to be p***ed off with next door and think they're vandals?

[annoyednow]

Ok. Previous thread about next doors attempt to land grab our property. They misrepresented our land as being inside their boundary in planning application. We got chartered surveyor around who said it was false (easy to refute as party wall) and they were were refused anyway at council and appeal. Very vehemently and on a few grounds.

Today, I was sitting in the garden when a woman (who it turned out was one of the owners mother) started pulling at vegetation which had started growing through our fence (not party, ours and on our land). Instead of cutting it at the fence, she was pulling it through the fence forcibly and pulling at the fence also. With great effort. I had not realized it was growing through. I asked her to please stop and not damage our fence. I said I can cut it. She continued yanking and started ranting about why don't you bloody cut it then. It was ugly straight away. I have never seen this woman before in my life. Owner was inside french door watching and didn't come out

Now I'm totally peed off. They have a huge amount of ivy which is growing over down at the bottom of our garden. I have been trimming it off and have loads more to do. I'm letting it dry down once cut. I wouldn't dream of vandalizing someone's property.

Owner was inside french door and didn't come out. Was watching the whole thing. Heard her ask the woman what had I said to her.

I am shocked really. The fence on the other side is owned by our other neighbour and I couldn't imagine yanking foliage through their fence. I trim it at fence face if it comes through.

What would other people do in my situation. I'm going to reinforce my fence. Is this normal? They're obviously pi**ed they didn't get away with landgrab and planning was refused.

What the heck do I do with this behaviour? Think I'm too polite and probably should have told her to eff off. It would only be horrible then though.

Don't get sucked in any more than you have. Keep the moral high ground and continue to be a good neighbour. It will cause you less stress and won't give them any ammunition for a row

Worried that they are forcing a confrontation though. What if they start pulling at the fence again? They were actively pulling at the fence. I don't want to engage, but what can I do?

Don't plant things so close to the fence, maybe.

Don't think it's about the plants per se. Foliage from my neighbour on the other side comes over and I trim. They didn't ask me to trim.

Build a wall,they won't be able to yank at that!

Cut it down on your side so it doesn't grow through thus avoiding any encroachment.

If we build a wall, it becomes a party wall if it's close to the boundary and we don't want to change from our fence on our land.

I will go along the fence and clip anything I see going through. This isn't the crux of the problem though. My other neighbours don't worry about their fence being compromised if any tendril goes through to my side. I thought it was normal to trim.

They have tonnes of ivy growing over our fence at the bottom of our garden. What do I do with this? The ivy bush/tree is from their garden.

I would spray a powerful weedkiller on the ivy growing through or on the fence.

You carry on as normal with the ivy and keep trunking if that's what you're happy to do. It's really not worth getting your knickers in a twist over, it will case you more stress in the long term.

Like you say, trim anything you can see going over to their side from your side, take the moral high ground and smile and continue as normal.

It's not worth the agro in the long term

Trunking??? Trimming

Ok. I shall continue trimming. But what if they actively damage the fence? I don't want to use weedkiller on the ivy as it may damage beasties/bugs/birds/ME.

It's not normal to start pulling at neighbours wooden fences though, is it? Especially when more of their stuff grows over than mine. But they are obviously boiling 'cos they wanted part of our garden.

Can I just ask if neighbours foliage transgresses their fence, do you trim back, ask them to trim back or start pulling foliage with force through their fence and then pull at fence panels themselves?

If foliage comes through the fence...we have had ivy coming through as well...I just cut it out.

I have foliage coming over on my wall on another side and I have left that as its nice...some clematis and something else.

I would just cut the ivy back, make sure you return the trimmings.

It sounds like they are trying to provoke you...dont rise to it

I'd get the fence replaced with a more sound structure (wall). It could be they've decided to get petty.

If that's the only thing that's happened since the planning application then I think you may be jumping the gun assuming it's the start of a retaliation. The owner's mother might just be rude and obnoxious, and would have been exactly the same regardless of whether the planning application had been rejected. And it sounds a bit as though you are smarting at their cheek with the planning application and so is it possible the exchange was ugly partly because she reacted badly to your tone of voice? She may not initially have realised it might damage the fence and some people get defensive immediately they think they are being criticised.

But it does sound as though it's most likely you're living next to neighbours who have little respect for property and none for good neighbour relations. You could try all sorts of things to make sure they don't get the better of you, but few things are worth an active war with next door. It's exhausting and ceaseless. You really want to be sure they are going to be persistent before you up the ante at all.

Try trimming the plants and waiting and seeing. They could damage the fence by continually pulling things through, but the plants growing through will do damage anyway, and critters may also do more damage if plants are growing through. So it's not necessarily just your neighbours you need to be wary of.

However, do start a diary of everything that happens and when, so if it does escalate or get more serious you have a document you can look back on to get everything in perspective and provide a solid base for future plans.

I would spend some cash on a fuck-off thing, tall and sturdy fence. One of those solid wood vertical slab things which lets light through but offers total privacy (houses that back onto paths often have these).

Problem solved.