What can I do about a rented neighbour’s collapsed fence?

[jackflaps]

I wasn’t sure where to put this but would like some advice please

I own my house and my neighbours rent, the fence which is the landlords to upkeep has completely fallen down in places and is a right state. The neighbours garden is very overgrown and full of rubbish.
I have tried on multiple occasions over the last 6 weeks to get the estate agents to sort the fence. I constantly get told “we’re chasing the contractor”
They even gave me his number to contact him and he ignored me.

I have since directly emailed the landlord and he has also ignored my email.

I’m not just being fussy, the fence is genuinely in such a state and all their weeds etc are coming into my garden. In places I do not have any boundary at all.

Is there anything else I can do?

No one is legally required to maintain a boundary fence unless it is a covenant in the property title deeds. Which you can obtain from the land registry on line.

i had this problem with an elderly NDN. I just put up my own fence within my boundary line. Which resolved the problem.

Put your own fence up

@tinyspiny even though it isn’t mine to sort? Why should I?

Because your NDN landlord will not ?

@Hedgehogforshort oh ok. I just paid to sort my side out. I can’t afford to do both sides sadly or I would. I thought the deeds stated whose side of the fence was whose to sort for a reason but clearly not.

Well you could perhaps take the issue to court to enforce whatever is in the deeds if that is the case.

but it probably would cost you more than your own fence.

At least if it is your fence you can look after it

I thought the deeds stated whose side of the fence was whose to sort for a reason but clearly not.

They have to maintain the boundary. They dont have to have a fence. If you want a fence, that's up to you.

@DisplayPurposesOnly how else can you have a boundary without a fence?
I’ve never seen a terraced house maintaining a boundary without? Im not being ignorant, I genuinely just want advice

because you want a fence.

@godmum56 I’m so confused! Is it not normal to have a fence ???

a boundary is not a fence. The boundary does not vanish or move because there is no fence. Unless its written into the deeds, or there is a covenant to that effect, land does not have to be fenced, although animals must be kept where they should be and not allowed to stray.

@godmum56 ok so how do you establish the boundary?

most people like to have the privacy a fence gives but read my other post. Nobody has to mend or replace a fence even if they own it.

its on the land deeds,

The boundary is in the deeds, the fence is just an optional physical marker of that boundary. Nobody needs a fence.

@Jellybunny98 thank you

Yes, it’s completely normal. But it is not required. You won’t be able to make them fix it if they choose not to. You can put a fence up yourself though - as long as it’s on your side, no one can stop you.

You can put up a couple of wires, or a sheet of netting, if you want. Nobody can be forced to put any type of fencing up though.

They could run a string from one end to thr other, or just leave fence posts dotted along the boundary line. Could you tell from looking where your garden ends and theirs starts? Even if you can walk between them unimpeded, could I walk into your garden and puzzle out the boundary? If so, they’re doing their job.

If you want a fence, then that’s for you to do.

@WheretheFishesareFrightening ok I stand corrected. I had no idea. Thanks

From what you say about the garden I suggest a complaint to The Council might be in order as amongst other things it provides harbourage for vermin.

There are various grounds on which they can take action, the challenge can be to get them to do it.

That in turn might get action over the fence

I expect if the property is let by an estate agent, that somewhere in the tenancy agreement- it states about the upkeep of the garden as a responsibility of the tenant.

Use AI to draft you a letter to the agent & landlord that the tenant is not keeping their contractual obligation to tend to garden and this needs addressing

It's so frustrating, isn't it? We've just had something similar and in the end we took the positive that if we did the fence ourselves at least we could ensure that it was something in the style and colour of our choosing.
Good luck, OP!

Is it a HMO or an area where there is mandatory licensing?

If its a HMO it probably isnt the tenants responsibility. If there is mandatory or selective licensing which will probably be the case if its a HMO then it could be a breach of licence conditions.

The Agents should certainly be conducting regular inspections and should have picked this up

Put another fence in front of it within your own boundary, maintain it yourself and forget about next doors. We've got fences on 3 sides and each onr is lije this, although neighbours do maintain their own