Do I have to give balls back?

budgetdiyer

Wow a long thread, i've not read it all.

I think i'd consider replacing the fence with a concrete sectional one and then covering my side with decorative screening (and or clever planting) - Your neighbour will then be left with a very ugly but completely ball proof fence to try and destroy! (Note - He is not allowed to paint or attach anything to your fence.)

mrs_sparrow

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

You don't have to keep the dog out!!!!!! They have to keep it in, full stop, ie, don't spend money.

It's not the next door neighbours dog though!! It's the neighbour 2 doors down and their dog is getting through 2 broken fences!! So neighbour 2 does not want to pay to have his fence fixed either. And that would be an argument with another neighbour.

For the sake of £60 she can let her GS in the garden knowing he'll not wander through dog poo - and it'll be a fence the boy cannot get over too so win-win. The boy should also see the toddler or OP there so *may* make an extra effort to direct the ball elsewhere.

She'll never be able to stop the balls coming over unless she builds a 16ft fortress - however, she can minimise the banging against the fence and not having the dog come in for, what is, a just a small amount of money really. It's called picking your battles. I would save the balls up and chuck them all over at one time though and if he comes round for them, pretend not to answer the door every now and then so he'll have nothing to do.

valk_scot

MrsE wrote: »

Really? I thought you did. I have no wish to keep them though & am happy to toss them into a public area for them to collect. What about the other poster who said I was liable if anything happened to them?

I think you either have to toss them back or keep them in a safe place till you can return them directly to the owner. So I personally would keep them safe till the boy comes round to collect them, then tell him at this point you'll only return it to his mum or dad. If they ask why you won't return it to him directly say that you prefer it this way so that they understand how many times a day this is happening. Then smile....;)

JCP

paulabarnard wrote: »

always give the ball back!

Ah, the words of someone who has never had to deal with a real problem.
My old neighbours' kids were constantly putting their ball into my back garden to the point that I stopped using it as it was fairly unpleasant knowing you were about to get clobbered but not quite sure when.

To start with I always threw the ball back, but when they came to the door 70+ times in one weekend enough was enough. They were told they would get the ball back the next time I was in my back garden (checked legalities of this). Cue the father showing up with the 3 boys demanding the same thing (smallest two were kicking the living daylights out of my front door because I didn't answer it quickly enough). I didn't go into my garden for a month. Problem diminished but they were still rubbish neighbours - only discovered how bad once they moved and there was a collective sigh of relief in the street.

Leif

I can't see the problem here. It is anti-social behaviour. Talk to the parents. If nothing changes, inform them they will pay for damage, and call the police to report the nuisance. The police need a record, so make some complaints to establish the problem, rather than waiting then complaining. It does work, although they don't seen to like this kind of thing, you basically have to force them to act. The are probably wasting time chasing car thieves, armed robbers, and coppers who place stickers on police vehicles.

FilthyLuka

why not take the balls to the police station like a responsible person

how do you know the ball belongs to the next door neighbours, they could be just opportunistically be preying on your good nature ....... let them have a journey to the station each and every time and they can explain why they are wasting police time cos they cant kickaball proper

or kill 2 birds with 1 stick...........that ball that keeps coming over would definately land in your other neighbours dog eggs each and everytime it paid a visit...........play on boys!!!

picnic

one of the fence's must belong to the neighbour? which one is he going to pay to replace? think I might be tempted to say cant afford to replace the fence at all.. see what they say to that...

were waiting to see who moves in to the empty house next door to us... fingers crossed for nice people...

Mojisola

picnic wrote: »

one of the fence's must belong to the neighbour? which one is he going to pay to replace? think I might be tempted to say cant afford to replace the fence at all.. see what they say to that...

Not necessarily. In some properties you have the responsibility for all the fences and in others, none of them.

mrs_sparrow

picnic wrote: »

one of the fence's must belong to the neighbour? which one is he going to pay to replace? think I might be tempted to say cant afford to replace the fence at all.. see what they say to that...

were waiting to see who moves in to the empty house next door to us... fingers crossed for nice people...

The problem is, you don't actually have to have a fence, do you? There is no legal requirement, it's just something you do so you do not encroach onto someone elses land and to ensure that they do not encraoch onto yours. So matey is not going to replace the fence so the OP needs a temporary fix.

And if the dog is no longer escaping into her's it'll be crapping solely in the neighours. See how quick they are to act then.

As I say, it's all about picking your battles. For, what is, a small amount of money, she can have it sorted and grow some big bushes to hide it (although it sounds like she may already have this). If not then she should plant some Privet as the leaves will be too big to grow though chicken wire and she will not need to trim it on the other side.

Sometimes in life you can make things a little easier for yourself by inconveniencing yourself just a small bit. It's worth it for an easier and quieter life. No you should not have to replace it but if it makes your life less stressful and easier then why not?

However, having the chicken wire also ensures she can see what the boy is up and he'll probably stop doing the things he has been in the privacy of his own garden. Block them in, he'll only do the same things. He is 11 so the metal fence will only have to be up for 5 years (or until he finds girls more interesting!!) and she can save to replace it properly later.

MrsE_2

budgetdiyer wrote: »

Wow a long thread, i've not read it all.

I think i'd consider replacing the fence with a concrete sectional one and then covering my side with decorative screening (and or clever planting) - Your neighbour will then be left with a very ugly but completely ball proof fence to try and destroy! (Note - He is not allowed to paint or attach anything to your fence.)

They cost £10 per panel, you would need 6 to equal 1 wooden panel, thats £60 a panel. But a lovely idea.The quote I've had for fitting the 8 panels is reusing the existing posts, so if I did go down the concrete route, it would mean new posts too.