FENCE Responsibility

CROJAM95

Bought a house 2 years ago, both sides wood fencing were on their last legs

few months ago i paid for the right side of my property to replace the fence ( finished side facing my neighbor)

Now the left side needs to be replaced, I have an ass living next door, the finished side faces me.......my new gate is compromised due to it falling apart
 Previous owners told me this guy would be responsible to replace it, and ive always heard the finished side faces the neighbor not responsible for it. Most people ive spoken to agree....but some say it depends where you live, I live in NY


any suggestions?

F Me In The Brain

I woke up one day last year to the cockbag living to the north of me taking down the fence separating our properties.

The finished side faced him....but come to find out, it was his fence.  (I assumed it was not based on the same logic as you)

He never asked me, told me, anything...just saw a bunch of guys waling past my pool one morning to the back fence.

I would like to say that I was nice about it....but I was not.

Whomever put in the fence is responsible for it.  If the owner prior to him did, he is.  (My understanding)

The fact that your gate is compromised likely does not compel the ass to fix his fence, though.

On a similar note, the neighbor to the west of me just put in a new gate, and in doing so he reinforced the shitty gate post I had going on that side.  (The new post they added (he didn't have it fenced on his side) went right next to mine, which was leaning a bit) Thank you very much! 

darwinstheory

WWDD? What would Donald Do? Raise chaos and threaten to force your neighbor to pay for it to be done! Then blame Obama for the fence/gate being in disrepair. 

Problem solved! 

CROJAM95

im concerned about my dog mostly....the panels are loose …..its something that needs to get done regardless, just want whats fair

I just feel hes gonna come up with a line of bullshit

F Me In The Brain

Nothing much can be done about shitty neighbors

Meltdown99

It depends where you live I would imagine.  My  Dad had part of a fence blow down and the neibhour did not offer any help or compensation...how would one know who put the fence up, unless the original owners are in the picture...in my Dad's case, the city by-law stated that the fence is the responsibility of both property owners...but in that case the city is powerless to do much, he was told its a civil matter...and fences are either dealt with cooperatively, one property owner grins and bears the full cost or seek a remedy through the courts...he just ate the cost himself...so I would check local by-laws.

tempo_n_groove

You and the adjoining neighbor either 
A) split the cost of the fence.
pay for it yourself.
C) let it fall over and hope that your neighbor is tired of looking at it and buys a new one.

Talk to your neighbor as you should both share the cost of a shared property line.  The old school fence could be alternating so that the cost shows that it is shared or you can go new school and purchase the vinyl fences where there is no coming or going on the fence.

FYI I live on Long Island.

Bonus info!

You are responsible for a tree limb on your side of the property(unless it is known to be decaying then trunk side is responsible).  Doesn't matter if the trunk is on their side.  You have the right to trim that thing straight up your property line.  

Extra Bonus info!!

If you adjoin a commercial property the trees on your property can hang over 15' and not be touched buy the commercial owner.

F Me In The Brain

tempo_n_groove said:

You and the adjoining neighbor either 
A) split the cost of the fence.
pay for it yourself.
C) let it fall over and hope that your neighbor is tired of looking at it and buys a new one.

Talk to your neighbor as you should both share the cost of a shared property line.  The old school fence could be alternating so that the cost shows that it is shared or you can go new school and purchase the vinyl fences where there is no coming or going on the fence.

FYI I live on Long Island.

Bonus info!

You are responsible for a tree limb on your side of the property(unless it is known to be decaying then trunk side is responsible).  Doesn't matter if the trunk is on their side.  You have the right to trim that thing straight up your property line.  

Extra Bonus info!!

If you adjoin a commercial property the trees on your property can hang over 15' and not be touched buy the commercial owner.

In NJ if your tree falls into your neighbor's yard it is his problem.

Messed up, but true!  (According to insurance adjuster a few years ago)

oftenreading

This is one of those things where there's the law, and then there's practicality. Check the laws in your local area, as it's possible that a municipal law supersedes a state one. It's good to know where things stand legally.

Then you need to talk to your neighbour and hope they are reasonable about it. If it ends up being their legal responsibility and they still refuse, do you really want to get into one of those escalating situations where someone backs their truck over someone else's dog and it all ends up in court? You still have to live beside the guy. Just pay to get the fence replaced. 

tempo_n_groove

F Me In The Brain said:

tempo_n_groove said:

You and the adjoining neighbor either 
A) split the cost of the fence.
pay for it yourself.
C) let it fall over and hope that your neighbor is tired of looking at it and buys a new one.

Talk to your neighbor as you should both share the cost of a shared property line.  The old school fence could be alternating so that the cost shows that it is shared or you can go new school and purchase the vinyl fences where there is no coming or going on the fence.

FYI I live on Long Island.

Bonus info!

You are responsible for a tree limb on your side of the property(unless it is known to be decaying then trunk side is responsible).  Doesn't matter if the trunk is on their side.  You have the right to trim that thing straight up your property line.  

Extra Bonus info!!

If you adjoin a commercial property the trees on your property can hang over 15' and not be touched buy the commercial owner.

In NJ if your tree falls into your neighbor's yard it is his problem.

Messed up, but true!  (According to insurance adjuster a few years ago)

Same here as mentioned in Bonus info.  But, If the tree is decaying or rotting and you, the tree owner knew about it then you become liable for any damage.  I'm sure that is the same for you guys over there.

F Me In The Brain

tempo_n_groove said:

F Me In The Brain said:

tempo_n_groove said:

You and the adjoining neighbor either 
A) split the cost of the fence.
pay for it yourself.
C) let it fall over and hope that your neighbor is tired of looking at it and buys a new one.

Talk to your neighbor as you should both share the cost of a shared property line.  The old school fence could be alternating so that the cost shows that it is shared or you can go new school and purchase the vinyl fences where there is no coming or going on the fence.

FYI I live on Long Island.

Bonus info!

You are responsible for a tree limb on your side of the property(unless it is known to be decaying then trunk side is responsible).  Doesn't matter if the trunk is on their side.  You have the right to trim that thing straight up your property line.  

Extra Bonus info!!

If you adjoin a commercial property the trees on your property can hang over 15' and not be touched buy the commercial owner.

In NJ if your tree falls into your neighbor's yard it is his problem.

Messed up, but true!  (According to insurance adjuster a few years ago)

Same here as mentioned in Bonus info.  But, If the tree is decaying or rotting and you, the tree owner knew about it then you become liable for any damage.  I'm sure that is the same for you guys over there.

Could be.  This was a windstorm, so even if it were rotting it still had a helping hand from mother nature.

Crazy rules!

cp3iverson

OP, i had the same issue years ago after a storm knocked down all three parts of my backyard fence.  Don't give in if you know it’s not yours to fix.  

I knew 100% that i didn't own that part of the fence.  When the crew came out to fix the parts i DID own the neighbors wife went psycho and turned into a crazy b*!$&.  Cussed out the crew and everyone around.  It was so bad the crew almost had to call the cops.  Having no dogs and no young kids at the time we let that fence stay collapsed for a year just to piss them off. The idiot neighbor decided to build a new fence next to it leaving the broken fence there for my view.   Didn't bother me because i was in the process of selling my house and getting out of that piece of shit neighborhood.  So his yard is now 1 foot less wide.  His wife is probably 1 foot wider though.   I laugh every time i drive by. 

tempo_n_groove

cp3iverson said:

OP, i had the same issue years ago after a storm knocked down all three parts of my backyard fence.  Don't give in if you know it’s not yours to fix.  

I knew 100% that i didn't own that part of the fence.  When the crew came out to fix the parts i DID own the neighbors wife went psycho and turned into a crazy b*!$&.  Cussed out the crew and everyone around.  It was so bad the crew almost had to call the cops.  Having no dogs and no young kids at the time we let that fence stay collapsed for a year just to piss them off. The idiot neighbor decided to build a new fence next to it leaving the broken fence there for my view.   Didn't bother me because i was in the process of selling my house and getting out of that piece of shit neighborhood.  So his yard is now 1 foot less wide.  His wife is probably 1 foot wider though.   I laugh every time i drive by. 

This story needs to be told in full as it sounds AWESOME!!!

Why was she cursing?
Why were you only fixing part of the fence?

Please tell this in full!

CROJAM95

tempo_n_groove said:

You and the adjoining neighbor either 
A) split the cost of the fence.
pay for it yourself.
C) let it fall over and hope that your neighbor is tired of looking at it and buys a new one.

Talk to your neighbor as you should both share the cost of a shared property line.  The old school fence could be alternating so that the cost shows that it is shared or you can go new school and purchase the vinyl fences where there is no coming or going on the fence.

FYI I live on Long Island.

Bonus info!

You are responsible for a tree limb on your side of the property(unless it is known to be decaying then trunk side is responsible).  Doesn't matter if the trunk is on their side.  You have the right to trim that thing straight up your property line.  

Extra Bonus info!!

If you adjoin a commercial property the trees on your property can hang over 15' and not be touched buy the commercial owner.

COOL....I live in East Northport, few houses from Northport Border

Love it up here, this time of year especially. Lotta good golfing and water related fun

I'll wait a few weeks and see if this guy approaches me.....he def saw a crew of guys doing the fence on the other side few months ago, hint hint......If I had to pay half, I wouldn't mind too much, its not that expensive and should last a while

The Juggler

Allow me to direct you to this 7 year old thread that might shed some light:

https://community.pearljam.com/discussion/128703/what-is-proper-fence-etiquette-with-your-neighbor/p1

F Me In The Brain

.   

Malroth

 people don't like neighbors

The Juggler

Malroth said:

 people don't like neighbors

people don't like YOU.

josevolution

I’d just replace it myself and avoid any issues with ass neighbors..

F Me In The Brain

I read Juggs' other thread....and after that, I say go with Chadwick's suggestion.  Burn it down.
(The neighbor's house)

Malroth

The Juggler said:

Malroth said:

 people don't like neighbors

people don't like YOU.

brianlux

When I lived in Chautauqua County, New York, nobody had fences, so I don't know what to tell you.  (I only spent two separate years there but moved around a lot- Dunkirk, Fredonia, Dewittville.)

The Juggler

brianlux said:

When I lived in Chautauqua County, New York, nobody had fences, so I don't know what to tell you.  (I only spent two separate years there but moved around a lot- Dunkirk, Fredonia, Dewittville.)

What about the other places you lived, Brian?

hedonist

I love the fence episode of King of Queens.

Gimme a good fence anyday.  Even if we had a house and corresponding yard/fence with neighbors we love (does that even happen anymore?), I wouldn't want that commune-y feel of neighbors just meandering on over our property.  Nosy bastards.

oftenreading

hedonist said:

I love the fence episode of King of Queens.

Gimme a good fence anyday.  Even if we had a house and corresponding yard/fence with neighbors we love (does that even happen anymore?), I wouldn't want that commune-y feel of neighbors just meandering on over our property.  Nosy bastards.

At my former house I had great neighbours on both sides, so it can happen, but even so, the fences were a good thing, if for no other reason than to keep the damn deer out. 

brianlux

The Juggler said:

brianlux said:

When I lived in Chautauqua County, New York, nobody had fences, so I don't know what to tell you.  (I only spent two separate years there but moved around a lot- Dunkirk, Fredonia, Dewittville.)

What about the other places you lived, Brian?

I grew up on the peninsula south of San Francisco.  In suburbia everybody had fenced yards and in most neighborhoods, the fences were build high enough such that the average person couldn't see over them.  This was normal.  After that, I lived in San Francisco and the one place out of 4 there that was actually a house also had fences.  Several apartments after that and then, in the mid-seventies, I went to Western New York State where I found the lack of fences to be refreshing!  Neighborhoods felt like neighborhoods, not fake little ranchettes- which is what suburbia has tried to create since the 50's- little plots of land with ranch style houses, lawns and yards that are tiny imitation ranches like the one I grew up in. This is talked about in this excellent documentary, "The End of Suburbia":

I also lived in Sequim, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula where at the time (early 90's) fences between houses were not common.  That may have changed by now.  Where I live now, there are deer fences around most properties to keep the deer from eating everything in the yard, not to block out neighbors.  On our mile long street only a few house have wall-like fences. 

tempo_n_groove

When we cut through yards in NY there wasn't a fence that could contain or deter us, lol.

tempo_n_groove

F Me In The Brain said:

I read Juggs' other thread....and after that, I say go with Chadwick's suggestion.  Burn it down.
(The neighbor's house)

That thread made me chuckle too.

mace1229

This is my understand of how fences work.
the “pretty” side has no meaning as to who is responsible. Usually whoever pays for the original fence will have the pretty side facing them. If the fence that was built by the developer  then there would be no owner and the fence is probably directly on the property line(and there’s probably HOA guidelines on the matter too). Otherwise, if you build the fence it is supposed to be completely on your side.
This is because sometimes people want uniform fencing on all 3 sides of their yard, so if your neighbor puts up his fence on his side, you can still put up yours.
So depending on the type and location of the fence it may be reasonable the neighbor doesn’t want to pay. For example my backyard has 3 different fences. All 3 of my neighbors (left, right, back) have uniform fences to match their yard which leaves me with 3 different fence styles facing my yard. But if one of those fences fell down I wouldn’t want to help cover the cost. Why should I pay for something that primarily benefits my neighbor and not me? It’s clear none of them are my fences.

mace1229

If all the fencing in the neighborhood  is uniform and the only difference is which side the pretty side faces, then I bet they are all the same due to an HOA or city ordinance, and they will probably have the solution on who is responsible.