Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

WWYD - Tw*at neighbour is ruining boundary fence

7 replies

minny80 · 02/07/2022 17:21

Unfortunately, I happen to live next to the most despicable neighbour, a racist tw*at and bully whom I don't speak to and mostly ignore. He is broke and inherited the house which after years of failed DIY attempts is in a state of disrepair.

The neighbour's garden gate is "secured" to the last fence concrete post. The way it is secured is that they fitted a wooden post in front of the concrete post and over the boundary line and then tied the 2 posts together with a metal band. This appears to be very old and since the neighbour is a moron and they have been pushing a heavy ladder against the garden gate, over the years the wooden post has bent and now is moving the concrete post out of its axis. The fence attached to the concrete post is now very loose and it will probably fall over if I leave it like this. Furthermore, last winter the idiot neighbour decided to leave a ladder up in heavy winds which resulted in the ladder falling and collapsing on the fences, which further damaged the same panel (needless to say the neighbour has neither apologies nor done anything to rectify the damage). I have CCTV camera footage of the ladder collapsing over the fences.
The title plan does not mention who owns that side of the fences, but the neighbour is the last house on the road so they have already ownership of one side, which potentially means I own that side.

I want to fix the concrete post at my expense, but need to figure out what to do with the wooden post which is in front of the concrete post (and on the boundary line). I don't think I can just get it removed because that will make collapse the neighbour already flimsy garden gate.

I don't want to talk to the neighbour, just get it fixed, I could pay to have his post moved into his boundary but I am not sure I am allowed to do that. Can I get a lawyer to send him a letter to let him know I am going to get it sorted? Can I take him to the small court claim if he damages the fences any further?
Any suggestions appreciated.

OP posts:
MarieG10 · 02/07/2022 18:32

You do need to be certain who has ownership. Sometimes the title deeds have markers on the boundary line to indicate who maintains it.

If the fence is on your side of the boundary then it is much clearer and if he causes damage to your fence then yes, you can issue a claim for damages in the small claims court to the cost of the damage

minny80 · 02/07/2022 21:17

No T markings on the title plan unfortunately or mention in the deeds

OP posts:
BlueMongoose · 02/07/2022 21:19

Can you find out from the previous owner how put the fence up?

parietal · 02/07/2022 21:25

I'd write a letter stating what you want to do and say that if you don't hear back in 2 weeks you will assume it it ok. Then go ahead and do the work. If you can do it without going on his property you should be fine.

minny80 · 02/07/2022 21:35

So last time I wrote him a letter it was during the lockdown when he decided to use an angular chainsaw in the garden all-day-every-single-day. I told him if we didn't give us a break I would have reported him to the council and received a slightly abusive and racist response. I will probably send him a letter through a lawyer so that he might be a bit more careful with his response.

OP posts:
dudsville · 02/07/2022 21:38

That's awful OP. Bad neighbours really have an impact on our wellbeing. Hope you get a resolution.

User57327259 · 03/07/2022 00:00

It is a mystery to me why neighbours are hell bent on making lives difficult for people around them.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread