Garden fences are often the cause of heated neighbourly spats, whether they crash into another person's property or need repairing. If you have an issue with one, the first thing you'll want to do is head over to the person's front door to chat over a resolution, but it can be quite difficult to actually decipher who owns the fence - leaving people stumped for options.
According to experts at Jacksons Fencing, there are a few easy ways to tell who the fence belongs to - without causing any arguments. If you follow these handy tips, you'll find the neighbour in no time, and avoid footing the bill for pricey repairs that aren't your responsibility.
The Express reports that one of the first things to 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 sadly 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' is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to, and therefore 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 - 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 you're renting your property.
And, 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.
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."
Have you ever had a neighbourly dispute over a fence? Email: danielle.wroe@reachplc.com
