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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbour snitched on me putting up 1 fence...

213 replies

Brokentoday · 07/05/2020 12:32

I have recently moved to new property...

I live in a row of houses, all the house apart from my neighbour to my right have 4 ft fences..

There are house opposite of my garden and there garden are next to ours and so are the rest of the houses on my street, so in my garden the fence in front is 6ft and the fence to my right is 6ft the fence to my left is 4 ft.

Me and partner decide to put new 6ft fence along the left hand side by professional costing a fair amount of money. I off course notified my neighbour to my left that I would be doing so and if she was okay with it. She has no issues with it and she hope's to raise her fence aswell.

Now my neighbours are friendly welcoming and all round decent people since we moved me. The issue i have is I can see 4-5 houses down in my garden, I'm not unsociable I just was a bit of privacy in my garden with 3 children under 5. I dont think it is partically safe either..

My partner also feels somewhat uncomfortable because we are black they stare at us in our garden..

I got a phone call from my housing association letting me no that basically somebody have called them to inform them that I am putting a fence up..

I was told to stop as I didnt ask for permission, I said the fence is more or less done. I was then asked to write a letter retrospective permission.. to inform them that I have done a fence and that is meets there criteria.. the lady I spoke to was nice and basically told me make sure it not higher than 6ft and it's done by professionals.. take a pictures and send it In.

To find it somewhat funny that somebody felt the need to report me as if i stole from the queen palace.. I mean Im entitled to some privacy for fuck sake.. the fence is up and nobody can stare at us.

AIBU?

OP posts:
TinySleepThief · 07/05/2020 13:01

Maybe they asked for permission and were denied. And then saw you putting one up and knew you hadn't asked for permission

This is surely the most logical explanation otherwise why would they know what you were doing wasn't allowed and report you.

Fettfrett · 07/05/2020 13:01

People are weird about fences. We bought our house which has 4ft fences on both sides, the side we are responsible for the neighbours have planted tall plants against the the fence to screen their garden, the other side is open for about 6 gardens and we hate it as we get no privacy.

Not long after we moved in our elderly neighbour caught us in the garden and got talking about it, she said it wasn't neighbourly to have 6ft fences and she would keep the 4ft fence (her responsibility) when it needed replacing because she liked being able to see over. The old owner of our house agreed apparently.

We've just planted a hedge on our side and I can tell she isn't happy. I have a feeling she will be asking her gardener to trim it down to 4ft once it gets above that height song hope we don't end up falling out with her.

ChandlerIsTheBestFriend · 07/05/2020 13:02

I wouldn’t worry about it OP, the housing association have told you it’s fine, just send the letter and photos in and it will be grand. Don’t worry about neighbours. This lockdown has people behaving very strangely!

PotholeParadise · 07/05/2020 13:02

While the OP should have sought permission in the first place, I am surprised that any neighbour phoned to check. If I saw my neighbour having a slightly taller fence put up, I'd assume they'd got permission from the housing association.

The only reason I would call is if there was something very obviously rule-breaking about it that would impinge on other people, like huge spikes poking out of it, or it was 15 feet high.

understandme · 07/05/2020 13:02

*@Leflic It’s quite an antisocial/invasive thing to do, so I think you are in the wrong here in not asking permission or talking to your neighbours.
*
But she did talk to the neighbours!

Alsohuman · 07/05/2020 13:02

So you’ve got your fence, you’ve got permission for it. Everything is fine. What’s the issue?

MitziK · 07/05/2020 13:04

If it's a new build, HA staff tend to do visits - and they are obviously there for viewings for new tenants/key handing over. If they see something such as an alteration that permission hasn't been obtained for in advance, hearing a dog, a SKY dish, etc, they are going to report it - and they don't usually say that it's the Tenancy Officer that has seen and reported it, as people can get very angry about the idea that the HA is watching and expecting them to abide by the tenancy conditions.

Nothing really to worry about. They've confirmed your fence is fine, so you can shrug it off.

Having said that, there are always people who are on the lookout for somebody doing something different. Don't take it to heart, they do it to everybody because they've got nowt better to do with their time than worry about what everybody else is doing.

EatShitBoswell · 07/05/2020 13:04

use of the word 'snitch' belongs in the playground.

Yes but then so do the snitchers 😉

OnlyJudyCanJudgeMe · 07/05/2020 13:07

Should’ve got permission.
You could be made take it down.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 07/05/2020 13:09

YANBU to want privacy.

YABU to go ahead with alterations without checking first.

Your neighbour is NBU for wanting everybody to stick to the rules of the HA as well.

But is seems it's slurred now, so let it go.

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 07/05/2020 13:10

sorted

Carrie7469 · 07/05/2020 13:10

If you're renting, then you've done the wrong thing, you should have asked permission. Why can't you just accept that you were wrong instead of trying to blame other people?

TARSCOUT · 07/05/2020 13:11

What difference does your colour make and why feel the need to mention it? You did something you shouldn't have done. End of. You bringing colour into it is ridiculous!

JudyCoolibar · 07/05/2020 13:12

If its not a property that you own then yes, you should have asked permission before erecting something structural on that property

If you're renting, then you've done the wrong thing, you should have asked permission.

What's the point in this sort of post? OP knows she should have got permission, why repeat what is in the OP?

Thisismytimetoshine · 07/05/2020 13:13

Yes, the they stare at us in our garden because we're black is weird.

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 07/05/2020 13:13

You don’t need to ask the council to erect a new fence, however OP would have to ask permission from the HA before the fence would be raised and the HA would then advise if permission can be granted due to highway/motorway acts etc... (if applicable)

Jaxhog · 07/05/2020 13:13

That's neighbours for you! Fences are a surprisingly emotive issue, so it's always getting agreement before spending any money on changing them. If you're renting, you will almost certainly need to get the owner's permission, so I'm not surprised you got your knuckles rapped over this. There are planning rules governing fences, so some LL's are especially cautious in case they get into trouble with Council's or other owners etc.

An Englishman's home may be their castle, but not when it comes to fences!

mummyh2016 · 07/05/2020 13:14

Whilst I've never lived in a HA property my in laws do and so do some of my family. I can guarantee none of those ever ask for permission to fit a new fence! Private renting yes but I didn't know it was a thing for HA.

AvoidingRealHumans · 07/05/2020 13:15

YABU for assuming people stare in because you're black. Sorry I couldn't see past that weird comment

HaudYerWheeshtYaWeeBellend · 07/05/2020 13:16

Seems OP has requested permission and been granted it, so what’s the issue and why bring that your black into the equation? My
Neighbours aren’t black and I look at them, simply because they’ve drawn my attention and then I go about what ever I was doing.

gamerchick · 07/05/2020 13:21

If you don’t want to be reported then don’t do things that will get you reported.

It’s not your property; you need to ask before doing anything like this and you were fully aware of that.

So yes, YABU and whoever reported you was right to

Man, I can just imagine the spotty snarly chewing a wasp face that was made writing that.

Jolly good Grin

gamerchick · 07/05/2020 13:22

*spitty even.

RedToothBrush · 07/05/2020 13:24

I'm sure you have asked people in good faith, but there is possibly that if you asked the neighbours directly, they may not feel able to say no to you. Or they might not have realised what your plans were when you told them (like how much light a 6ft fence would block out until you'd actually done it). This is why the council prefer asking for permission to avoid conflicts and to ensure that vulnerable tenants are protected from possible intimidation and that once you'd submitted plans you were also protected from retrospective complaints after you'd shelled out for a new fence. I stress I don't think you have been in any way intimidating, and there may be an element of racism in people not wanting to tell you to your face that you that they are unhappy. The system exists for a reason - not merely to be an inconvience to you, but to protect all parties concerned - including you.

Thisismytimetoshine · 07/05/2020 13:25

Man, I can just imagine the spotty snarly chewing a wasp face that was made writing that
I wonder what expression op had on her face when she typed "they stare at me because I'm black"? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Bananabixfloof · 07/05/2020 13:26

I wouldn’t worry about it OP, the housing association have told you it’s fine, just send the letter and photos in and it will be grand
They haven't said it's fine, OP may yet be told to take it down.
How does OP know it's a neighbour? If OP lives innately HA home, most likely there are more HA homes in the local area, it's more than possible a HA staff noticed and reported.

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