Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

Should we pay for a fence?

21 replies

wonderstuff · 12/12/2018 21:26

Yesterday our neighbor approached dh, they want to replace old wire link fence in garden, it’s our boundary side I think (we’re middle of three, I assume we are responsible for both sides?) will we go half on it, £200. Dh says he’ll talk to me. I don’t really want to spend on it, not a priority. They have dogs and want to secure the garden for them. We’re looking to move in the next year, I could find the money but there’s an endless list of things I’d rather spend on.

He texts them saying sorry, we don’t have the money for it. Get home, fence is up, they text back wanting to know why we won’t contribute to them repairing our boundary.

AIBU to think I don’t have a responsibility to pay for the fence, the old one marked the boundary but had a small gap. Which is an issue for them but not me.

OP posts:

Maelstrop · 12/12/2018 21:31

Get your deeds and find out whose boundary it is. If it's theirs, tough. Even if it's your responsibility, you don't have to contribute if they're the ones who wanted it to secure the dog.

megletthesecond · 12/12/2018 21:31

Hello .
I had the same issue in my house. The boundary fence belonged to my neighbour but they hadn't maintained it and there was a walk through gap, no secure gate etc. I just put a fence up on my side of the boundary, but paid for it all. I've permanently lost a ft of garden though.

Thiswayorthatway · 12/12/2018 21:34

If the deeds are not clear, when looking at a house from the front you own the boundary on the left.

OhLemons · 12/12/2018 21:42

You are not legally obligated to have a fence of any sort marking the boundary, just people usually do.

The wire fence was therefore more than adequate, they had no right to remove it without your permission (if they have) and you have no obligation to contribute towards a replacement.

AntMoon · 12/12/2018 21:42

At first I thought you were being unreasonable and I'd pay up. Bad feeling between neighbours isn't worth it. 50/50 is fair, both benefit from it.

But you're moving, and I think as you explained you couldn't afford it then it's VERY cheeky of them to install it and then be shitty.

One time me & neighbour went 50/50, another house our neighbours couldn't afford it so I paid in full because I was more bothered (dog security) about it. All happy.

So yeah - they asked, you said you couldn't afford it, they installed it anyway, their decision.

I will say...if it is your boundary, they needed your expressed permission to change it. Legally it's criminal damage if they rip up existing fence that's yours according to the deeds.

C0untDucku1a · 12/12/2018 21:43

I thought this was going to be a brexit thread

Singlebutmarried · 12/12/2018 21:44

We replaced all of the fences on our garden as we had dogs. Didn’t ask the neighbours for and contributions. Just made sure they were happy (which they were as our dogs were no longer jumping their tiny fences.

SynchroSwimmer · 12/12/2018 21:47

It would be unusual to be responsible for two boundaries i.e both left and right.

I would think you would only be responsible for one side.

Also it doesn't cost much online and is easy to access a copy of your deed plans from the Land Registry. might also show your boundary ownership (with the letter T if my memory serves)

namechangedtoday15 · 12/12/2018 21:48

Off the point but our fence (just down one side) was £2.5k. We asked our neighbour to contribute but they said no bit we consulted with them about the design, got a 2 sides fence etc.

I'd bite your neighbours hand off at £200 for a brand new fence.

But you're not legally obliged to pay.

LIZS · 12/12/2018 21:51

£200 sounds a bargain! Is it on their land? You are only obliged to mark the boundary but worth paying out of goodwill if you can.

ArnoldBee · 12/12/2018 21:53

Forget the you have the left or not both boundaries to maintain - it's an urban myth. You need to check your house deeds then decide what action you want to take.

Original poster

wonderstuff · 12/12/2018 21:53

It’s only a short section of wooden fence, £200 seems fair and reasonable. If we wanted a fence.

OP posts:

wowfudge · 12/12/2018 21:57

The assumption on boundaries is that they are shared if the title register and plan are silent, i.e. there is nothing about the responsibility for the boundaries in them.

AntMoon · 12/12/2018 22:01

@namechangedtoday15

our fence (just down one side) was £2.5k

Was it made of gold?!

organiseandbrewery · 12/12/2018 22:02

We're a middle, we are only responsible for one side, the house at one end of the row has to do both sides, everybody else only does one. It is on the deeds.

Soontobe60 · 12/12/2018 22:05

This isn't worth falling out over. You've got a nice new fence, which will help when selling your house, so I'd pay up but tell them it will have to be after Christmas as you're all spent up.

namechangedtoday15 · 12/12/2018 22:08

@antmoon I wish! Had to have some new posts and it was 6ft all the way along and like I said it was double-sided so neither side was the "bad" side but no, it's not flash or anything.

BlitheringIdiots · 12/12/2018 22:09

Title plan doesn't show T marks. Only the deeds do. You can apply to land registry to get or contact your mortgage provider to see if they have a copy. It isn't unusual to be responsible for both sides of your garden but its not the norm. Sometimes your deeds may not show the T Mark but theirs will. You can obtain both copies if they are available. LR charge about £10 for a copy of deeds to the public.

This is what I do every day as a job. Sort out peoples boundaries.

ShitOnItt · 12/12/2018 22:11

No you don’t have to pay. We did this, the fence between us and neighbors was only 3ft so had no privacy in the garden but they were renting so didn’t want to pay. LL wouldn’t pay as fence was perfectly good, Just short. He said we could replace it but at our own expense so we did. It’s worth it for the privacy but we couldn’t have forced them to contribute just like your neighbor can’t force you

ShitOnItt · 12/12/2018 22:12

Should have said was their fence

AntMoon · 12/12/2018 22:14

@namechangedtoday15 oooh how did I not know you could get nice-sides on both sides?!

eyes up current crappy fence...

Flip