I live in a terrace house (let’s say number 11) and the next door neighbor’s fence (#13) blew down nearly a year ago…
Shortly after the fence blew down I was talking to the lady of the house in the back garden(s) and she was saying that they were just deciding whether to use wooden or concrete fence posts, I said I was a fan of the full bore concrete options, as when the panels went, they just slide out, and new ones go in, saving time/hassle/money in the long run, it’s what I put in when our fence blew down the year before.
Subsequently not a lot happened, so I went for a chat about it, and they said, due to problems with their other neighbor (#15) they can’t use the back garden, can’t replace the fence, they would like too, but have other priorities.
Now, they are a bit “odd” but we’ve never really had any major problems with them, but their neighbors on the other side have had a long standing ASB dispute, police involved, keeping diaries etc etc…
I’ve spoken to their other neighbors (#15), who think it’s ridiculous that they are blaming them for not replacing the fence, and have no problem with either themselves or a contractor carrying out the work in the garden. I am inclined to believe them, as we get on very well, they seem really nice people etc etc…
It’s getting a bit daft from my perspective that the fence is still down, but as we don’t have kids/dogs etc it’s not a real problem…
Do I:
1) Bombers/hoof in slats/wee in shoes/no pudding
2) Start to go round asking then demanding they repair the fence running the risk of escalating into a neighbor dispute, where no one will win in the long run
3) Ignore it and hope they will eventually fix the fence on their own.

4: put up a fence just inside your boundary line. forget about it.

rebuild fence in their garden stealing at least a foot from them….that will teach them

5. Dig a huge trench, fit razor wire and walk up and down it every half hour whilst scowling menacingly and mumbling about the east/west divide.

1/10 No threats, no judgemental prejudice, no whining self justification. Very very poor.

There is no legal requirement to have a fence, is there?
You want one, they are not so bothered. Why not ask if they mind you replacing it.

If they’re unable to use their garden, fence it off, deprive them of access and in 12 years, it’s yours. Adverse Possession, innit.

Bill is in the post,
Regards,
Gatsby & Gatsby Solicitors.

Build a wall, you know it makes sense.

Simple answer

http://www.gardens4you.co.uk/index.php?/Chamaecyparis/Lawsons-Cypress-Hedge-10-hedge-plants

Offer to put the fence in yourself – ask them to pay materials?
Then you get the fence how you want it.

Do they actually own, or are they tennants?

Are the likely to have financial problems replacing the fence, could you offer help with the building process as you seem to have experience. Have a chat with them, not in a demanding way just in a neighbourly ‘anything I can do to help’ kind of way as a first approach.

Then if that gets you no where go for a landgrab and bolt their rear door from the outside and take it for yourself.

As is usual, someone on here always comes along to suggest that the OP should put up their own fence.
At their own expense too presumably? Or is the poster going to put their hand in their pocket to contribute to their stupid idea? 🙄

Is there a legal compulsion to maintain an existing boundary fence?

Thats what I was asking. If the fence is an option rather than a requirement then the neighbours don’t have to have one. OP does so he can provide it.

I guess yours and their deeds say they are explicitely responsible for the boundary fence?

I don’t get why we all have high fences round our garden.

Ours one side is low – its great to chat and pass tools back and forth.
The other side is a cut Leylandi hedge, and the agreement is that we will dig it up and replace with small fence like the other in the spring.

Back fence, to the ‘posh’ house is an 8′ tall, light blocking monstrosity so that the view from their new extension is not the 1970’s estate below….

Peace and love man, peace and love….

No one has asked yet but do you know whose boundary belongs to who?

Edit – Trailrat beat me to it.

Just ignore the boundary. Let the kids and dog play as if it’s all yours. I’m sure it’ll go up in their priorities.

As several people have already mentioned there’s no legal requirement for a fence. Not unless there is something very unusual going on. Also, no-one owns the boundary. Convention might dictate that houses maintain the fence on one side but nothing more than that.

pretty certain our terraces deeds has it written in which fence is ours and the requirement to maintain it. Gets more annoying when landlords are involved.

Our deeds definitely had written ownership of borders.

If i wanted a fence up, Id put one up, you can wait forever for people

The fence on one side of my garden blew down about 3 years ago, haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet (it’s not a boundary to another garden but a path that a neighbour has access to his garage via). Bit of of an eye-sore I guess but I only really use my garden for washing bikes and have other things more important (to me) to spend money on.

Build your own fence

are you my nan? – she’s been moaning about the neighbors fence for ~5 years.

I am slightly suspicious that the only reason she hasn’t just sorted it is because it’s her favourite topic of conversation…

Can they afford to be paying £100 a panel for a fence they couldn’t care about?

There is of course ownership of the physical fence if there is one. But the boundary itself is just the line where one side is your land and the other side is theirs. You can put a fence up just inside your side if you want. Or not, if you don’t want.

There is of course ownership of the physical fence if there is one. But the boundary itself is just the line where one side is your land and the other side is theirs. You can put a fence up just inside your side if you want. Or not, if you don’t want.

Indeed, but the deeds likely have a requirement to maintain a barrier of some sort on one side of your property. As will the neighbors. It’s what’s known as a positive covenant (as opposed to a restrictive covenant which might say “no sheds in the back garden”). If the fence is the neighbors fence and the deeds say they have to replace it then you can in fact take them to court to force them.

If you do it yourself then you open up a can of worms, including the fence becoming your problem in the future, and the covenant being removed because they can demonstrate there’s no loss of enjoyment/amenity to you as there’s already a fence on your side.

Thermobaric minefield

My deeds have boundary ownership. I paid for a fence around whole perimeter as I wanted a nice quality and matching fence. If I had left a whole section to my neighbour it would have consisted of bit of wire between some twigs

I don’t get why we all have high fences round our garden.

Not me, I can walk into two gardens and can hop the low fence on the third.

Buy some dogs and let them crap on your neighbours lawn.

Leave it, my last neighbours fence blew down and we spent the next 3 years sharing gardens bbqs and beers. Good times.

The couple at no13 clearly want you to pop round for heavy petting.
Leaving the fence down is for your ease of access.

yeah, we are both bound by our deeds to maintain the fence, my current course of action is going to be….
do nothing!
then around Easter time, have a chat with them and tell them that I had a word with their nasty neighbors on the other side and they said that they can get it done and they wont kick up a fuss…

Neighbours!?…lol, how frightfully working class.