Who Owns the fence??

Benson

We have a hedge in between us and our neighbour and it is looking thread bear and messy so we'd like to put a fence in between us.

Is there a ruling of who owns the fence if nothing is mentioned in the deeds?

Someone said to me that they'd heard if you face your house, you own the fence/hedge on your left?

Is this true? Or is there anywhere I can get advice?

Thanks,

Ebe_Scrooge

The "fence-on-your-left" thing is a useful rule of thumb, but the only way to be sure is to check the deeds. If they're not mentioned then you would have to get a solicitor to check for you. If you get on well with your neighbours ( and want to keep it that way ! ) the simplest thing is to have a friendly chat and split the cost between you - probably far cheaper than getting a solicitor to sort it all out anyway.

kitschkitty

I think this has come up before. A fence can belong to either neighbour If there is a hedge already in place then adding a fence your side of the hedge on your own land would make it your fence.

Also there is no requirement for anyone to put up or maintain a fence so if say you had a neighbour who has a fence that needs replacing you can't make them replace it or pay for it, but you can always put up a fence/barrier of your choosing on your side of the boundary.

johnoz

There's a third possibility ... our deeds specifically state that the boundary fences are jointly owned by both properties.

ormus

the left hand rule is an urban myth.
my fences are shown on my deeds but the scale is so small as to be next to useless.
best policy is to agree with the neighbours to split the cost of any repairs etc...
much cheaper then legal advice.

1970s. house i used to own, the neighbour agreed to pay for all fence materials, if did all the DIY work.
result.

savemoney

I have no idea who owns what fence, I have four neighbours that come up to my boundary

I am at present repairing a fence, making good rotten where I can and then putting new panels on a DIY job someone did years ago which looks horrible.

I would have liked to replaced the whole lot but a lilac tree is growing in between the fence and coming out my side and neighbours too. If I had my way I chop the thing down but its awkward place to get too due to it being on a slope.

Once I patched that up I am getting another fence replaced fully, with concrete posts and slotted in panels so I can service both sides as my neighbour does begger all in the way of maintenance and I try to avoid them where possible as his misses is funny as I found out after I bought this house and a neighbour said they had a few disagreements the previous occupiers

Anyhow the fence is only around 15 feet so I will ask a mate who is a landscape gardener if he cant fit it at a cost of course

naijapower

Has anyone heard this logic before?
I was told that end terrace houses own the fence that separates them from the the adjoining property. Was told this is why end terrace are slightly more expensive.

McKneff

I am joined to a semi on the right (looking at my house from the front)
on the left there is a detached. So who owns/shares which fence?

tifo

the fence is usually owned by the house with the 'poles' towards their side.

plus, if you put it on your own land, even an inch away from the boundary line, it's yours anyway. This is the easiest method.

McKneff

Am i right in thinking that the fence isnt the issue, that the boundary is the issue, so if a neighbor wants to put a fence up
a. It has to go on their side of the boundary
b. It therefore belongs to them and is theirs to maintain. even with the left
hand rule
c. My deeds show no measurements so how do i find out how wide my land is to the side ie boundary
I do not particularly want a fence up, especially a 6 foot one so my neighbour puts a fence up on his land, he pays for it - yes

Mikeyorks

There is no 'left hand' rule. I'm just in the process of selling an Exor property built around 1900 .... and all the maintainable fences / walls are to the right. (unless, of course, you stand and look at the house from the back garden! )

And my own property ..... all the maintainable hedges / walls ..... are to the right. Easiest one was the isolated farmhouse I moved from a few years ago. Whether you stood at the back, the front or on the roof ...... they were all mine .... unfortunately.

If the Deeds don't tell you who is responsible .... you have to compromise, as there's no divine rule of thumb.