are narked as you had arranged for lovely, ridiculously expensive fencing to be put up on your boundary but are going to shelve it as your neighbour has already buggered up the old stuff. Then see if the spikes disappear.

TBH my neighbours did same but the cats still get over!

I hated them at first but now I don't even notice them.

he would have pissed me off if it was my fence. AND if it was my fence the spikes would be removed and i would tell him not to vandalise MY fence