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I know that the answer is to go and look at the deeds of my house but, in the meatime, will anyone kindly comment. As I look up my back gadren there are three wooden fences, left, end and right. The support posts are on "my" side in all three cases. The left and right each have one post which has been loosened by the action of the wind and I fear that one or both of them will be flattened in any strong gales this winter. Are they my responsibility or might a bit of negotiation with the neighbours be useful?
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Position of fence posts may give a general guide but isn't definitive - you do need to look at the deeds.
Negotiation with neighbours is always beneficial - I have a neighbour who thinks the fence responsibility is his and repairs it as necessary - my son has a neighbour who offered to pay for new posts/panels if my son fitted them, to my son's own fence!
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RT is right. One of the three fences around my back garden, which I think is my responsibilty, is taken care of by my neighbour - he says he wants to do it.
It is quite possible, especially if the OP's house/garden is the end of a row, that all three fences are legally his reponsibility. Another house I own, which is rented out, is a case in point.
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RT is right. One of the three fences around my back garden, which I think is my responsibilty, is taken care of by my neighbour - he says he wants to do it.
It is quite possible, especially if the OP's house/garden is the end of a row, that all three fences are legally his reponsibility. Another house I own, which is rented out, is a case in point.
Indeed, I'm at the end of the row and all three rear fences are my responsibility, according to the deeds - the row starts with each house have one side their responsibility but the end house gets the extra fence.
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The deeds are more than likely silent. The best approach is a conversation with your neighbour and agree to share any costs of repair.
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The deeds are more than likely silent. The best approach is a conversation with your neighbour and agree to share any costs of repair.
Why silent? That's one of the purposes of the deeds, to define exactly the ground plan and legal responsibilities.
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Its not often they get down to the detail of fence responsibility. They sometimes have T marks indicating ownership, but many houses built years ago had no fences at all between gardens. I remember photos from my parents first house which was new when they bought it, the boundary was some posts and lengths of wire. It was down to the neighbours to sort anything more between them.
For £3 you can check your deeds via the land registry website, the plan costs another £3. Go via www.gov.uk, otherwise you are open to paying over the odds from copycat websites.
I have three fences and no indication as to who owns which one.
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Many thanks. My house is one of four in a row. At this stage preventative maintenance is what is needed and I shall probably fund it myself. Two posts are loose in the ground and rocking slightly, in the wind. I think they just need some sort of chock or wedge to tighten them in their sockets.
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In my experience, posts that appear to be loose in the ground are broken and the fence panel's supporting them.
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Its not often they get down to the detail of fence responsibility. They sometimes have T marks indicating ownership, but many houses built years ago had no fences at all between gardens. I remember photos from my parents first house which was new when they bought it, the boundary was some posts and lengths of wire. It was down to the neighbours to sort anything more between them. For £3 you can check your deeds via the land registry website, the plan costs another £3. Go via www.gov.uk, otherwise you are open to paying over the odds from copycat websites. I have three fences and no indication as to who owns which one.
The deeds will only be held at the Land Registry IF the house has been conveyanced since they started holding them. I bought my 1976 house in 1978 and received the deeds in 1988 when I paid the mortgage off - but last year I got round to putting my wife on the deeds as joint owner, at that point the Land Registry had the registration but not the deeds, although they do now.
Post & wire plus T on the deeds is adequate to show the boundary ownership.
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A lot also depends on whether the posts+fence are on the boundary or not. There's nothing to stop a fence being erected just to one side of the boundary and being the responsibility of the land owner. Certainly in the three homes I have lived in, there has been no mention of fencing or responsibility of same in the deeds.
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We have a double fence on one side - the boundary is our responsibility and has 4' panels with 2' trellis on top to let light in - the neighbour wanted to change the panels, at his cost, for 6' ones - I declined his kind offer so he built another fence his side of the boundary with 6' panels.
My panels are quite rotten now but his fence stops mine being blown over.
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