It is nearly time for us to make some much-needed repairs on our backyard fence, and I was wondering what the etiquette is for discussing this with the neighbours that it borders. As far as we can tell, the fence is on our property, and therefore our ownership and responsibility, but we would like to include the neighbours in the decision-making because it affects them too, and we have excellent relationships with all of our neighbours so far.
So, how do you broach this subject with your neighbours? Go over there and tell them what you plan to do, just so they know? Ask them for input? Ask them to cough up some dough? (I don’t see that happening - I’m prepared to fully fund all these repairs ourselves.)
Just out of interest, does your city or province (most likely city) have any ordinances about this issue? I know that some city councils pass legislation specifically to address the issue of how common-border fence repairs and upgrades should be handled.
Of course, the law is one thing, and keeping on the good side of your neighbours is another.
When the neighbors to the left of our house decided to replace the fence around their yard, they paid for the whole thing. They didn’t ask us for permission or anything regarding the section dividing our two yards. They just asked us to kennel our dogs for the day. The fence really needed replacing, so we were happy to comply with their wishes.
Some months later we decided to replace the remaining sections of our fence and so we just paid for it. After all our neighbors had paid for the whole section between us and them so we didn’t mind paying the section between us and the neighbors on the right. We just let them know when the work was going to be done.
I would mention it to them, at least.
That gives them the opportunity to offer to pay for half.
Of course, they may not offer but if you are willing to pay for it all anyways at least you will have consulted them.
I was pretty annoyed at our neighbors in the last house, who built a fence without consulting us, and then wandered over and told us we owed them half.
My parents had a pretty nasty argument with one of the neighbors when I was a kid about just this very issue. Since they had previously been on pretty good terms with them, it was all silly IMO. It did ruin the relationship with them.
Be sure of your property line, if it’s on their land, it’s a good time to correct this problem. If it’s WAY onto your land, be cautious, if they maintain the “other” side of the fence for long enough, the land can become theirs. (A pending issue even with the new neighbors and my parents, though my parents are unlikely to ever go to court to “get” the land)
Good luck, you may find this to be very easy, and they may have a preference as to how it looks. Keeping good relations with your neighbors is very important IMO.
When we moved to a rural area in the mid '60s, the law was that the adjoining property owners each had to contribute half of the upkeep of the fence. This made sense when you had two adjoining dairy farms. Even if only one farmer kept his cows in the field that abutted his neighbor’s propery, both property owners were making similar use of the land and had an equal interest in the fence.
As the area became more suburban and residential, this rule no longer made sense, and, while I believe the law is still on the books, it is rarely enforced nowadays. If you have a dairy farm on one side, and three houses on the other side, it is usually up to the farmer to keep his cows in. However, when the householders want to have some input into the design, location, etc, of the fence, they should expect to contribute, and they generally do.
IMHO, if the fence is on your property, you bear all the expense of it. You also have the right to make all decisions about the fence. However, for the sake of harmony with your neighbors, it’s a good idea to ask how they feel about your plans. For example, when I decided to remove my chainlink fence, my neighbors to the east had just moved in. Their backyard is fenced-in, but only 1/3 of the fence is their own. I asked if they would rather have me leave “their” side up. They said, “Yes, we might get a dog.” So, I left that side.
I have seen friendly neighbors get bitter and nasty over fences. It isn’t worth the grief.
It might be a good time to have your property surveyed, if you haven’t already, to determine exactly where the property line is. It could prevent problems from cropping up later on.
You’re very considerate to think of your neighbors before doing anything. We need more like you.
We had very thoughtless, inconsiderate neighbours at our last house. We really, really appreciate how good our neighbours are here, and have no plans to jeopardize that.
I think the property was surveyed when we bought the house, October of 2003. I seem to recall that is standard operating procedure in Calgary when real estate changes hands.
I posted this very question a long time ago- maybe 3 years ago. Many people told me I was rude to ask my neighbors to help pay for “my” fence, etc.
We were mentally prepared to pay for the whole thing ourselves, but I decided to ask around anyway and was pleasantly surprised that ALL of my neighbors offered to share the cost of our common portions! Two of them even hired the winning fence bidder to finish their fences all the way around, also. We coordinated, obtained, and shared copies of the bids in an effort to make things easier, and also accepted any input the neighbors had as to contractors and styling, etc.
This house was a rehabbed foreclosure when we bought it. I think the neighbors were delighted to have a good neighbor instead of the eysore this house had been for a while. I heard that at one point, many of the neighbors got together to drain and haul away an above ground mosquito farm, uh, pool, that had been rotting on the property for a while. They said the found squirrel bones in the bottom of the thing! Ugh.
but if you are willing to pay for it all anyways at least you will have consulted them.