and need to get the fence post out of my arse?

[margaritasbythesea]

We've recently saved up to get some much needed jobs done around the house - around £3500 worth. This is a lot of money for us but we're delighted to get the work done finally.

One of the jobs is a new fence on the side of the house we're responsible for. OK it's just a fence but for us it was an expense and, for a fence, it looks nice.

The property next door is rented out. Relatively new tenants in, but over the years many tenants have leaned things up against our fence as, being a rented property, there isn't storage space or any point for them buying it. This hasn't helped the state of the fence but as it was a bit dilapidated we didn't say anything.

I don't know how many people really live next door. There seem to be three main people now in a 2 bed house-the issue with this being there cars parked in the drive - two side by side one in front. Thus means that when the person driving the car parked nearest to our house gets out they knock sometimes knock the fence.

At the back they have stacked six kayaks up against it.

I feel really pissed off that our brand new fence now stands to be damaged like the old one. Fair enough, we didn't say any thing before but surely a person would realise that money has been spent.

AIBU to go round and ask them to move the kayaks. Im not sure what I could ask them about the cars, because being careful isn't cutting it at the moment (I see their efforts to be careful getting out and they don't work).

It feels so petty and prissy to mind, but I do!

I don't think you're being unreasonable. You just have to ask them in the nicest possible way. They may not know you've spent a lot of money on it and if you tell them that the previous tenants weakened the fence by leaning things against them, I'm sure they won't mind.

It seems better than stewing away about it and them not knowing.

Of course you should mind!

Just go round and tell them that the previous fence was damaged by them leaning the kayaks on it, and ask/tell them to stop doing it. And that they need to stop bashing the fence with their car door - it sounds like there really isn't room for two cars to park there. And say that "It didn't really matter with the old one but I'm sure you understand that we don't want the new fence damaged like the old one was". Then depending on how they react you could drop in that you'd ask them to pay for any repairs for damage they cause. But hopefully they will be reasonable and that won't be necessary.

Thanks. Just needed a reality check! I'll go round later. I'm a bit dismayed that I have to though. Why can't people look after other people's property! They're making a total mess of their landlord's verge too.

I'd call the letting agents BTW but I have done so about other things before (broken gutters etc) and they don't seem to give a damn

Oh god! Why can't I explain myself properly! I would call them about the owner's verge not my fence. I'm here to deal with that.

Came to say talk to them about it but see you're going to, hope it goes well.

I'd be surprised if it does given that you've been complaining to the agent about stuff that's none of your business, but hopefully I'm wrong. It's entirely likely they have told the landlord/agent about broken gutters themselves, and the landlord hasn't bothered to fix them. And if the landlord doesn't care enough to fix the gutters, you can see why they might not take the most care possible with a grass verge!

I think nyou have got the wrong end of the stick there. I have told the Letting Agent about repairs that needed doing to the house when it was empty.

Sorry, I definitely did! Hopefully the agent/landlord are just a bit useless, and the current tenants are more responsible.

Personally I would pick my battle - which is most likely to cause damage - the kayaks or the car doors opening.

Choose one - I suspect the kayaks and possibly have a solution already in mind as to where else they could go.

In most cases like this is it simply they have not thought about it rather than they don't care or wouldn't be reasonable when it is pointed out to them.