Neighbour and fence issue

[Goldmonday]

We bought and moved into our house at the end of last year. Had little to no contact with neighbours on one side and then found out that they live abroad and are only here a few months of the year.

When we moved in, the fence that belongs to them was half built, with the other half a mix match of a very low stone wall and some reed screening on our side. I can provide a diagram if necessary.

Yesterday the neighbour grabbed me as I was leaving and explained that her husband had built the part of the fence which exists, and wonders if we could come to some kind of agreement with regard to the rest of it (I.e money).

Are they trying it on given that the fence is theirs to maintain??? Also, they have built the part which exists the wrong way round (i.e smooth side faces them and not us). To my mind the stone wall that is there currently is up to them to sort out, and is presumably going to be expensive to get it completely removed and then replaced with a fence.

Had this not been brought up we would have just replaced the reed screening with a decent wood trellis and grew plants up it for privacy.

I did agree and her husband is going to call us in the week but after thinking about it I'm not too sure!! Advice please!

Yes they’re being cheeky. Clearly they cannot afford it.

If it’s theirs then they pay.

I wouldn't worry about which way the fence faces, that's up to whoever paid for it.

If it's clearly their fence, and they agree it's theirs, then you don't need to contribute, though personally I wouldn't be averse to chipping in a bit for goodwill if it were reasonable cost. Arguably you have nothing to lose by contributing up to what you'd otherwise have spent on trellis, and you'd gain goodwill and a more uniform finish. But you don't need to. And bear in mind you will have other fences to maintain, that they won't contribute to.

It shouldn't matter, but in reality my decision might well depend on whether they are just asking nicely, or demanding/expecting a contribution.

Is it a shared boundary fence, if so it's up to you if you want to pay towards replacing it, I don't see why you should pay to have the wall removed if they built it. but if it's their fence you are under no obligation to pay anything. I would just put reed panels all the way along on your side so it all matches up and let them sort out their own fence.

I'm not sure what you mean by the smooth side facing the wrong way as that is irrelevant and up to you both to decide, but with regards to the building of the wall/fence then it is their responsibility and you don't have to pay anything.

Firstly it is on the title plan/deeds that the boundary is definitely theirs to maintain?

This nonsense about the good side of the fence went out with the ark. If I am paying for a fence the good side is definitely facing my garden.

That is also true of the whole only the left side is your responsibility, it is true in some cases but the only way to know for sure is to look at the deeds. If there are no markers on the deeds then it is a shared boundary.

Start with that, then hear them out with what they are planning and go from there.

There is no right or wrong side to a fence. Whoever owns it can do what they like.

Double check your deeds etc and if you are sure it’s theirs and their responsibility then you are under no obligation to pay. If possible double check their deeds too.

They may well have no obligation to maintain or have a fence either though so if you want a fence there it may be easier to chip in with their costs.

Sorry cross posted,,..

We're just in the midst of this - it's probably a shared fence, it's right on the boundary. We asked neighbour if he wanted to contribute, he said he'd rather not, fair enough but means ultimately he doesn't get a say in design or height.

As it happens we've chosen a double sided panel (so both of us will get a 'nice' side) but its our choice / design - probably higher than he'd like.

We fitted a new fence last year and we put the nice side into our garden, it cost over £1000 and no way were we giving the neighbours the nicer side.

The smooth side of a fence tends to be harder to climb so more secure to have facing outwards. I suspect that's the origin of the so-called convention anyway, rather than social obligation to prettify the neighbour's garden.

Thanks all for the advice. It says on the deeds that the boundary to the left is for us to maintain, the same applies for all the houses in the row.

They didn't build the wall, it is built in ragstone the same as the houses so I can only assume it was originally there, or was built some time ago at least, it is weathered but is otherwise in good condition.

I am going to ask them exactly what their plans are this week. If they want to remove the wall and erect an entirely new fence then we won't be contributing and will just do our own thing on our side. The ideal solution to my mind would be to mount some fence panels above the wall, as it is a nice feature and this would circumvent the costs of having it removed and the ground re levelled.