To think I should be told which boundary is mine?

[likeamother]

Slight shameless shout for wisdom/experience as Google isn't helping me!

Just had some docs through for the house I'm buying and the vendor has ticked they don't know which side fence boundary at the front or back of the property is theirs. They only bought the house 2 years ago. I thought this info would be on the deeds but I can't seem to get a clear answer. It's frustrating because both fences are low and I'd like to replace whichever is mine to get some privacy.

One side has had a new fence in the time the vendor lived there so I find it hard to believe they don't know who is responsible for it, even if it's informally through neighbour agreements. Could they just be being slightly lazy with the form? I'll go back to my solicitor who I know can enquire but wondered what people's experience has been with this kind of thing in the real world?

Thank you!

I should add I also want to know for if/when one gets damaged by the weather, who is responsible!

Just check the title deeds yourself on the Land Registry website. Very cheap just to get deeds and plan.

IME these things are often slightly hazy, even with the deeds.

@PaulinePetrovaPosey this is what I'd read online and assume solicitor has copies of these. What a pain. I'll go back and ask if she can enquire if there is an arrangement/agreement with neighbours. There must be something as a whole fence has been replaced within the last two years!

In my experience it's not unusual at all. Lots of people either come to a pragmatic solution, or decide to put a higher fence inside their boundary. The deeds may specify ownership (usually by t marks on a transfer plan) but not always, esp if not developed as an estate. Ours are defined at the sides, but not at the rear.

@SerenityFlowers

Just check the title deeds yourself on the Land Registry website. Very cheap just to get deeds and plan.

It’s not marked on the deeds to our house. I know because I did a search myself a couple of months ago to try and answer that very question!

Ours isn't marked on deeds either so we just share with the neighbours.

Just put up another fence inside the boundary? Or speak to your neighbours?

Ours are shared boundaries.

Ours aren't marked on the deeds either.

2 sections of fence blew down in storms earlier this year on the same side. We went with the tradition that the fence posts are on the boundary owners side and we replaced both. But the fencing man said we could have the "good" side if we wanted. So that will now confuse the issue for any future owners!

Fence on the other side doesn't have more than a couple of years left I fear. Hoping neighbours that side are happy to make the same assumptions and take responsibility for that side.

You can put up a fence all around within your boundaries

When we bought our house it wasn't clear either. And there was no clear answer on checking deeds etc. Turns out that when houses were built, only the outside boundary fences were put in. If there was a shared boundary, there was only pegs in place to mark out where it was. Because the original owner of our house put up the fence all round our garden, we now seem to be responsible for it all annoyingly (although means our plans to replace with more private fence shouldn't be that hard)

Responsibility wasn't clear on my first house.

The houses had been built in the 1900s by an investor and rented out. Because the landlord was responsible for all the fences, it wasn't an issue.

When rent controls and tenancy protection came in, they sold them off to sitting tenants, and they were then sold on. No-one ever bothered doing anything about it, so it had never been settled.

One of my neighbours had built a neat brick wall and on the other side both parties had split the cost of putting in a new fence a year or two before I moved in. It never became an issue in the 11 years I had the house.

It's often unclear particularly with older properties. Our house was built ~1800. Between the house and the garden there are 8 boundary edges only 1 of which specifies who is responsible for it on the deeds (the garden was a partial transfer of a neighbouring field, transferred 15 years ago)

You can put up a fence all around within your boundaries

I wouldn't want to waste money and garden space by doing this, but hopefully it can be agreed with neighbours to add some privacy -- or there is something agreed that cost is shared or each take responsibility for a side etc.

Thanks everyone. No simple answer then but hopefully something is agreed with neighbours. The house is oldish, 1930s, so maybe that's part of it. I've been in a new build for the last 11 years, bought off plan, and so boundaries were made very clear.

Our deeds donn't show which fence is ours either! So either house could erect a fence on your side and there is nothing you can do. We were trying to figure out a pattern with DH walking along the street and some had their fences on their left, others on their right and some in the middle.

it is often unclear.
And surprisingly often it is shared which can be fine and can be a nightmare.

Putting up a fence on your boundary is hardly a waste of garden space, you do the posts sort of in line with the existing fence posts then put the bar sections of fence on your side. It's a couple of inches at most.

Wow so it seems it's really common not to know. What a faff but also I guess shows it's not as big a deal as I thought it might be. Just had a common sense thought and looked on Google satellite, counting back from the house on the end next to a junction. Considering their boundary must be the one by the junction I think I can guess mine is the one separating my attached neighbour's garden which is good as that's the one not very private. I'll still try and get further info from the vendor though.

@TheMobileSiteMadeMeSignup the garden is super small! But thanks for the response. I don't think it would sit right with me anyway though, in terms of cost, waste and it looking a bit weird for the neighbour. Hopefully I can book some screening up on my side (if it is my side!) to keep costs down and save wasting a functional fence.