Money Moral Dilemma: Should we help pay for the fence our new neighbours put up?

Bramblekins

Used to be that the side that the supporting posts were on owned the fence. That may have changed though.

tain

I'm sure I'm joining everyone by saying hellllllllll no. 

And the 'don't upset your neighbours' crew - don't ruin a relationship with your neighbours by tearing down a fence then asking them for money for the privilege. I wouldn't consider that the behaviour of someone looking to preserve a good relationship. 

tain

keithyno.1 said:

As unfortunate a situation as this is, nearly everyone who’s replied up to now has expressed moral indignation and/or focussed purely on the monetary aspect. But maybe the poster needs to look at it another way.

It’s a fact that the vast majority of neighbour disputes usually start over one or more of three things:

1) Fences
2) Parking
3) Overhanging trees etc

This obviously refers to the first one. Now, as aggrieved as the poster may feel about the removal of an old but functional fence AND then being asked to contribute towards it, maybe they need to put their annoyance to one side and look at the bigger picture. 

Firstly, they DO now have a new fence in place. With proper care (painting with weather-proof materials etc) it could be assumed that this new fence will last a lot longer than the old one, and so shouldn’t need replacing again for quite a few years to come.

But secondly, and maybe more importantly, perhaps they need to consider whether it’s worth getting off on a bad footing with these new neighbours. Yes, they’ve been there longer than the new arrivals but that’s inconsequential because they are now just that, neighbours, and will continue to be in the future. So, is it worth risking bad feeling over this, possibly leading to ongoing unpleasantness?

Nearly everyone realises (or at least, most people do) that it’s just good to co-exist with your neighbours in a state of harmony, friendliness and co-operation. It makes life more pleasant for everyone involved. Personally I have great neighbours, 4 immediately to the left of my house which is in a terraced block, and 5 immediately to the right. Everyone is friendly, and we all help each other out as and when required. You could say I’m lucky, but then generally you get back what you give out in life.

So, maybe the poster should look more to the future instead of concentrating on this immediate issue which is obviously troubling them. As they get to know these new neighbours better, they might find they’re fantastic people who’ll do anything to help anyone, but due to the cost of their move are a bit stretched financially and, thinking they were doing the right thing by having the new fence put up, just want the cost split between both properties as on the face of it it IS to the benefit of both.

Maybe the poster might think about when they’re next going away and want someone to keep a general eye on their property. And the numerous parcel deliveries most of us get these days, and the handiness of having a good neighbour who’s happy to accept delivery on their behalf instead of it having to keep being rescheduled. And the errands their neighbour might run for them if they’re ill or self-isolating. Or the help they may just need to help clear the snow off the driveway during the next bad winter. Etc, etc.

In short, it’s just GOOD to get on with your neighbours. Unlike most other things related to properties, you can’t put a price on the value of good ones. So think about biting the bullet over the cost of this new fence, stump up half of it with a reasonable show of willingness and hope for the best. And as I said earlier, generally you get back what you give out in life.

Oh wow, I couldn't disagree more. 

The neighbours have shown themselves to be bad neighbours. Pandering to that just to keep the peace is a recipe for a lot more trouble down the road. You can politely decline and keep the peace, you never pander to it and validate their behaviour.

SteveSi

First get the plans (£3) to your own property.
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry
It may show the boundary and any fences - usually T characters with the long part of the T indicating who owns the fence (usually where the posts are placed).
Then go and have chat and just discuss it amicably.
As has been said by many before, it never pays to argue with the neighbours.

Section62

SteveSi said:

First get the plans (£3) to your own property.
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry
It should show the boundary and any fences - usually T characters with the long part of the T indicating who owns the fence (usually where the posts are placed).

"(there's nothing in the legal documents for either property about who's responsible for it)"

snowleopard61

My response would have to be (truthfully), "I'm afraid I can't afford to contribute to the cost of the fence. I'm sorry I didn't know in advance that you were going to replace it, as I'd have explained this."

Quite difficult for them to argue against, I'd have thought, especially in the presence of a previously functional fence. I've often bitten my tongue to avoid causing any ill-feeling with neighbours, and do believe in give-and-take, so I wouldn't want to get into a row about it, but they can't get blood out of a stone and they'd have fun trying to take you to court for a contribution in the circumstances!

snowleopard61

Further to "biting my tongue", I wasn't thrilled when my new next-door neighbours took it upon themselves to stain their side of the rather good quality fence I'd had put up some years before (decent closeboard fencing rather than cheaper panels), using a very ugly bright orange-brown and even leaking it through to my side in places ...

I don't think they're allowed to do this, either, but in the interests of harmony I did keep my mouth shut!

ginger_chocolate

I recently put up a fence on a shared boundary with my neighbours. I wanted a new fence. I knew they weren't bothered and likely wouldn't want to pay for it but out of courtesy I asked if it was OK for me to do it (given the disruption this kind of work can cause). They actually offered to pay part of the cost but I gracefully declined, it didn't seem very fair seeing as I'd taken it upon myself to get the work done and was choosing a more-expensive-than-the-most-basic option. 

Doing it without speaking to you then asking you to pay after the fact is just a bl**dy cheek. In the interest of avoiding making a mountain out of a molehill, I wouldn't ask them to take the fence down or complain about it or anything, but you certainly aren't obliged to give them any money.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

SteveSi said:

First get the plans (£3) to your own property.
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry
It may show the boundary and any fences - usually T characters with the long part of the T indicating who owns the fence (usually where the posts are placed).
Then go and have chat and just discuss it amicably.
As has been said by many before, it never pays to argue with the neighbours.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/land-registry-plans-boundaries/land-registry-plans-boundaries-practice-guide-40-supplement-3

‘T’ marks on deed plans which are not referred to in the text of a deed have no special force or meaning in law and unless an applicant specifically requests that the ‘T’ marks be shown on the title plan, we will normally ignore them.

Boundary lines on the deeds are rarely 100% accurate, certainly not enough for a T mark to align with the position of a fence post. 

VAM1973

We had this problem only we went on holiday came back and our neighbours put a fence up and put an invoice through our door so I posted it back saying "pay it yourself there was nothing worrying with the fence we put up (it's our boundary) the yr before. You had no right to change it as it's our responsibility, if you didn't like it and wanted to change it pay for it yourself". They moved 2yrs later after the other side of Thier property did the same to them and asked them to pay. 
If there is nothing wrong with a fence and they change it for their own one then they should not ask for payment.