Neighbour & potential Fence wars !!!

[supermario10]

Hello, I'm wondering if anyone can help or offer some advice on a potential neighbour dispute / fence issue . We bought some land at the back of our house from a neighbour to increase our garden size and over the past year or so have been landscaping our whole garden. Part of this landscaping including erecting (and paying for) a fence on the new boundary where we bought the land. We agreed with the seller that we'd pay for and maintain the fence..anyway around 8 months ago the house was sold and new neighbour moved in. We haven't met them as they are on another street and new fence makes it private. Anyway today got back from the school run went out in the garden and new neighbour was painting his side of the fence. BUT the dark green paint has dripped down the back onto my side of the fence and looks awful. I'm gutted. He's also screwed a bird box into it (only noticed that when I looked over today. Can't tell if that's off the panel or the post yet though). We treated the panels as wanted natural wood look. What can I do? I obviously , clearly don't want a neighbour dispute but at the same time I feel really annoyed that someone did this without thinking to ask first. I'm sure I'll get a few 'get a grip ' comments and yes I understand 'first world problems' and all that but we spent a lot of time, effort and not to mention money on it. Really hope someone can help or advise what they would do in this situation. Maybe it's because we back onto them so don't really have contact with them in the same way as if they were next door.

But if it's yours fence, unfortunately for them paint is criminal damage.

Lift the panels out an turn them round 😂

Talk to them and explain

@Bytheseaseasea

Lift the panels out an turn them round 😂

Love this!!!

Obviously they shouldn't have done what they did is the green colour very offensive if you did your side to match (just as a leaking green probably looks far worse than a solid green). Hopefully a little bird house would not damage it to much but if you knock on their door and politely ask them not to eg grow anything to close to your fence/ lean something too heavy against it that would physically damage it do you think they may be more considerate?

Have you tried talking to them?

First thing I'd do is get some sandpaper and see if that will remove the paint. If its paint on top of the treatment you used it might work, if its stain it probably won't.

They might not know it's your fence or that they weren't allowed to paint it. You don't know if the seller told them or not. Just go round and ask!

@Bytheseaseasea

Lift the panels out an turn them round 😂

Haha! Very practical solution, so long as you don't mind the colour. They can always repaint their "new" side which will cover over the drippy paint runs. Although if they're as careless as before you'll probably end up with more (slightly less obvious) runs on your new side. In which case just swap the panels back

All you can realistically do is go and talk to them about it calmly but in same situation I'd be upset too.

@Bytheseaseasea

Lift the panels out an turn them round 😂

100% this

But what can I actually do , if anything? I don't want the paint on as we paid extra for the weather treated panels (i personally prefer the look of that) but hardly likely he'll be able to remove it???

You can ask him to fix it, or pay for it to be fixed. But its going to affect neighbourly relations from now on and theres no guarantee you can make them pay.

It sounds like an honest mistake to me. They probably didn't realise the paint would come through. Go round, introduce yourself and have a quick chat - work something out. Try not to jump to the worst conclusions .

Communicate with the new neighbor that it’s your fence, this will hopefully stop further damages to the fence.

Let them know that they should have sought permission to paint and attach stuff to the fence and consequently they’ve ruined yours side

Ask if there is something they can do to rectify the situation?

Why didn't you say anything to him when you were out in the garden and saw him painting the fence?

You have to put your big girl pants on and go and explain that it is your fence. You say 'I am sure you were not aware but the fence is not shared, it is my property, so you are not legally entitled to paint it or attach items to it without my permission'.

A discussion is not a neighbour dispute. Walk away if it gets heated at all.

I replaced about 20m of 6ft fence 18 months ago which had been weakened by my neighbour fixing trellis and growing fruit and vegetables on it and it then fell down after a storm.

When it was replaced at my cost, I asked her not to attach anything to it or paint it. Within weeks, trellis was back up, plants attached on her side, flower pots hanging off the top of the fence. I'd draped some lightweight bunting and LED solar fairy lights around the solid posts my side - they were destroyed by her planting, hooking, using bamboo sticks, trellis, etc and it all broke, ripped and didn't work.

She wants me to replace a 3ft fence which runs the rest of the garden (it's stupidly long so about another 20m), in order that she can fix up sweetpeas, beans, etc, onto trellis attached to MY fence. She can jog on.

You must be heartbroken about the paint OP. All I can suggest is you either ask them to spray your side to match as they have damaged your property, ask them to put right or replace, or get some fuck off bright paint, neon maybe, and spray your side and accidentally spray their garden at the same time.

Sorry for hijacking your thread with a rant.

How bad is it?

Annoying if your fence but I would be tempted to get it sanded back and retreated and ask neighbour politely not to do things to your fence which affect your side. If NDN is nice they may offer to come and help remedy the damage , if not then do it yourself but make sure he knows not his fence. Whilst you are at it check where bird box is in case any damage will happen but to be honest I think this is not a hill I would die on. Annoying rather than dreadful I would say.

I do think as others have said going round and having a polite conversation is the right way forward.

@FiveShelties

Why didn't you say anything to him when you were out in the garden and saw him painting the fence?

I did!

What did you say? And what did the painter say in reply?

This is pretty vital info in understanding whether this is resolveable!

He can’t paint your fence without permission

So go round and ask him to come and look at your side and ask what he is going to do to repair the damage he has caused

If it won’t come off he will have to replace it, and not paint it

Can people really do anything about it if it’s on the other side? I always get confused in these situations on here cos so many people say it’s ‘their’ side so they can do what they like even when it’s always the OP that pays for the fencing.

Has anyone got any experience of the other side having to fix the fences they break or replace after painting

@OldTinHat

I replaced about 20m of 6ft fence 18 months ago which had been weakened by my neighbour fixing trellis and growing fruit and vegetables on it and it then fell down after a storm.

When it was replaced at my cost, I asked her not to attach anything to it or paint it. Within weeks, trellis was back up, plants attached on her side, flower pots hanging off the top of the fence. I'd draped some lightweight bunting and LED solar fairy lights around the solid posts my side - they were destroyed by her planting, hooking, using bamboo sticks, trellis, etc and it all broke, ripped and didn't work.

She wants me to replace a 3ft fence which runs the rest of the garden (it's stupidly long so about another 20m), in order that she can fix up sweetpeas, beans, etc, onto trellis attached to MY fence. She can jog on.

You must be heartbroken about the paint OP. All I can suggest is you either ask them to spray your side to match as they have damaged your property, ask them to put right or replace, or get some fuck off bright paint, neon maybe, and spray your side and accidentally spray their garden at the same time.

Sorry for hijacking your thread with a rant.

This sounds so annoying !!! That's the thing though, I don't want it painted I wanted the look of a natural fence 😔

@Hertsgirl10

Can people really do anything about it if it’s on the other side? I always get confused in these situations on here cos so many people say it’s ‘their’ side so they can do what they like even when it’s always the OP that pays for the fencing.

Has anyone got any experience of the other side having to fix the fences they break or replace after painting

You can pursue it but it is a lot of effort for little gain.

It is legally not 'their' side unless the deeds say it is a shared fence.

There is a lot of confusion about fences because people think there is a rule.