Fence

[Kelbowl]

It’s not really an AIBU question as I know I am but I just need ideas on what I can do. Three fence panels in my front garden blew down in the high winds earlier this year and my neighbour has continually harassed me since then to replace them. I did tidy everything up the best I could and explained that since my ex walked out I am struggling to manage financially with myself and the children so she would have to bear with me whilst I saved up. I did look into seeing if I could replace them myself but I can’t work out how they slot into the metal supports (that are still standing). The cost would therefore be around £150 for the panels plus around the same again, if not more for someone to do them for me. I already work 3 jobs, I can’t fit much more into my days and I don’t know how I’m going to afford to do it. She now bangs on my door, shouts through my letterbox and harasses me every time I try to walk from my car to the house. It doesn’t look untidy in any way and I get that she wants them replaced but I don’t know where I stand with it? Can I just put up some string for now and say that’s the boundary sorted (it’s very clear anyway as she has trees all down her side that mark it). I completely get I’m being a bad neighbour but I don’t know what to do.

You need to tell her to back off... make it clear that you won't be spoken to like that by her or anyone else!
The boundary is marked by her trees from what you have said and if and when you decide to replace the fence panels it is/ will be none of her business.
Cheeky mare!
You have enough on your plate... she obviously doesn't have enough to occupy her.
You are doing a great job for your kids and yourself.. good luck.

Can you put some flexible trellis in the gaps? It folds flat for transport and you can open it up to the width of the fence panel then cable tie it to the metal supports. If your neighbour still kicks off after that, wall staple some bamboo screening to the trellis.

A further thought!... is there a Mens shed or similar in your area? You might be lucky and ask if anyone could help you reinstate the panels you have in return for some baking/biscuits??
NOT to appease your neighbour, she can get stuffed, but for YOUR peace of mind.
PS... there is only one bad neighbour here... x

This! And that was my exact thoughts cheeky mare! It’s your fence, you don’t have to replace it if you don’t want to so if you’re not bothered about it leave it or you can even take the whole thing down. Bloody cheek if she’s that bothered by it let her fix it.

Banging on your door, shouting through your letter box and challenging you at the car is harassment. Start recording her and tell her that you will report to the police as you and your are feeling harassed.

She can’t force you to replace the fence, it’s not a legal requirement to have one. I would do as others have said and record her harassment, she sounds unhinged over a fence.

Look at your deeds. Where you stand with it depends on what your deeds say it is your job to maintain. They may say

• Your boundary line in which case anything which marks the boundary line works including string and trees
• It may say nothing in which case that's fine
• if may say "fences" or "walls" to maintain the boundary line in which case you have a responsibility to get the fence replaced with another fence. I know here (on a estate built in the late 90s) we are not allowed to not have fences.

I agree see if there is someone who would like to do the work for free, or someone who has old fence panels. Some people around here replace their whole fence no matter what it looks like fairly frequently, so someone might well have taken out panels that were a little past their best, but still have loads of life in them. My husband and our neighbour have relatively frequently taken panels out, given them a bit of TLC and slid them back.

You don't legally have to have any type of fence up if you don't want. She needs to get over herself.

I’ve had a similar situation not fence but my neighbour kept coming over to ask to cut down my bushes (in no way impact his house he just doesn’t like them) I always tried to be polite and say “oh I don’t know/oh maybe another time/let me think about it I’m not sure I want that” but his nagging was non stop. I had enough when I was on a very important work meeting and the front door was being knocked like crazy I thought some sort of emergency happened so I ran outside and it’s him asking if he can get rid of them. In that moment I just snapped and very clearly said no. He’s completely dropped it now!

I think giving hopeful answers like “I’ll try and save up” “maybe in the future” “I’ll try and do it soon” eggs her on. You sound like your dealing with a lot right now so next time she asks just say “no” you don’t have to justify it (well so long as your deeds don’t say you need a fence which is rare)

I had a similar issue some years ago. While this is generally true, do double check the deeds for your property as occasionally the responsibility to maintain a certain type of fence, will be written into the deeds for properties on a certain estate. It is unlikely, but just double check. If you do need to legally, then your neighbour will probably be under the same responsibility for the fences she owns and so she will know she can get you in trouble for it.

Is it causing her any issues? For example does she have a dog she wants to keep securely in her garden or is she worried about plants getting broken?

No not really. She does have a dog but she has no gate at the front so it could just run out that way if it wanted to. Nobody would ever walk that way to damage plants etc. she just doesn’t like the look of the gap.

I have got this on my deeds. But in my deeds it is a covenant I think.

It is often imposed by the builders, who don't want you ripping up the fences before all the houses are sold and affecting their ability to sell on the estate.

In my case I think the covenant is only probably enforceable by the builders themselves, whom I am guessing would be unlikely to show much interest 20 years down the line after all the houses are sold.

Of course that isn't necessarily valid in all cases...

Thank you. I will look into that. It seems like a fair compromise as I was going to go for garden wire!

This might work. Thank you. I’ll have a look into the cost of it.