Money Moral Dilemma: Should we pay for a fence panel that was supposed to be free?

gloriouslyhappy

You say the fence is on y our property so it's your responsibility. Did the friend / delivery man make the panel fit by doing some work to make it fit? If he did, and if you now have a fence panel, I would have £25 cash ready, tell the neighbour you'll split the £50 with him, and hand over the cash. If the panel didn't fit and was taken away so there's a gap in the fence, I'd pay nothing and thank the neighbour for their efforts and tell them you've got it sorted and your workman is already booked to make the repair soon.

REJP

You might have got home to find your fence damaged and had to get it fixed yourself.
My experience with fencing is it would probably cost more than £50 to have a new fence panel made, delivered and fitted.  Your fence, pay up.
my deeds clearly state my fence on the North side of the property is my responsibility to maintain.
They also say I can just have a post and wire boundary marker instead of fence panels.  I choose to have a panel fence for privacy.

Shibey

you don’t say why/how  the fence is damaged ( per your
neighbour). and if the neighbours damaged it in your absence ?   If they did, leave it to them to take care of it. Legally they are responsible. 

Either way have the neighbour deal with the man repairing the fence. The onus is on them to sort out their fence repair issue and their moral dilemma, not yours, to deal with the repair man. If you get involved with him, however nice he is, you get pulled into the situation.
 Talk to your neighbour directly, dealing with him/her only. At least they tried to sort this out for you so try to keep the discussion “ neighbourly” and friendly and decide, if necessary , based on who damaged the fence, how much ( if anything) you are prepared to contribute.

ripongrammargirl

No don’t pay up as you didn’t ask for it and no consultation was made. £50 for one fence panel (of the cheapest variety probably) that, in my experience, does not cost this to be bought and fitted by fencers! How did it get damaged whilst you were away anyway? Rough play by neighbours kids, negligence by neighbours etc? If you were away then you didn’t damage it so if the fence is yours then point that out and get the culprits to pay up! If it’s blown down etc then check out your buildings insurance as that might help.
Also in my experience, and told by many conveyancers over the years, if you look at the front of your property then your boundary is on the left of you, the right side is the neighbours. So check that out first/look at your deeds.
More info is needed here to decide who the fence belongs to first of all and then take it from there- but don’t pay up! ALWAYS get 3 quotes from any work people to make an informed decision.

dobbiesloan

If it does not fit then it is not fit for purpose, so you don't accept it. You did not order it, you did not tell them the wrong size. You did tell them to fcuk off I hope.

telsco

What efforts does he want £50 for? It doesn't fit, so he hasn't fitted it. It was free so no cost there. 
It sounds to me like the neighbours mate had nicked a random one from someone else's garden and they both want £25 for a few beers.

jaymis45

One thing I cant stand about the law in this country.  Some properties dont have a T or H sign on the deed.  The rule of thumb is the fence on the right belongs to your neighbour and they should pay for fence.  The left fence belongs to you and your responsibility. This would save alot disputes if developers , land registry police , councils , lawyers , courts all took the same stance.   Neighbours that dont pay or dont fix their fence should be fined.   Stop this endless problem once and for all we are all tired of disputes.   I blame the developers for such stupidity for creating this mess in the first place.  

jegs

If the fence is your responsibility, then it is your responsibility to maintain and repair it. It is not your neighbour's responsibility.  If however, even with good intentions, your neighbour decides to 'interfere' without your consent or consultation, then any resulting problems or costs are theirs and theirs alone.  The fact the panel did not fit, is certainly your neighbour's responsibility. Once the repairs are completed to your satisfaction, should you choose to pay for any or all of the costs for the repairs, then that is a matter for you to decide.  Nobody can force you to accept a 'service' you did not agree to or authorise. 

anotheruser

No, you should not pay.
You should ask your neighbour.
Most will come to a 50/50 agreement, no matter who really "owns" the fence. 

Apodemus

+1 to the comment above about title deeds very often not giving any clue to ownership of the fence.   I would suggest that unless it is specifically mentioned, then best to assume 50/50 ownership.