Shred Boundary hedge / fence?

bouicca21

I must admit I'd be miffed if I were expected to trim my neighbour's huge hedge. I'd either have to get someone in, or buy the necessary equipment - and yes, I could probably afford to do that but why should I pay to sort out a problem caused by someone else? I think it is entirely reasonable to expect the neighbourly thing and for the neighbour to come and trim it.


I'd also prefer the hedge to a fence. So much nicer to look at, as long as it's kept under control. OTH the fence clearly marks the boundary. Without a fence someone in the future might say the hedge straddles the boundary and then there is a whole new dispute.

12603taylor

I do understand that she is now annoyed that she has do some maintenance of the hedge from her side (we do the lions share) when she didn’t choose to have the hedge there. But likewise we didn’t choose to put the hedge there either and we have brought this house 9 years ago with a well established long, thick, tall hedge already running along our front garden/her back garden, and have happily taken on the lions share of looking after it in terms of trimming it our side, and trimming the whole of the top surface (both sides). It’s only the side/face of hedge into her garden we don’t trim. It’s the quote to pay 50% we have just been given for replacing a fence the other side of the hedge, that we didn’t know existed until this week that we are shockes by. As if we did pay 50% for the fence we would have no way of being able to check on it and see if it is being maintained etc. And we can’t get to it or see it for ourselves. I can see it sucks for her that she is now living with the consequences of partially looking after a hedge she didn’t opt for, that for out in by her neighbours 30 + years ago , but that’s not our fault, we have just brought a house with a well established bush already running along the boundary. So the the circumstances have changed over the years and that’s what we have inherited ...but she still wants to keep the arrangement of paying half each for a fence which use to be the only form of boundary line many, many years ago ....but this is no longer the case. I know she didn’t sign up to the hedge, but she does get better privacy with it, and likewise we never signed up to a fence as the party boundary ...as only just been informed of its existance.

Grezz24

Personally i would'nt pay towards the fence, the boundary for you is the hedge as that's how you bought it, but i can see why people here are quoting morality as the usual posts are from people in your neighbors position.

The choice is yours if you pay or not.

CocoLouie

OP why do you keep going on about trimming your hedge which is on your land like you are doing her a favour in the current situation. The hedge belongs to you and is on your land of course you should maintain it.


To me it seems like a fair request to split the cost of replacing a joint boundary. But it is a request which you can decline.


And your neighbour is right to not want to have to maintain your hedge and I doubt there are many people who would be happy to have to spend time/money attending to their neighbours garden. But again its your right to keep your hedge and not assist with it if you want.


If I was in your shoes I'd refuse to pay for the fence if the hedge is sufficient as a boundary/security and offer to do her side of the hedge while I did mine to be neighbourly.


Is your neighbour likely to try cause trouble if she doesn't like how you handle the situation? As in start some kind of dispute or turn into a nightmare neighbour?

CocoLouie

12603taylor wrote: »

But likewise we didn’t choose to put the hedge there either and we have brought this house 9 years ago.


and likewise we never signed up to a fence as the party boundary ...as only just been informed of its existance.

You did choose to have a hedge when you chose to buy a house with one.


And you did sign up to have a fence when you bought a house with one. It isn't the neighbours fault that you didn't properly check what you were purchasing

Carrot007

Calnm down people.


There is no evidence that the fence or the hedge are the border.


Maybe the old woman put up the hedge to avoid cutting the hedge and now wants to extort money to replace it (this happend to my mother, except the extortion part, but it is looking bad now (hedge removed by me), so who knows).



Anyhow...


OP what do you want? Do you want to remove the hedge so a fence can be the border?


If so I would tell her no I am not paying for a new fence but thanks for telling me it is the border I will get the hedge removed so it does not damage it.


Alternatively if you want the hedge then tell her as far as I am concerned the hedge is the border and it's up to you if you want to cut your side.


There is no lack or morality in it. This is what's expected with owning a house with a shared border!

CocoLouie

Carrot007 wrote: »

Maybe the old woman put up the hedge to avoid cutting the hedge and now wants to extort money to replace it (this happend to my mother, except the extortion part, but it is looking bad now (hedge removed by me), so who knows).

What? So the lady put up a hedge to avoid cutting a hedge? How does that make sense? And now she has waited 9 years to extort money to replace

Davesnave

CocoLouie wrote: »

What? So the lady put up a hedge to avoid cutting a hedge? How does that make sense? And now she has waited 9 years to extort money to replace

It's a mistake. As I said earlier, most of us cope with the odd slip of the keyboard.

I think it should have read:

"Maybe the old woman put up the fence to avoid cutting the hedge"

which could well be correct.



No one may know now if the lady (less of 'the old woman' - she's not much older than me!) is re-writing history, saying the original was 'shared.'

kay0601

I hope she throws all the cuttings back over when she's done trimming it. Hopefully just as you're firing up the BBQ...

AnotherJoe

12603taylor wrote: »

I only eventually added the personal details about her as lots of people kept asking ! Not because I thought it was relevant.

ahem

I agree if she was both older and financially struggling we would just morally help her out

seems to make it relevant?