Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not acquiesce to neighbour's request?

390 replies

FelicityMorange · 27/01/2018 14:03

We spent this morning installing a new fence in our front garden. After 4 hours of back-breaking labour, I was sweeping up when our neighbour comes out and says she's not happy because we've got the 'nicer' side of the fence facing our way and not hers. She actually wanted us to turn each panel round so the flat side was facing her garden.

I thought she was joking at first so sort of laughed it off but no, she was being serious. I just muttered something about 'speaking to my husband' and went indoors.

Have I made a misstep in neighbourly etiquette or something?!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Oldraver · 28/01/2018 20:11

My folks moved into a new build int he 80's..then you got one 3 ft fence panel then 3 ft posts with three strips of wire with a flimsy netting attached. They asked the neigbours to go halves with a proper fence and they refused so folks didnt bother.

Cue months of neighbours pointedly saying (while their DC's were swinging back and forth on the netting) "oh be careful of next doors fence". Eventually my Mum cracked and said actually it's your fence and pointed out the posts were on their side.

They were straight round asking to go halves and parents refused

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:12

GinFizzBiz - can you link to the law please?

GinFizzBiz · 28/01/2018 20:18

Sorry, I may be wrong but DH has always insisted that when fences need to be replaved, when it is 'our'fence then posts/ugly side must be facing inwards. I hope I am wrong as when our fence needs replacing, it would be lovely to have the nice side in!

greenllicic · 28/01/2018 20:22

Hi, my husband puts up fences. If they're concrete posts you can have the fences any side you want. If they're wooden posts you have the crap side unless you have an agreement with neighbours.

greenllicic · 28/01/2018 20:23

Just realised you've got concrete posts so DH says it doesn't really matter

littlemisssunshine81 · 28/01/2018 20:24

There is absolutely no rule that it should face either way! You paid for it, put it as you like! We had a year long planning battle with our neighbour (they caused us a lot of enforcement problems for no reason - we won the case) and still after all that they tried to get us to install the fence so they had the ‘nice’ side. Needless to say we declined!

Faith7777 · 28/01/2018 20:25

Thiscantreallybehappening - I’m afraid I’m sharing from experience. My last property purchase ended up with a boundary dispute as the vendor appeared to have submitted the wrong plans during the sale. I learnt about the posts etc whilst working closely with the surveyors who had to redraw the plans. It cost us £5000. If we hadn’t, our new neighbors would have had the right to claim the boundary in a few years time.

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:29

GinFizzBiz - if you own the fence and you replace it you can have it whichever way around you want to. There is no law and your neighbour cannot do anything about it. We have replaced 2 fences in 2 different houses and the fence installers both times advised us that as we were paying we got the nice side. Both times our neighbours have been very happy because tbh it is nice to have a new, well erected fence and I don't think the "ugly" side is that ugly. We live on a long road and everyone has done it this way. Therefore, we have one nice side and one not so nice side. I think the key is to discuss it with your neighbours beforehand. Upthread I have posted something from fence laws that states it is entirely up to the person who owns and replaces the fence which way around they have it.

suzy2b · 28/01/2018 20:31

If you stand in your back garden with your back to your house your fence is on the left

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:33

Faith7777 - that sounds like a boundary dispute. Someone upthread who does this as her job says there is no law on which way around the panels should go. I can see if the posts have been put in the wrong place that would obv be a problem.

suzy2b · 28/01/2018 20:34

If you stand in your back garden with your back to your house then the fence on the left is yours, I did know this already but when one of the fence panels came down i had the council on to me to replace for a reason i won't go into my builder refused to touch the fence

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:34

suzy2b Ah no, not always it depends on your deeds. If we stand in our back garden our fence is to our right and our neighbours is to our left. It is not the same for every area or development.

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:38

Hi, my husband puts up fences. If they're concrete posts you can have the fences any side you want. If they're wooden posts you have the crap side unless you have an agreement with neighbours

Exactly

MyOtherProfile · 28/01/2018 20:39

All these people declaring laws about fences but nobody seems to have a link.

Sarahrellyboo1987 · 28/01/2018 20:39

AS long as the fence is not on her property it doesnt matter and is entirely your choice

Jux · 28/01/2018 20:40

As long as the end of each post sits on the boundary and doesn't encroach onto her side, then you could be fine if you just apologise and plead ignorance.

If you get spiky and put up with her tutting then you'll be being unreasonable.

Just say sorry. That ought to be the end of it if you do it right.

BusyBeez99 · 28/01/2018 20:40

Suzy2b

You are wrong. Totally and utterly wrong

Everyone else who says nice side out is law is WRONG.

retirednow · 28/01/2018 20:42

There is a site called fence law uk, i cant attach a link but the info is there.

Dobby1sAFreeElf · 28/01/2018 20:45

suzyb our fences are along the boundary lines and are jointly owned according to our deeds. Which sadly meant we were buggered when one of our neighbours decided to grow plants up them and has left them largely broken in many places.

Sarahrellyboo1987 · 28/01/2018 20:45

I can’t believe how many people on here think they know every last bit of law! Google isn’t the answer to everything!
As long as he fence is entirely on your land it doesn’t matter if the fence posts are concrete or wooden! You can have the damn fence how you want. And there’s not way I’d be buying an entitled and snobby neighbour flowers!

Tistheseason17 · 28/01/2018 20:46

@Sarahrellyboo1987 is correct! Smile

Thiscantreallybehappening · 28/01/2018 20:51

From UK Fence Laws

Fences, appearance of: Must the smooth side of my neighbour's fence face towards me? My neighbour is in the process of erecting his new fence, and he has started putting it up so that the smooth side faces towards his own house. Is he allowed to do this?

There is no law that says the smooth side of the fence should face the neighbour

If your neighbour pays for a fence that he erects on his own land (even if he builds the fence so that the outer face of it, as seen from his land, runs along the boundary) then he is entitled to choose the style and colour of the fence, as well as whether he places the smooth side of the fence to face in towards his own house or out to face your house

BusyBeez99 · 28/01/2018 20:51

Would be great if you call believed Suzy. More earnings for me

BusyBeez99 · 28/01/2018 20:51

*all

SJN71 · 28/01/2018 21:11

Total rubbish to say neighbour is right. There is no law to say which way round your fence posts need to be. I had this problem recently with a neighbour who told me that the posts “had to be” on my side and when I asked the fencer he said its something to do with the direction of the wind and rain, if they are facing a certain way they will get more wind/rain and possibly rot sooner. However if you are paying for the fence (which I was and it wasn’t cheap) and all posts/panels are on your side of the boundary then you are free to put them whichever way you want and why would you want to look at the posts if you have paid for it? In my case I eventually left the crappy old farm-type fence in situ and put the fence inside my boundary (to give context to this also my fence is down the end of their 2 acre plot behind trees so its not in their face either).