Neighbours fence issue

[Lavender14]

Hi all, my neighbours fence has broken in a storm about 4 months ago. It's hanging into my garden but hasn't fully come down yet.

I've spoken to the neighbour and they've said 'it'll be fixed' and I know they rent but they won't say when the work will be done or who their landlord is so I can chase it up.

I have a small child who now can't use their own garden in the nice weather because if it came down on top of them it could really hurt them.

My landlord obviously won't fix it since it's not his fence and I can't afford to fix a fence that's not mine either.

What do I do here?

They probably have a crap landlord who doesn’t want to pay out for it. Unfortunately it’s not down to them it’s down to the landlord. You can get their details from land registry.

You can ask your landlord to make contact as it’s harming their property.

You could go to the land registry and find details of their landlord to contact that way.

do you have a letting agent? if so contact them.

Have they refused to give their landlord's details, or are they just not forthcoming with them?

Your landlord does have a duty towards you. Have you approached them about it, as they should make your property safe and negotiate repair with the neighbour's landlord.

Can you post a pic. Might be straightforward to make safe so you can at least use the garden ?
If you want to get the next door Landlords details to contact directly its straight forward and costs £7 here :

https://search.uklandregistryonline.org.uk/?utm_source=google&utmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=23680606752&utmcontent=745225610779&utmterm=land%20registry%20title%20search&gadsource=1&gadcampaignid=23680606752&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzu7Tts6SlAMVNoBQBh0IbhxNEAAYASAAEgI12DBwE

I would contact your landlord as you cannot use the garden. However can the fence be easily reconstructed ? Sometimes they can and replacement isn’t necessary.

I've been in touch repeatedly with my letting agent who manages the property on behalf of my landlord. They're saying its nothing to do with them in terms of fixing it as it's not their fence and it's really for me to sort with the neighbour. They've been out and inspected the property so they're well aware of how bad it is and that I've a young child. However they have made enquiries to try to find out who owns the house with no joy.

The neighbour has refused to provide the details which I find strange because its bound to be frustrating for them as well and I could back them up in chasing the landlord, but maybe they're worried about rocking the boat.

I don't really want to post a photo incase the neighbour is on here.

It might be fixable with a horizontal strip of wood nailed on to reinforce but I think one of the main posts has come loose and might need reset to be more stable. I think anything else would be a temporary sticky plaster and where we are gets a lot of wind so I think it would just be a matter of time unless it's done properly now.

@Lavender14 Your agent is not correct as the fence is spoiling your enjoyment of the property you rent. However they don’t have responsibility for repairing it. You really have an impasse and I totally see that’s not acceptable. I honestly think you will have to do a bodge to the fence to repaid it. There’s no other option it seems. I assume you don’t know the letting agent for next door? When was it let? Can you chase an old advert? Ask other neighbours?

Look at the land registry, that will tell you who owns it!! For about £6

@Tortephant It won’t tell you how to contact them though! The letting agent next door would know.

It’s not difficult to trace people

You can report to the council building control or environmental health.

Your letting agent has a duty of care towards you which at the end of the day devolves to your landlord. Tell the agent that you are giving them one final chance to sort this before you go to their regulator and report the matter which could endanger yur child. That should concentrate their minds. Do it on friday (new legislation) You could also contact your landlord in the same vein. The name of the regulator must by law be available on the agents website.

Can't you just put someting in front of the broken bit of fence to prop it up, so that your child can play out in the garden. Presumably you're out there supervising them anyway if they're little.

Is the post broken at the bottom, which is what usually happens with wooden posts?
You could get one of these and a bag of postcrete
https://www.wickes.co.uk/FENCEMATE-Steel-Fence-Repair-Spur---75-x-38-x-1200mm/p/286472?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMAX%20Shopping%7C%7CGarden%20Fencing&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20236447160&gbraid=0AAAAADs4IsYKDqNBDdMNnqQX9qg92HnX4&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhZWep_OSlAMVCo5QBh0lCguXEAQYASABEgJP0_D_BwE

Yes of course I'm out supervising but it's a large section of the fence that's coming down so you're talking about half the garden that's potentially under it. It's not that big a garden that that leaves much room to play. I don't even know what I would have to prop it up securely to that extent. I've trawled the Internet for old letting adverts with no joy. I think they're a long standing tenant, they have been there well before me and I was keeping an eye for property in the area for about 2 years before I eventually got my current rental as they're like hens teeth to get. I don't know my other neighbours but I know this neighbour has loads of relatives who live in the street (I just don't know which ones exactly) so I also don't want it being fed back that I've been approaching other people about it.

What an absolute joke! They should at least take the fence down so it’s not hanging over your property. Definitely ask if you could give them a hand and just get it done. Annoying, but means it would be “sorted” for summer.

It will give the name of the owner but the address on the register will be the address the neighbour lives at - not the landlord's address

Also just to add, it is so frustrating that people don’t mind inconveniencing others when something like this happens! I’d be out the same day or at least the same week trying to clear my neighbours garden. What a joke.

How many panels are damaged and leaning into your garden. I'd let the council know, tge landlord may be registered with them.

You can't make them replace the fence. You can get them to remove it. Or take it down yourself and put it in their garden
Get something cheap to stop your child wandering

Why not use your tennant insurance to sort it?

It's not op property, how would her contents insurance help, there's no damage to her belongings

No, not her contents. Most tenants have an insurance policy that covers accidental damage and so on eg for carpets, windows, ovens that they would be liable for.

Ask your neighbours to make it safe at least, but if its stayed in the same position for more than a few days, there probably isn't any risk of it falling down on your child? Perhaps just use play pen panels so she stays within a safe boundary in the garden.

Completely agree, I'd be the same especially when you know it's affecting someone else. Obviously for the landlord it might be a case of out of sight out of mind and maybe don't understand the fact that it's one thing an adult working around it safely, but a small child isn't going to have the awareness for that, if they don't know there's a child next door. Not that it would matter really.