Should I pay for it ?

[Teachermum02]

Going to try and be as specific and short as possible.

1. Moved into a house where the garden needed some serious TLC. We didn't have the money to get it professionally done in a short time so took us 10months and a good majority of our disposable income to do it bit by bit. ( I haven't even redecorated inside the house yet)
2. Our neighbours have been really nice (those on the left and right) it's very much older couple in our street and the adjoining one and they Seemed happy to have us a younger family moving in and understood its alot to re do a house.
3. My husband is a keen gardener and at the bottom of the garden has found a nice plant bed which was hidden and used it to plant veg.
4. Not long ago our neighbours at the back (middle aged couple who have never spoken to us) mentioned the fence on their side was beginning to wear and they would like it replaced. This fence is our responsibility. We know this. However it was mentioned that we have bits growing on our side and we would need to wait till that has gone before we replace the fence ( ripping up all the veg and plants is a waste and we were happy to start replacing the fence in the autumn when this was all harvested and when we could afford it)
5. Yesterday the neighbours begin to build a fence in front of the one they want replaced.
6. Today as I am clearing and picking some veg and weeding the woman sticks her head over the fence and says my husband has spent money putting this fence up. So we need to know when you are going to be paying for this .

My first reaction:
WTF - a good morning would have been a nice start.
2- she knew when were planning to replace it.
3- now they have built a fence in front of it on their side it is actually going to be harder to take down on our side.
4- a conversation or a heads up would have been nice
5- we are really feeling the pinch even more because of the said bills etc so for her to just demand money is ridiculous. They have obviously budgeted for the fence they have bought.

So how do I proceed here?

1- they never consulted us about putting it up and then demanding money - I feel like saying you put it up you pay for it.
2- find out how much they paid and put X amount towards it - only because we will have to replace the fence on our side anyway. ( but this is when we have the money to do so not right now when money is literally making me panic)

Nope. If they have chosen to build a fence on their plot, that’s entirely on them. The fence you are responsible for can be replaced in your own time.

Nope

You pay for your own fence on your own boundary. They put one on their boundary I presume? So they pay for it. She sounds a bit daft to be honest. Just ignore.

Of course you say no to paying for it!!

Don't pay, they should have agreed with you first. They can't just decide themselves without talking to you and demand money!

Agree with everyone else. They’ve put a fence up on their land. It’s now their fence and they pay for it.

Their choice, their cost. However if you remove yours you will need to find a different way to support the plants in future.

They put a fence on their land. That's fine but that's their choice and they pay for it. It's now upto you whether you want to replace yours or keep it how it is.

You don't go spending other peoples money for them which is exactly what they have done.

Absolutely do not pay for it.

How ridiculous of her! If they’ve taken it upon themselves to build this fence on their side it’s now their responsibility, they should’ve discussed it with you first, they can’t just announce it’s done and ask for money.

Did your DH perhaps have a conversation with them that you are not aware of?

Pay nothing. They have put up something on their own land. It is not a joint boundary fence.

Don't pay for the fence and don't engage with their comments.

My husband is really shy and an introvert so very rarely engages in conversations so it is very very unlikely he had a conversation with a neighbour and not mentioned it to me.

We bought our house with the same situation - the neighbours effectively added a one meter wide strip to the length of our garden. The solicitor said we can make use of the strip as we like, but be prepared to give it back if asked for, and then we’d have to erect a fence on the original boundary.

I wouldn’t pay for it. They decided to put a fence up on their own land.

Whether you leave, replace or pull down your own fence is up to you.

They decided on the new fence, they put it up so (in law) it is now their responsibility. They haven’t consulted you, so no, they don’t get money from you. Is the boundary definitely yours according to your deeds ie has the little T symbol? It isn’t automatically yours. You told them you’d replace but they’ve gone ahead and done it so have talon the onus to pay, tough.

Don’t pay. It is their fence in their land.

Nope. Their fence on their land. They pay. End of. You'll replace your fence when you can (and I would to stop boundary issues down the road).

So you said you would be able to replace the fence come autumn, which is end of September. Are neighbours doing the fencing themselves, or have got a firm in to do it. If it’s been done properly and to your satisfaction, I probably would ask how much they have spent, if you think it’s too much, ask for receipts for fencing. They have have done you a favour doing it themselves, I would probably offer to pay, if the price is reasonable, otherwise say, we budgeted so much for the fencing and have a look at cost of the fencing that they’ve done. Obviously you are not obligated to pay anything, but it sounds like you have impatient neighbours and I can also see their side, if it needs doing.

You say

"As you know we'll be replacing our fence in due course, and paying for that work as it's our responsibility.
If you'd recommend the people you hired to build your fence in your garden do pass me their details and I'll consider them we're getting quotes for our own work. Byeeee"

Just don't engage with her nonsense

Why would you pay for a fence on their land, which legally you wouldn’t be allowed to maintain?

When the people at the bottom of us refused to go half on a shared fenced(shared in the deeds) we considered just doing it on our land. In the end we agreed to pay for all the fence and they gave permission to take the old one down. We had it done and then afterwards they actually offered to give us half which was unexpected as they’d previously refused, but nice. We’d accepted that if we replaced it, then it was at our own cost.

The fence they've built isn't the fence you have responsibility for. If you did pay for it they could then be arsey about the extra few inches of garden you'd be taking from them and force you to pay to get the fence taken down and rebuilt. Don't pay for it.

part of me thinks they’ve saved you a job, pay some towards it when you can but part of me thinks that they’ve chosen to ignore what you said so leave them to it.

You have no obligation to pay. Keep your fence where it is if you’re happy enough with it.

The new fence will be on their property, not on the boundary line, so it’s entirely their responsibility.