Fencing/Boundary Advice

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Hi All

I'm going to keep this as simple as possible.
Basically my father has an adjoining neighbour, who to put it bluntly is an ignorant and arrogant ****.
The man is late 30s and the type who thinks he's better than everyone (moved from Richmond to subs of Herts). He's hypocritical, rude and fallen out with surrounding neighbours. Comes across as quiet and shy, but its all a front for his arrogance.

Over the years hes been very calculative, getting building work done when my parents are away.
Calling in and speaking to my sister to ask if they can access the garden to take up a fence panel to get machinery in etc etc...things that my father would not agree to and they know it. Basically for the fact he has only ever been hypocritical in his actions to my father.

So much so, my dads near to retirement age and he complacently hates him and cant relax. My father also a placid man, the kind that gets angry but needs to calm down and think about his wording before expressing his view, but gets nervous so doesn't bother. Probably not great in hindsight. Makes me want to go round and sort it out for him.

Anyway back to the advice I need. At the weekend my parents came over and he heard the neighbour with a builder asking him what he could do about my Dads fence as it annoys him blah blah blah. Basically my Dad owns the fence to the left of his house, but the neighbour is constantly abusing it with different ornaments, pushing it, adding things to my Dads trellis and generally doing as he pleases.
I know it sounds petty, but for a man that should be enjoying the prospect of retirement surely its not great and I want to sort this out or at least help him.
Anyway the builder when over to the trellis and started pushing through the roses that the neighbour is obviously growing next to the fence through the trellis etc and into my Dads garden.
What are the rules/law to say if anything grows over my Dads side of the fence or is installed attached to his, what can he possible say/do? He started snippy off the roses etc and I said he needs to stop.
He also said some of the tree next door overhangs into his garden and drops **** into his pond etc.

My Mum said she was going to speak to his wife but they both think my Dad is rude. He isn't he just tries to stand up for himself against these sn*bby types who think they can bully people.
I said don't bother, wait until they've paid out money and assess then what it is, while i will look into the legalities.

Other stories from the past are, My dad washes his car and leathers it off at weekends with the football playing on the car radio...they were having a party and making lots of noise, asked him to turn his radio down....hypocrites!
They nailed a bird box to the other side of my dads fence and broke some of the top of the fence.
Dug up the surrounding area and damaged a small picket fence my Dad had in between the house driveways.
Generally make a lot of noise some days after 11pm and then have the audacity to tell my Dad to turn his music down.

I know it seems tit for tat and ive told him to ignore it but when you live next to a bloke that looks past you and is always so ignorant, it will inevitably grate on you.

Personally i feel like going round and having a manly chat with him, but he is the kind of wimp that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth so would probably not answer the door or think hes better.

Anyway any advice would be appreciated.
 
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How sure are you that your dad actually owns the fence - if it's a boundary fence then it's almost certainly joint responsibility. The tree overhanging also isn't acceptable and he has the right to chop this back to the boundary if he wishes but should be kept in check by your father.
 
How sure are you that your dad actually owns the fence - if it's a boundary fence then it's almost certainly joint responsibility. The tree overhanging also isn't acceptable and he has the right to chop this back to the boundary if he wishes but should be kept in check by your father.
Bought the fence, had it installed, deeds.
Joint responsibility to maintain?
Agree on the tree over hanging, If I remember there was a post on here, regarding a neighbouring going around and standing in their neighbours drive without permission and maintaining a bush....but this wasn't acceptable and so the driveway neighbour has the power to maintain the bush and leave the trimmings for the other neighbour to get rid of.

Id be inclined to go round to my parents and maintain that tree for my Dad and then leave the cuttings in the neighbours porch, with a nice note stating what I had done on behalf of my father :-)
 

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The deeds will tell you if it's your boundary or not. As you say, you've got deeds proving it is your dad's so it's his job to maintain the fence. Anything overhanging your side of the fence can be cut back, but I strongly advise against just leaving the waste on your neighbour's side. Although you should ask them what they want to do with the trimmings, they're not required to accept them. Just dumping them on their side of the property (even with a note) would be a good way to exacerbate the existing issues!
 
The deeds will tell you if it's your boundary or not. As you say, you've got deeds proving it is your dad's so it's his job to maintain the fence. Anything overhanging your side of the fence can be cut back, but I strongly advise against just leaving the waste on your neighbour's side. Although you should ask them what they want to do with the trimmings, they're not required to accept them. Just dumping them on their side of the property (even with a note) would be a good way to exacerbate the existing issues!
The deeds will tell you if it's your boundary or not. As you say, you've got deeds proving it is your dad's so it's his job to maintain the fence. Anything overhanging your side of the fence can be cut back, but I strongly advise against just leaving the waste on your neighbour's side. Although you should ask them what they want to do with the trimmings, they're not required to accept them. Just dumping them on their side of the property (even with a note) would be a good way to exacerbate the existing issues!
Yes its his boundary, my point is its his fence. Whats the legal stance if this builder starts attaching or manipulating my Dads fence? Is it a case of you shouldn't touch it at all.
 
I wouldn't have thought the builder should be allowed to do anything to it without your permission, if you own the fence.

We're not allowed to do anything with our neighbour's fence, even though it's falling down. Their idea of fixing it was tying it to the post with a bit of string (like that was going to hold for very long)!
 
If its his, on his side and a not shared boundary fence then no they shouldn't touch or hang anything on it. If they damage it they're liable. If plants/trees overhang you can cut them back. If I remember correctly, by law you're supposed to offer the cuttings back to the neighbour, personally I would just dispose of them to keep the peace. From bitter experience I can tell you boundary/fence disputes have a nasty way of getting way out of hand very quickly. I'd leave well alone unless absolutely pushed to it.
 
If its his, on his side and a not shared boundary fence then no they shouldn't touch or hang anything on it. If they damage it they're liable. If plants/trees overhang you can cut them back. If I remember correctly, by law you're supposed to offer the cuttings back to the neighbour, personally I would just dispose of them to keep the peace. From bitter experience I can tell you boundary/fence disputes have a nasty way of getting way out of hand very quickly. I'd leave well alone unless absolutely pushed to it.

I see your point, but I'm not going to allow my father to be subjected to this tool's ways if I can help it. He thinks hes smart and clever. He hasn't experienced someone stand up to him intellectually yet. So lets see how it pans out. As I said I just want to get a few points covered off so I know what the rules and rights are.
 
I see your point, but I'm not going to allow my father to be subjected to this tool's ways if I can help it. He thinks hes smart and clever. He hasn't experienced someone stand up to him intellectually yet. So lets see how it pans out. As I said I just want to get a few points covered off so I know what the rules and rights are.
I'm not saying don't stand up to a bully, far from it. Just try and imagine the situation where you're not there and he's now hell bent on causing trouble for your dad. Pick the road that avoids conflict, because you can't get away from your neighbour. Your dad is trapped with any hostility. It festers once started and then you end up living with an atmosphere and it gets oppressive quickly. Just make sure it's not your ego as well as the neighbours you're dealing with.
 
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At the end of the day any reliance on legal standings when it comes to boundary disputes is going to cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds to resolve though solicitors and/or the courts.

The sensible way to try and resolve things (regardless of how much of a tool and unwilling the neighbour might be) is to be amicable about it. Leaving garden trimmings on their side is not the way to go about things.
 
'twas I who posted a couple of weeks ago about the neighbour dispute, regarding next door coming on our (open plan) lawn to trim the opposite side of their box hedge. I wasn't there and a dispute developed between my wife and the bloke who's opening comment was, "We're legally entitled." So as much of a sharp pin wound by the sound of it, as the OP's antagonist here (but our's somewhat older). However in the end I settled for a diplomatic truce as it simply wasn't worth getting into a potentially fraught and even litigious battle that could have long reaching consequences. You never know when you might need their help - take in a parcel, injured yourself and they are the first response to call for aid etc. Or it could turn evil and you find nails in your car tyres or condoms on the door handle, as happened to us a few years ago in another property/area where it was just our accents didn't fit in (well at least we didn't come home to a real fire...).
 
Ah the neighbour dispute, it's one the solicitors love as it's such a cash cow, have read about small fence disputes that end up running into 10s of thousands of pounds in legal costs due to the fact of 2 people not wanting to give an inch and back down.

If the fence is your Dads (and from your posts it appears it is) then he should not be attaching things to it or damaging it so this needs addressing, however your dad is a grown man and should be able to resolve this himself without you going steaming round and antagonising the situation, your dad after all has to live next to this person.

I would suggest you dad and this man sit down and talk things through rather than keep trying little one-upmanships against each other otherwise it will end up in court and empty his pockets very quickly.
 
I'm not saying don't stand up to a bully, far from it. Just try and imagine the situation where you're not there and he's now hell bent on causing trouble for your dad. Pick the road that avoids conflict, because you can't get away from your neighbour. Your dad is trapped with any hostility. It festers once started and then you end up living with an atmosphere and it gets oppressive quickly. Just make sure it's not your ego as well as the neighbours you're dealing with.
I see your point. I don't think he would go out of his way daily to cause trouble etc, I just think he thinks he can do as he pleases more so than anything and ignores people's politeness and nice demeanour.
I just had the thought that he is making my fathers life a misery.

Ah the neighbour dispute, it's one the solicitors love as it's such a cash cow, have read about small fence disputes that end up running into 10s of thousands of pounds in legal costs due to the fact of 2 people not wanting to give an inch and back down.

If the fence is your Dads (and from your posts it appears it is) then he should not be attaching things to it or damaging it so this needs addressing, however your dad is a grown man and should be able to resolve this himself without you going steaming round and antagonising the situation, your dad after all has to live next to this person.

I would suggest you dad and this man sit down and talk things through rather than keep trying little one-upmanships against each other otherwise it will end up in court and empty his pockets very quickly.

Yes I very much doubt it will go legal, more a warning the bloke off.

Yes I think youre missing the point. As ive already stated my dads personality, there is no tap, to turn on and off aspects of his personality and demeanour that aren't present. Do you not think it started off amicably? Do you not think ive shown many stories that highlight how a chat wouldn't happen or work?!

I very much doubt that the bloke next door will even entertain tea and biscuits and a jolly good knees up together. Its not all fairy cakes these days mate. This is the real world we live in, arrogance and ignorance are rife everywhere.

'twas I who posted a couple of weeks ago about the neighbour dispute, regarding next door coming on our (open plan) lawn to trim the opposite side of their box hedge. I wasn't there and a dispute developed between my wife and the bloke who's opening comment was, "We're legally entitled." So as much of a sharp pin wound by the sound of it, as the OP's antagonist here (but our's somewhat older). However in the end I settled for a diplomatic truce as it simply wasn't worth getting into a potentially fraught and even litigious battle that could have long reaching consequences. You never know when you might need their help - take in a parcel, injured yourself and they are the first response to call for aid etc. Or it could turn evil and you find nails in your car tyres or condoms on the door handle, as happened to us a few years ago in another property/area where it was just our accents didn't fit in (well at least we didn't come home to a real fire...).
I think the key is that my mum and his wife maybe able to have a small chat together but his wife seems to be moving very much towards her husbands traits and personality of late...very worrying that they seem to think its a good idea to be up themselves.
 
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Wow you can say that again! I don't think you could have sounded more arrogant or ignorant if you tried! If your Dads behaviour is anything like you have just displayed I am not surprised he has an issue with his neighbour.

Maybe you want to reflect on how you are presenting yourself in all this as you are coming off as a bit of a tool, who is going to cause more hassle in this situation then help.

Your Dad needs to be assertive and to the point about his issues, the key one being that he needs to make it clear to HIS neighbour that hanging/attaching anything to the fence is unacceptable, and that should be the end of that. If he goes around there and F's and Jeffs at this guy its only going to make matters worse.

Your Dad is well within his rights to cut back any overhanging plants, but only has an obligation by law to ask the neighbour if he wants his trimmings back and not just dump them on his door step.

I thought the next post maybe in this context. At the end of the day, my Dad doesn't have the confidence to be something he is not, he isn't confrontational and he isn't good with his words. If you've read that as he needs to change in his ripe old age, then well I don't know what to say.

I think now youre taking everything out of proportion to feed your own ego. I'm nothing like what you describe, just a concerned and fed up son, looking out for his father.

Ive read a few of the comments so far that have been great and helpful. I will advise him and see what I can do for him if he now needs me further.

No one has said anything about going round F and Jeffing or playing arrogance off against the neighbour. It does make me laugh the conclusion people make up to feed their own pleasure.
Best off not replying buddy.
 
I know how you feel about your Dad, I was the same when mine was alive. But beware, it's all too easy to over-react when you feel defensive of your elderly parents. Especially if your Dads a passive sort of guy. If it were me, I wouldn't say anything directly about the fence, not tip my hand. I'd take cuttings round to him as an excuse, show him there's someone 'Alpha' looking after Dad. Not aggressive or confrontational but confident, firm..you know. Invade his space a bit, let him know I was around for repairs, maintenance etc. Be seen occasionally. Wait a bit, see if it helps.
 
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