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Original poster

Cheeky neighbours and their wet washing - Part 2.

165 replies

QueenofmyPrinces · 01/01/2019 12:57

I posted a few months ago about one of our neighbours using our adjoining garden fence (which is about 7ft high) to hang their wet washing on and how I was fed up of being faced with their wet clothes hanging over into our garden each day or picking up their pants and trousers when the wind blew them off the fence and onto our lawn.

We tried numerous strategies:

  • Repeatedly pushing the clothes back over their own side of the fence therefore them landing on their garden.
  • My son taking his water gun to the sides of the clothes that were hanging down over our side of the fence.
  • Keeping any of the clothes that blew off the fence and landed into our garden.

They seemed to get the hint and invested in a clothes line but rather than buy a rotary line they just bought a cord and tied one end to the fence post that belonged to their house, pulled it diagonally across their garden and then tied the other end to the final post of our adjoining fence. They then pegged all their clothes onto it including their wet towels which obviously were very weighty.

Unsurprisingly the repeated use of this clothes line with heavy items caused the adjoining fence post to buckle and separate from the other fence posts. Once this original weakness had occurred it obviously got worse and worse as they continued to hang up their wet washing.

As it stands now the end post of our garden fence is heavily leaning over into their garden and the weight of that is causing the end third of our fence to bend inwards over their garden too.

(A diagram can be provided if this doesn’t make sense) Grin

Anyway - yesterday, one of the neighbours had the bloody cheek to put a letter though our letterbox to complain about our fence impeding over into their garden and therefore could we please replace our fence!!!!!

My husband couldn’t believe it! I was at work thankfully because I would have hit the roof. My temper isn’t quite as calm as my DH’s.

I mean what the hell?!

We don’t quite know how to respond because all I want to do is to tell them to piss off and if anything they should be the ones to replace the fence!!!

I’m off out for lunch in an hour and I really hope I bump into one of them as I walk to my car so I can tell them what I think of their suggestion!!

OP posts:
elvis86 · 01/01/2019 13:03

Neighbours sound like bonkers twats, but I don't understand why you've allowed all this to happen and not said anything..? Were you just intending to wait until the fence fell down?

I can't imagine why anyone would try to dry clothes slung over a fence, but surely asking them to stop would have been the first step, rather than playing silly beggars (even if you made out it was because you didn't want to risk your kids damaging the clothes or something like that)..?

divadee · 01/01/2019 13:07

Good fences can help good neighbour relationships. In this case they are taking the piss. I would reply that as it was there washing that caused it to break you will not be replacing it but will try and stand it more upright. You do not have to have a fence up. There is no law. It is a good idea to have a marker on the boundary so people don't try and encroach on the land but this can be a piece of string.

Neighbour disputes can get nasty over things like this (I know from experience) and expensive. So try and stay calm and just try and lean the fence back up more central. They won't be able to hang their washing as it will just pull it back down again.

DisplayPurposesOnly · 01/01/2019 13:08

Did any of your strategies involve you going round and telling them not to put their washing on your fence?

If you did, then by all means go back and tell them to fix your fence that their washing broke.

If not, then you may well have to fix your fence, and also manage to have an actual conversation where you tell them not to hang washing on it.

Original poster
QueenofmyPrinces · 01/01/2019 13:10

We had asked them to stop numerous times but they continued to ignore us.

We’ve had a lot of issues with them, parking across our drive, late night parties, them putting their rubbish in our bins because they ran out of space in their own etc etc

We have spoken to their landlord (they rent) but they said there was little they could do and we should try to resolve it ourselves.

We once cut the rope that was tied around our fence post but within a few days they just put up another one.

OP posts:
SawnUpLooRoll · 01/01/2019 13:12

Just keep snipping!

elvis86 · 01/01/2019 13:15

Fair enough. Sounds like a nightmare.

If the fence is yours and they've now damaged it, perhaps you can aggressively pursue that with the LL? Take photos as evidence and wear the LL / the letting agent down until they have to take action?

LadyKalila · 01/01/2019 13:18

Spray the washing with something foul smelling and keep doing that till they get the hint.

Pinkyyy · 01/01/2019 13:19

I'd just ignore them to be honest, they clearly have no problems ignoring your requests

DisplayPurposesOnly · 01/01/2019 13:20

Fair enough! Just stick to factual statements when you reply then, eg, "We asked you several times not to use our fence for your washing. It's your washing that has caused it to lean. If you are offering to pay for it to be fixed, please let us know".

Babdoc · 01/01/2019 13:23

Get a written estimate for the fence repair and send it to them or their landlord, along with a letter complaining that the weight of their washing is responsible for the damage.

TheMaddHugger · 01/01/2019 13:24

They rent. It's not their place to demand anything of you. It's their landlords problem to solve.

Magenta46 · 01/01/2019 13:25

Just buy them a washing line, £2 tops from the local hardware shop. A pack of pegs and a Happy New Year card.

Stormy76 · 01/01/2019 13:26

Be direct, fix your fence post because they don't have to contribute and won't do so. Tell them that they need to get a rotary line, put it all in writing and copy in the letting agent and the land lord. Send the letting agent and landlord a letter explaining what's happening and the damage done, ask them to put a rotary line in the garden to avoid this happening again, tell them that if it continues you will take further action.

brizzledrizzle · 01/01/2019 13:27

I'm surprised that their laundry has damaged your fence as we have our washing line from the back wall of the house to our back fence (so not a fence belonging to a neighbour) and have had for the last ten years with no damage to it at all.

If it has then I'd write to their landlord and explain the damage his tenants have caused to your property and see what he says.

Hoopaloop · 01/01/2019 13:28

Keep on abating the nuisance by carefully removing their line from your post.

Santaisfastasleepatlast · 01/01/2019 13:28

Anti vandal paint the top of your fence.

TulipsTwoLips · 01/01/2019 13:29

Take photos

soulrider · 01/01/2019 13:29

Your fence posts don't sound particularly solid, I wouldn't expect a washing line to cause any movement. We have a hammock hanging from one of ours with no issues.

cheesywotnots · 01/01/2019 13:30

It's the landlords issue, take photos, send emails, create a paper trail.

Consolidateyourloins · 01/01/2019 13:31
Shock

You are under no legal obligation to replace the fence.

Daisymay2 · 01/01/2019 13:33

I suggest you get a quote for the repair and send to the Landlord with pictures,ideally including one with their washing on the line attached to your fence. Remind him/her of your earlier conversations. Give them a deadline.
Does he manage the property himself or does he have a letting agent. If a letting agent nag them on prefence to the LL

CatnissEverdene · 01/01/2019 13:34

Contact the LL. Each and every time.

MadameButterface · 01/01/2019 13:34

“Be direct, fix your fence post because they don't have to contribute and won't do so. Tell them that they need to get a rotary line, put it all in writing and copy in the letting agent and the land lord. Send the letting agent and landlord a letter explaining what's happening and the damage done, ask them to put a rotary line in the garden to avoid this happening again, tell them that if it continues you will take further action.”

This is all the advice you need, just do this. Them being tenants is a red herring, it’s not the landlord’s job to deal with minor neighbour disputes. Deliberately damaging or taking their property is not the way forward even if they are arseholes. Sort it out directly with them, straight down the line, as you would if they owned. Landlords don’t give a shit about people’s washing or them putting stuff in other neighbours’ bins, sorry bout it.

Silkei · 01/01/2019 13:34

Check your deeds. Do you own that boundary and is it your fence? If so, they are not permitted to attach anything to it and you should pursue them for criminal damages.

Or if you don’t want to escalate and end up with a dispute that you’d have to disclose when selling your house, just repair your fence and tell them and their LL that they aren’t to touch your property or reattach the line again, or else you will take legal action.

thenightsky · 01/01/2019 13:36

Just ignore them. Let the post fall down. When they complain, say you'll get it fixed when they agree to stop using it as a washing line post.

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