Which garden fence belongs to my property and should I share the cost with my neighbour?

GARDEN maintenance can be a daunting task especially if you need to navigate replacing your fence.

It can be confusing to know if you should take the plunge and spend money on a fence that could actually belong to your neighbour.

Which garden fence belongs to my property?

You may have heard that the fence you own is always the one on the left hand side.

Others get told to follow the rule that it’s on the right, which adds to confusion.

In reality there is no general rule about which fence is yours.

Often you can tell by which side is facing you – if you have the nice side then the fence is owned by your neighbour.

Generally speaking you should always put the fence up facing away from your property and take the side with the supports for yourself.

If everyone follows this rule then each property will get a good side and a bad side.

You can get double sided fence panels to avoid this aesthetic issue.

If you’re still struggling you can look on the Land Registry plans for your home and check the boundary line.

You might see a ‘T’ mark, this means the boundary is your responsibility – if it is a ‘H’ this indicates joint responsibility.

Should I share the cost with my neighbour?

There is no legal obligation to share the cost of building a new fence.

If you are wanting to replace the fence on your property then your neighbour does not need to pay anything towards it.

Your neighbour may be asking you to replace your fence and offer to pay some towards it but they do not have to.

Generally the best course of action is to speak to your neighbour.

If you both agree on something this could save arguments in the future.

Can I put a fence up without my neighbour’s permission?

You cannot put up a fence on your neighbour’s property without permission.

If it is your fence on your side of the boundary that needs replacing there is no need to ask permission.

That being said, it is polite to notify them about it, after all they will lose their privacy for a short time.

If the fence you want to replace is on your neighbours property you should ask them if they are willing to change it.

In most cases if you think the fence is tired and possibly broken then they will too and you can come to an agreement.

But if they do not wish to replace it, you can erect your own fence within your property line.

This would cover up the other fence but would mean the two run back to back along the boundary.