Should the cost of fencing be shared between neighbours?

Garden fencing, amongst other things can cause a lot of friction between neighbours, especially if the relationship is already delicate. As far as fencing is concerned and the sharing of cost, there’s a legal responsibility, but who gets to pay can sometimes be a little ambiguous. There are boundaries, and these boundaries between the two gardens can be down to which part of the land is registered to which property. It’s a piece of the land that you or your neighbour officially owns. 

The paperwork can offer clues

Naturally, your new home will come with lots of paperwork that tells you all you need to know about the property you’ve purchased. There’ll be deeds and a planned drawing which will show the land boundaries, hopefully there will some indication as to which part of the fencing belongs to who, but that’s not always the case.

Ownership of fencing and walls can be a minefield

Fences and walls can be left slightly obscured and may not even be included along with the documents you were given, as we’ve just mentioned. Anything the previous occupants tell you about your new home won’t always be true once you’ve taken over and may have no relevance with a change of owners. 

Check the property deeds again

However, that doesn’t really help you in deciding who is responsible for the maintenance of the fencing. If you and your neighbours are still deliberating over their responsibilities in terms of cost, then it’s back to the property deeds where it may tell you whether it’s yours or the neighbours – however watch out for the potential for no information at all as we’ve already discussed. 

Start with friendly conversations

If you’re left stumped, then perhaps it’s time to see how good a relationship you have with your neighbours and start up a conversation about who’s going to be taking responsibility for what, say perhaps who does the repairs, who replaces the fencing or parts of it when there’s been any damage. 

Have friendly discussions about who will take responsibility for what

By having a sensible and friendly discussion about it and about who will take responsibility for certain costs you can avoid any confrontation somewhere down the line. It’ll help both parties to feel more enthusiastic about engaging with the other and helping out and sharing responsibilities. 

Brian’s Garden & Fencing Services – expert fencing services you can rely on

Finally, if you’re looking for someone to give you expert garden fencing services, regardless of who’s responsible for the cost, why not get in touch with us here at Brian’s Fencing Services? One of our team will be more than happy to discuss your needs and help plan a way forward.