Can I use my side of my boundary wall? Law in UK please

[Raginghistorically]

When we moved into our terraced house, our next door neighbour told us that the wall that separates our rear gardens was built by her, deliberately inside her boundary. It looks like it is right on the boundary but we do not know and that is not the issue. She constantly tell us we cannot lean or attach anything on our side of the wall, It is 5ft tall solid single skin brick wall. She climbs up, leans over to see in and then writes to us aggressively threatening to get professions in to remove the attachments and charge us or engage us in legal action and us paying her costs. To be nice, we removed a small piece of lattice (less than 2ft tall), we attached to the wall to train a plant, then removed a wire we had run along the wall to get power to the bottom of the garden, and attached it to our paving instead, Next she demanded we remove a small electrical box attached to the wall which houses the garage door electrics, which we did, placing it on a stand alone steel plate. However, she has written again saying we have not complied with her wishes which is nonsense. We are at our wits end and are losing patience, Can I legally attach things to the wall or not? I want to either be in the right, or if I absolutely must, build another wall beside hers.

If somebody parked a car on their land right next to the boundary, would it be OK to hang some pots on it?

Honestly if it’s her wall in her boundary no you can’t attach anything to her property without her permission. Most folks wouldn’t mind, but she does and legally no you can’t.

Is this correct? I thought if a neighbour built up to the boundary it’s was considered a party wall? We need to replace the boundary as our neighbour cut down a shared hedge (nothing in our deeds about boundary but the hedges are considered shared right round the road) and the neighbours have offered to pay for replacement, so it would end up their property and we couldn’t paint/ do anything to the fence the eventually put up?

Yup. Maintaining a boundary doesnt mean have a physical boundary. Who ever is responsible for maintaining the boundary could tie a piece of string along some sticks in the ground.

If you have a fence or wall built and you pay for it along your side of the boundary then it belongs to you. Neighbours cannot paint it or attach anything to it.

Offee to halves with your neigbour and have it built on the boundary line.

Just put your own wall or fence up on your side as close to it as humanly possible .

Firstly establish if it's definitely her wall - just because someone says something doesn't make it true. Also establish if it's actually on her land or on the actual boundary.
If it's hers and wholly on her land then I'm afraid you can't affix anything without her permission so if you want to use it you need to add your own fence / wall.
If she built it but it sits astride the boundary then it becomes a party wall and it gets a bit more complicated - you can in some circumstances use it, however this is clearly going to cause some argument with the neighbour so you may decide it's easier to not bother.
Boundary disputes are probably one of the most difficult neighbour negotiations

Some helpful links re boundaries

hmlandregistry.blog.gov.uk/2018/02/27/drawing-the-line-on-boundaries/

novellosurveyors.co.uk/2022/03/25/can-my-neighbour-build-on-my-boundary-wall.html

www.boundary-problems.co.uk/boundary-problems/walls.html

www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works/work-tell-your-neighbour-about
(Does not apply if a boundary wall rather than a party wall)

Just leave her wall alone and build your own bloody wall. I am not sure why you continued to attach things to it after you were previously asked to remove other items.

Bizarre but I am wondering if the OP puts up a fence can her neighbour complain that is on her boundary wall too?

Well obviously she cannot attach her fence to the wall.

She needs to erected a fence in her land, just inside the boundary. So give a couple inches between the fence and wall.

We quite literally had a case at work (a different department to mine) where both neighbours had the right to use their side of the wall.

However, old lady neighbour instructed a solicitor to threaten to sue the neighbouring couple because they kept placing their “dirty rug” over the wall and it was messing up her side of the wall by getting dust on it😁

This woman sounds equally as bonkers and yes, all about the drama!

@MrsPinkCock - I mean I wouldn’t sue but I’d probably push it back if my neighbours kept hanging a dirty rug over my side of a wall.

Thank you everyone for your advice. We have nothing attached to the wall. Whilst she has told us it is her wall, she has not provided any proof that it is not a party wall and the wall seems to run on a perfect line between our two properties, rather than on her side. We will check our deeds. However, we like a quiet life. If we want to attach anything in the future, it is clear we must build a fence inside our boundary, which we will do.

On the plus side, when it needs repairs or replacement, you can tell her, "not our wall to pay for, sorry."

@wonkylegs Thank you so much for your post,

@lifeinthehills Very helpful. Thank you, We will do this. If it her wall, on her land, we would respect that.

@Pseudonamed Good point. Our neighbour on the other side has attached things. It is a party wall, but even if it was our wall, we do not mind in the least.

@WhatDoesItSay The wall on the other side is an original wall and clearly a party wall. The wall of our complaining neighbour is a replacement wall and, from the back of the house, looks as if it lies right in the middle of the houses the same. However, she says she paid for the wall but has not offered proof. We can ask for that. If she provides her plans or whatever, we would accept it. It is petty of her, but if the law is on her side we would respect that.

@akkakk Thank you. Good idea. If it is her wall I am happy to concede the point.

Given the trouble with this person I would just put up a new fence right against her wall - fence being entirely on your line, possibly a bit taller than her wall and you can then attach whatever you like to your fence.