Fence ownership

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BMC

Hi there. Looking for some advice or people who have had a similar scenario.

The storm last week caused two fences to blow down/cause significant damage.

Looking out my back door there is a fence to our left with slats facing towards us. Spoke with left hand side neighbour and agreed to replace that fence but on the right side, neighbour told me not to touch that fence a few years ago. Do we only have responsibility for the fence to our left instead of the right?

Thanks.

😁

anisty

The person that bought the fence is responsible for the fence. Usually, if you root about in the undergrowth at the base of your fences, you can find the remnants of the original boundary fence put in when the house was built. It will only be about a foot high and consist of some rotting posts and a bit of wire (depending on how old your house is)

If it's been removed entirely, and your fence sits right on the boundary line, it's likely a shared fence.

Otherwise, see whose side of the boundary fence it sits.

Why not go round to your neighbour on the right and see if he is taking ownership of that fence?

If he is not - you might agree to share the cost of a new fence or put your own fence up (make sure it goes your side of the boundary fence if you pay for it so there's no doubt it is your fence.

Boundary fences shouldn't be removed unless fences are jointly owned, but sometimes people do remove them to pinch an extra inch of garden!

Sometimes there might be a mark on your house wall also showing the boundary - look on your wall close to ground level (might even be at ground level covered in soil)