We’re having a privacy fence row with neighbours after they hacked ours – their revenge fence will last 6 months, tops
A MAN has been left fuming after his neighbours hacked into his new fence to put up a “revenge fence” of their own.
He explained that they’ve already had issues with the people next door, and had to get the police involved when they argued with them putting in a “four foot vinyl fence” – despite the fact it was apparently on their “property line”.
The previous problem with the neighbours means he feels he can’t approach them this time around.
But he’s been left baffled as to how to deal with the situation, and took to Reddit to ask for advice.
“We had a new vinyl fence put in about a year ago,” he wrote.
“A week ago, the neighbours behind us put up a new six foot wood privacy fence and cut into our fence on our property line.”
He shared pictures of the point that their vinyl fence had been cut to fit the new wooden fence.
And that’s not the only issue he’s found with the fence.
“The fence is also facing the wrong way,” he sighed.
“Had they put it in correctly, there would be no need for them to cut the vinyl of our fence to put their posts in!”
He concluded to ask “what options” they have to get them to “fix our vinyl fence where they literally cut it”.
He also questioned whether or not they should get their fence company involved, or should even consider taking legal action.
But there were tonnes of people all suggesting the same thing, namely that he should “get a survey”.
“No sense in doing anything before you absolutely know who owns what here,” the person commented.
“You might all be in the wrong, based off factors like easements.”
“Honestly property line aside you have to install your fence with the nice side facing out,” another argued.
“Purely for my neighbours being wads and damaging my fence I’d report them for that!”
As a third said that the “untreated, unstained” wooden fence put in by the man’s neighbours would be “ugly AF in six months”.
The Top Five Reasons Neighbours Squabble
One study by Compare the Market revealed the top reason British neighbour's argue
- Broken fences – top of the board was broken fences and whose responsibility it was to fix it
- Parking: one of the leading drivers of neighbour disputes, with 54.1 per cent of people having issues with people parking in front of their house, parking bay or driveway
- Trees – complaints about a neighbour’s tree cracking your garden path was also common with nearly half of participants finding it frustrating
- Bin wars – outdoor bin etiquette continues to ignite the most furious debates between neighbours
- Nosy Neighbours – some people have their eyes and ears at the ready to have a peek causing problems for others
However, someone else hit back, writing: “You have to let fences season and dry out before you stain, seal, or paint them.
“Same with decks.”
“Where I live you are required to have it inset, however if it’s more than 4 inches inset the other party has the ability to claim that land up to the fence as their own,” another explained.
“Bonkers stuff but I heard it right out of the building inspector’s mouth!”
“That sucks, but I’m not sure I’d do anything more than complain,” someone else said.
“The wooden fence has effectively replaced the vinyl.
“The wood fence looks like a bigger, better fence to me.
“That means that that mitigation of damages will come into play – which means you can only recover damages that are reasonable. Yes, your fence was damaged.
“But that only matters if your fence still functioned as a fence, and in this case it doesn’t.
“Currently, your fence is nothing but a decoration. Your fence could fall down, and there would still be a fence there.
“You could pull out your fence, and there would still be a fence there.
“You wanted a fence there, and you got a fence there. I’d leave this one alone.”
“Sell your fence and enjoy the better one lol,” another advised.