Garden Fence Etiquette?

[househousehousefox]

I have recently moved into a house with a very small garden. My neighbours garden is higher up than mine and you can see the tops of their heads over our 6 foot fence. They can see into our house if they are standing up.
No problem. Always planned to have a trellis and climbers but now I'm wondering do we ask them? What if they say no? Is it rude to just put one up?
They have painted their fences but I prefer the wood look. what if they paint their side and it runs through the gaps?
Can anyone explain the rules?
We own they rent so its not technically their fence anyway but they were here first and I don't want to cause bad feelings but I also can't have Mr next door looking into my house everyday. I have no way of contacting their landlord and I wouldn't anyway.
the cost would be fairly substantial for us, a couple of hundred. I would be upset if it caused an argument or they ruined it which I think is quite likely.

Our neighbour didn't want us to touch th fence, though our garden is higher and sloping so at the top it was only a few foot high and hate it! So put wooden posts into the ground and attached privacy trellis horizontally at the top using mending plates, then covered the trellis with half bamboo screening, which is my favourite. It looks quite smart when all painted one colour to blend in and have graciously given the neighbours the nice side, so it's not quite as nice our side. Though I do just wish we could have replaced the whole fence as it was a faff and have lost a few inches of garden, but have that essential privacy at least

It was actually our fence and boundary but they were dead against changing the fence height to 'lose their view' (yeah, of our garden!) So was trying to keep the peace...not that they talk to us now

It doesn't come down to who has to maintain the boundary or the deeds - it comes back to who paid for the fence (which may be harder to tell).

We have fenced the boundary that we don't own as we have a dog that we wanted to keep in our garden. Our neighbour showed no indication of putting a fence up, so we asked if they would mind if we did - they didn't mind. It's our fence though, we paid for it. They can't start attaching things to it, even though it's technically their legal responsibility to maintain a boundary (there was a boundary there before, but it was thin hedge/trees so not secure).

I'd just ask them if they minded if you put some trellis up on top of the fence, if they're reasonable people I expect they'd say yes...

It’s not to do with renting. It’s not their fence - if ownership is on that property it’s the property of the landlord. They can’t paint it/alter it, if it’s owned by the landlord. In the same way, you can’t make any changes (if it is owned by that side), by talking to the tenants - you will need the landlords permission or he/she could ask you to make good any changes.

Easiest to check who owns it - will give you much more leeway. It will be on your deeds.

Why does “we own, they rent” always come into these threads? 🙄

I'm because tenants come and go ( I know I've rented for years) and now I have a boundary issue I don't know how to sort out. If I ask the tenants and they say yes, then the owner moves back and takes it down? what then? it is relevant in this one calm down

Well unless landlord gave them permission to paint it then they shouldn't of.

You will need the owners permission to attach anything or paint that fence facing your side.

I am in a similar situation but I have my neighbours ugly side facing me.

I'll be putting up freestanding trellis panels with my own posts staggered different positions to their posts in front of the fence on my property. That way its not attached to their fence and its 2metres high giving my privacy back and I can paint and grow climbers as I so wish.

I cant be asked to get into dealing with them they aren't nice and even if they said yes they could change their mind later.

Its worse for them because it'll make it hard for them to maintain their fence as its featherboard and since they decided to have the nice side they'll need permission to come into my garden to fix their fence but tough luck should of thought about that when they installed it or got the panels that slot into posts so its easy to maintain from their side. But im sick of the ugly side all the metal brackets and different coloured posts where they replaced some

When we moved into our house, garden fence was very low and used to have to acknowledge neighbour when we stood up from table, putting washing out etc 🙄
When we replaced all three sides we just put a higher fence in, we paid so they had no input. They did make a comment, “oh we’ll need a stepladder to see you now”, but to be honest we wanted it like that 😉

Now people will tell you that the rules are omly a 6ft/2m fence. But my son llive sin a new build that is on a sideways hill and the developers have definitely put in a much higher (on his side) 6ft fence

If you have a copy of the deeds and these include a plan of the garden, then look for T on the boundary line of the garden plan. If the T is in your garden, then it’s your fence, and if in theirs, it’s their fence.
Not all deeds include plans though, and some do, but the boundaries are not marked...

You need to look at your deeds to find out who owns each fence. The ownership on each side etc will be different.

If you own the boundary/ fence then it would be polite to inform them. But ultimately you can do what you want.

If they own the boundary/ fence then you need to ask the owner for permission. The tenant doesn't have any right to approve. Again its polite to inform them.

If you are paying for it and it's not having a negative impact (reducing light in their property etc) I don't see why anyone would have a problem.

Just put the trelis in front of the fence rather than attached to it.

@Oldraver

Now people will tell you that the rules are omly a 6ft/2m fence. But my son llive sin a new build that is on a sideways hill and the developers have definitely put in a much higher (on his side) 6ft fence

You can out in fences higher than 2m but they require planning permission so if it was developers they are more highly likely to have developed it with that in kind when they submitted their planning application.