am i being a cheeky fucker?

[detectivebird]

we've just had our back garden fence done last week. we informed neighbours on both sides (garden is three-sided, so the left and right sides are facing into their gardens iyswim). we didn't expect them to offer any money to split the cost and indeed they didn't.

turns out when the fencers were here, both neighbours arranged for their back gardens to also be fenced on the remaining sides. it's being done this week. so we've paid for a side each for them!

dp and my mum reckons we should ask them for a contribution but this feels really cheeky to me. am i just being a scaredy-cat?

you're not neighbourly, but a tight, petty shit.

I mean, is there really any need?

here's a diagram @SunshineCake.

i've paid for fencing on the three pink sides. three days later the neighbours are getting the blue sides fenced. the circled lines are the ones which me and neighbours are each benefitting from, and that i have paid for.

again, to be absolutely clear and to answer the questions that keep coming up: i am not going to be asking for a contribution, both sets of neighbours were very happy for the work to be done and knew about it in advance, and i know i am being unreasonable!

tell me about it @PuppyMonkey 🙄

@stickerqueen i had permission from both sets of neighbours to do the fence at both sides.

YABU

You paid for work you wanted to be done. If they weren't having the rest of their fencing done you wouldn't have cared about paying for all 3 sides

You got to choose which fence you wanted. I would not like my garden to have different fences - also maybe it was the fencing company...seems like a huge coincidence both neighbours change..I bet the fencing company offered them a deal.

It looks like the one on the right belongs to your neighbour, op. They were quite cheeky not to point this out when you proposed replacing it, but well within their rights not to contribute if they were ambivalent about the original fence.

Or is that the one on the left??

I'm wondering if the reason this has annoyed you so much, is because had they done the work first, you would have only had to pay out for 1 panel. Or at the very most 1 full priced panel and 2 1/2 priced panels.

not sure @HeadintheiClouds i need to consult the deeds. but neither neighbour said anything about ownership when i spoke to them both.

@WaterSheep if i'd known they were thinking of having theirs done (on either side!) id have added my garden to the job and split costs down the middle. that way we all save. just seems to make sense to me. and i'm not sure why they didn't mention it at the time when clearly they've had it done so soon after. i know they don't have to but if we all only did the things we have to..

Yes, they should have.

i know i don't have a leg to stand on which is why i am not going to be asking them about it (!) but it leaves a bit of a sour taste as i just feel it would have been the nice thing to do. 🤷🏻‍♀️

my mum got in trouble when she replaced the fences in her garden
The housing assosiation who owned the fence at the back was ok about it but told her she should have spoken to them and told her not to do it again

Of course she should have. She doesn’t own the property

You need to look at the official
Border to see who owns what. Then you can speak to them but id just suck it up.

@madeyemoodysmum it's too late for that now and anyway i was happy to pay for all three sides. love your username btw!

You decided that you wanted the fencing done, not them. As a rule, you should have found out which side you are responsible for.

@jade9390 you're missing the point as i was happy to pay irrespective.

I keep making the same point, OP, because you keep posting as though you haven't taken in what I (and others) are saying. Your last post it leaves a bit of a sour taste as i just feel it would have been the nice thing to do still suggests that you don't understand that you have potentially just removed something that was not yours to remove.

@CassianAndor how many times can i say it? i had permission from neighbours on both sides to remove and replace existing fencing. if that's their responsibility rather than mine, they've had a freebie. lucky them. have i still misunderstood something?

To ask for money would be cheeky at this point.
You should be glad they upgraded their gardens with matching fences too- it keeps your property value up.

Next door’s fences have zero impact on your property’s value...

@KetoWithIF that part of the tale hasn't caused problems. but thanks!

@Hullabaloo31

"It would prob only be one side or the other on the deeds anyway. You're not usually responsible for both sides."
Our deeds state that the fences between the neighbours to our left and to our right are party fences. The one at the end of the garden is our sole responsibility.

In reality people in the road decided over time that it is daft to pay for half if each so over time have decided they are solely responsible for the one on their left.

I can't be bothered with all that faffing about. As we wanted a fence which matched all the way round we just paid for it all ourselves.
I have no problem with neighbours planting against them or painting 'their side' of the fence as it gives added protection. Sadly they don't.

OP, I presume you wanted NDNs to each pay for 1/2 of the side fences which is fine if that is what it says in the deeds. Where you came unstuck was just informing them you were going to have it fenced and then telling them when. You should have asked for a contribution then. As you didn't then it is now tough luck. You and your husband ABU.