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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour has painted our and I mean our fence

303 replies

Endoftether2000 · 31/05/2020 19:04

Would I be unreasonable to go out and paint my fence. Scenario approx a year ago husband decided to replace all fences on both sides the original posts were wooden and had broken causing our garden to have props holding the right fence up. He went round to the neighbour who was relatively new and advised that he was replacing the fence with concrete gravel boards and posts. She advised that her side of the fence was OK to which my husband responded that if he removed the props that were straddling our garden the fence would fall down and was surprised she didn't know as the old neighbour was aware and advised my husband he would make the new buyer aware (as if he was going to stay he would have gone half's with us) so he agreed times and dates when the fence would be removed to no inconvenience to her or her garden. Fence was removed she then asked if she could have the fence for her wood burner so husband and people that were helping took the old fence round. She then knocked at our door and said that she had too much wood now and could he dispose of the excess which he did. She then paints said fence (we stained our side grey) she painted hers with dark brown stain which has ingressed but not too badly but painted the top of the fence brown when I had stained it grey which can only be seen from the bedroom so I could live with that. Then she hammers things to it only one screw yes screw not nail can be seen so can live with that. We are on the front garden today and notice behind the overgrown bushes which is our next project to tackle she has dark brown stained the section of wood that is the size of a tall gate that connects from our house to her garage and the small fence that is our border in dark brown stain on both sides the small fence being on our land. The section of wood and the fence are on our land so is this trespassing? I am tempted to go out and paint over it even if due to the colour I would have to use garden paint? Opinions appreciated. By the way I hate dark brown stain! Smile

OP posts:
worldsworststepfordwife · 01/06/2020 06:59

@Windyatthebeach

We were in the same position op. Our fence. We painted our side grey. Ndn painted her side brown. We had a solicitor instruct her not to touch our property.. She legally had to allow us onto her property to maintain the fence. I went round and painted it grey.
My god
understandmenow · 01/06/2020 07:20

Windyatthebeach
We were in the same position op. Our fence. We painted our side grey. Ndn painted her side brown. We had a solicitor instruct her not to touch our property.. She legally had to allow us onto her property to maintain the fence. I went round and painted it grey.

Bloody hell you are truly the neighbour from hell!

Callimanco · 01/06/2020 07:27

@YurtleTheTurtle

To everyone else: sorry for imminent derail Smile

You are probably my soulmate. That's one of my favourite books, have a battered copy that is one of about 3 items that has stayed with me throughout my life and cross continental moves.
Surely, though, you are more Mack (bottom of the stack) than Yertle?

onalongsabbatical · 01/06/2020 07:29

You have an 'outdoor colour scheme'?
Does god know?
Is the sky on board with you? Changeable bugger.
I mean also, dark brown not fitting - trees must be in some trouble, here.

Callimanco · 01/06/2020 07:32

Nitpickpicnic
With 7 fencing-related disputes in 6 years, do you ever wonder if you be a common denominator here? I have never had a single fence dispute in 30 years of home owning...

Sleepingboy · 01/06/2020 07:33

I cant be bothered to read your posts anymore, OP. Just use full stops, will you? 5 lines without any punctuation makes no sense and make you sound like you are ranting.....

lifestooshort123 · 01/06/2020 07:38

Mrs Hinch has a lot to answer for when it comes to grey paint jobs. Reading posts like this makes me glad we gave up on fences when we moved into our flat. I can't get over how petty people can be.

ittakes2 · 01/06/2020 07:55

If you are in the uk and have the support side of the fence on your land it means you were the property which put up the fences and have responsibility for them. I don’t think she has a leg to stand on painting anything on your side.

wowfudge · 01/06/2020 08:06

@ittakes2 that is not correct. In order to see whether you own/are responsible for a boundary structure like a fence you have to consult the title register and title plan for your house and it's a good idea to check the neighbour's too. If nothing is in those documents the presumption is that it is a shared responsibility. But that isn't the OP's issue. She's clear that they are hers.

bellabasset · 01/06/2020 08:40

I personally hate brown fences, which were traditionally creosote, now banned. I would politely ask your neighbour why she went into your garden without permission and painted the fence there a different colour. Tell her she needs to pay for the paint.

Lemonlady22 · 01/06/2020 08:51

I dont think it's the actual painting of the fence...its the not asking...if my neighbours asked to paint their side of my expensive fence I would want to know what colour and with what sort of paint/stain...hopefully it wont be the bright yellow they used last time when they never asked!

LST · 01/06/2020 09:27

@lemon really?! I would honestly never dream of thinking it would be a problem. We've just moved into a house and none of the fences have been painted. So I've painted all of them during lockdown. No idea who owns the one between us and the neighbours 🤷🏼‍♀️

heartsonacake · 01/06/2020 09:44

[quote LST]@lemon really?! I would honestly never dream of thinking it would be a problem. We've just moved into a house and none of the fences have been painted. So I've painted all of them during lockdown. No idea who owns the one between us and the neighbours 🤷🏼‍♀️[/quote]
That’s really rude. You should have checked your deeds to see who owns what and spoken to the neighbours.

CaptainButtock · 01/06/2020 09:46

@Windyatthebeach

Really?! Why would you care what colour HER side of the fence was?

Hope to god I've got the wrong end of the stick...

BaronessBomburst · 01/06/2020 09:56

I really can't understand the number of posters who don't get the OP!
The next door neighbour painted the fence panels facing into her own garden.
The OP let it go.
The nextdoor neighbour painted the top of the fence and banged nails into it.
The OP let it go.
But then the nextdoor neighbour painted the side of the fence facing into OPs garden brown. And the street-facing gate in the OPs own garden. So now the OP has grey fencing on one side of her house, and brown the other, whilst it's all her own land.

I'd be bloody furious. She needs to replace the gate and the fence panels she's defaced. It's no different to if she'd come along and painted your front door a different colour.

LST · 01/06/2020 09:58

@hearts why? Where I lived before the neighbours never asked us when they painted either side. This time I'm assuming its ours as all the fences are the same in our garden. Next doors are miss matched so surely they should be asking us if it's ok to paint. Though I'd find it very weird if they did.. as it's in their garden. Not ours.

I've asked about and not 1 person I have asked has ever asked a neighbour if it's ok to paint a fence. How extremely strange

CaptainButtock · 01/06/2020 10:05

Yes @BaronessBomburst, you are quite right that the op has a fair point.

However, as someone else has already pointed out, this thread has been rather highjacked by the likes of @Windyatthebeach and other examples of jaw-dropping batshittery.

E.g 'Doesn't tie in with our outdoor colour scheme' and 'criminal damage'

Fuck me. We've become a nation of lunatics Sad

BaronessBomburst · 01/06/2020 10:08

What's wrong with an outdoor colour scheme? Don't most people try and have the outside of their property painted to match?

wowfudge · 01/06/2020 10:15

I am happy we just have hedges and the layout of our gardens means that if next door choose to put a fence up it won't have any impact on us.

JohnFinlaysNewTeeth · 01/06/2020 10:25

Maybe she preferred a more natural shade? Rather than basic bitch boring “bluey grey” I.e. the colour for people with no personality.

Look she’s obviously in the wrong for painting the fence. Paint it back, go and tell her the fence is yours and you’d appreciate it if she didn’t paint it again. Bitching on a social media site isn’t going to get you anywhere.

debwong · 01/06/2020 13:34

I want another diagram that shows the neighbour climbing the 10-foot fence while carrying a can of paint.

Cantfindafreeusername · 01/06/2020 17:57

Gracious of you to live with what colour she has painted and screwed into ‘her’ side of the fence!

Rowan8 · 01/06/2020 17:57

Have had similar issues. Right fence on my deeds I attempted to rebuild on the same joint boundary neighbours had hissy wanting a brick wall, but concrete bricks. Urgh... imagine steptoe and son next door. Anyway you build you pay, let her paint as it preserves, but any screwing etc amounts to criminal damage, even painting is seen as such. She should have asked your permission. Also if other fence on your land and again, criminal damage. Screwing anything that would put weight and could damage the fences posts and panels. You need to post her a cease and desist letter.

If you don’t nip it in the bud now, based on what you’ve already posted, she’s a CF and will persist. They always do and it will get worse over time.

Rowan8 · 01/06/2020 18:03

@IKEA888

That’s the nuttiest thinking ever. Can I come into your house and paint it blue because when I look out of my front window it looks like the see and makes me feel good!!

When you own the land and property, and just rebuilt a fence on your own property you’ve worked hard for it and you have the legal right for you NDN not to inflict criminal damage. because they feel like it. They want a better looking fence they can put one up on their land and paint away.

wherestheweightlosspill · 01/06/2020 18:05

Wow people are being really harsh to OP here. Clearly NDN is in the wrong, regardless of people's personal opinions of the colour grey.... (personally I would much prefer grey, I hate brown, but it's not my fence so not really relevant to this discussion). Fact is NDN has been a CF by going on to OP's property and painting her fence without so much of a discussion. It would really annoy me!

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