Experts have shared the only way you will be able to tell ‘with certainty’ who is responsible for the repairs to your garden fence – and it’ll save you from a lot of neighbourly disputes
Got a fence that needs repairing, but are not sure who is responsible for it? You’re definitely not alone, and this is a complication that many Brits face, and many regularly take to social media to outline their disputes. Thankfully, experts have shared the ‘only way’ to know ‘with certainty’ which neighbour should be the one painting, repairing, or even replacing the garden fence.
Some homeowners may try to insist it’s the responsibility of those next door, rather than fixing the fence themselves, but the truth is, the argument can go round in circles forever. Some neighbours don’t even want to split costs 50/50 as they don’t see it as their issue – but it may well be their fence they need to take responsibility for.
So, how can you know for sure? Well, experts at Jacksons Fencing say there is only one way to find out once and for all to end the rifts and the drama you may be facing with those next door.
One of the first things you should look for is whether the ‘good’ side is visible on your property because homeowners will often have the ‘good’ side facing outwards.
Experts at Jacksons Fencing explained: “Typically, you can guess who owns a fence by seeing where the rails are, with the fence typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side of the fence.
“This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden.
“This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.”
Although this is the best way to make an estimated guess as to who owns which fence, the team at Jacksons Fencing said it annoyingly isn’t a foolproof method.
The only way to know for certain who owns what side is to refer to the Title Plan or Land Registry. In these documents, a ‘T’ indicates who the boundary belongs to, which will ascertain who is responsible for the upkeep of the fence.
If the ‘T’ mark appears on both sides to form a ‘H’, the fence is shared and, therefore, both neighbours should work together to maintain it as it’s known as a ‘party wall’.
If you think the boundary is incorrect, the experts recommend checking the Land Registry to find out who is responsible for the fence – even if the property is rented.
However, if your neighbour is responsible for the fence, but is letting it get unsightly, sadly, it’s not as easy as just asking them to sort it out, and it’s something that may have to be declared when you sell your house.
Jacksons Fencing said: “Frustratingly, there is no way to make your neighbour repair their fence, even if it is rotting and making your garden look unsightly.
“You can look to hire a disputes expert but this will go down as an official dispute and will have to be declared when selling your house.
“The only way to get around this would be to install your own fence within your boundary right next to it.”
