Neighbours wants to put new fences in and pay, its our fence though...

[yonisareforever]

Neighbours want to replace our fences, they are our responsibility,they are not falling down just old, I don't mind them but they like new and what they would think is smart....

Its a long garden and they want to heighten the fence at the top, and also heighten but a little less all the way down, I have plants growing against a sort of picket fence at the moment, its a narrow garden and I am worried it would affect the plants on both side but particularly where the picket fence is. That fence would be about 4 foot with a trellis on top. I am a keen gardener, they dont seem to have so much of a clue...

I am not sure what to do...they are extremely nice and we don't want to fall out...of course I will talk to them about it, I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts on our neighbours replacing a fence that is technically ours....

They are lying in the other neighbours garden because they put them there! they thought the fence was our responsibility and I told them no, its theirs so when the fence came down they took our panels, now their panels into their garden.

Couldn't you kill 2 birds here i.e let your neighbour put their new fence up for you and re-use the existing panels to replace those that have blown down on the other side? That way you get 2 good fences at no cost?

The saying 'Good fences make good neighbours' is very sage advice.

I would not want to fall out with my neighbours over something as relarively trivial. The sort of garden you are describing, which I suspect is the back garden of a terraced property, was designed for days long gone when privacy was not so important to people. I would never consider buying a house where I could not have the 1.8 tall back yard fencing that is the norm.

As for this decking - just WRITE to the neighbour telling them that they have blocked your longstanding access and ask them to remove it. It's no good festering over it ad not doing anuthing about it. When you come to sell your house you will have problems if your neighbour has blocked a path over which you should have rights.

I can see that you wouldn't want to be confrontational about the decking - nobody wants to, but what's the worst that can happen? Neighbour rows? You're going to have neighbour rows anyway if you insist on picket fencing in the 21st century when outdoor eating, barbeques, privacy and personal space are important to people.

wet your post made me chuckle, your right, the picket didnt bother me, as where we eat is at the top, as do our neighbours, which is hidden from each other...but yes, i get they want more privacy down there, its a tiny bit annoying going into the garden and always having to say hello etc.

i just wanted to make sure i wasn't walking into another decking blocking access scenario....by asking a few questions, it wasn't of amazing benefit to us for them to do it, and as I said we have been paying for and mainting a fence not our for years.

anyway its all mute, my questions re where they are going to put fence height have offended them and they have retracted the offer...just when i was getting used to the idea. I have profuslsy apologised for offending them and said go ahead if you want, but if they dont want too that fence doesnt bother us and is hidden by lots of shrubs.

I also feel, as the gardens are very very long, a long wood fence would make a huge cosmetic difference, whilst its very nice of them to offer to pay for it, If i was doing the same to my other neighbours, I wouldn't mind them asking questions about how it would affect them and coming to some mutual agreement...

Just came across this....I know it's years later but I'm in the same boat now with the fence...what happened in the end?!