A DISGRUNTLED homeowner was left fuming after his neighbour’s reaction to their newly installed privacy fence.
Taking to Reddit, the man explained that he had recently installed the fence to give his family privacy from next doors but was horrified by what happened next.
Captioning his post, he wrote: “Built a 7 foot privacy fence. Neighbor raised his by 2 feet and put a camera facing into my backyard.”
He shared a snap of the offending fence which does indeed appear to have a camera affixed to the top, though the direction it is facing is less clear.
The homeowner went on to explain that he had been having ‘problems’ with his neighbour since they had moved in a year earlier.
In his post, he explained: “They originally built their fence 2 feet into my property early 2020.
“I had to pay for a boundary survey and lawyer to get them to correct their mistake.
“Decided to build a privacy fence and be done with them once and for all this past November.
“One month later they raise the height of their fence and this pops up (facing front to back). Police won’t do anything and I can’t afford a civil suit.”
Fellow Redditors were quick to offer advice to the long-suffering man, sharing their thoughts in the comments.
One wrote: “I’d put a big patio umbrella out there. The offset kind.
“Put it right in front of his camera. If he moves the camera, move your umbrella. Good luck.”
Another suggested: “You know birds love seeds. Just place a bird feeder in front of it. And maybe those birds will also fertilize that camera… Perfectly legal to enjoy nature!”
“Stick up a post with a camera doing the exact same thing lol. Even if it’s a fake one,” added a third.
Meanwhile another suggested they should go for a tit for tat approach.
They wrote: “Just raise your fence about two foot (but only right infront of the camera).
“Alternatively, place a small mirror on a stick so the camera can film itself and nothing else.”
IT'S very important to know your rights if you are embroiled in a fence row with a neighbour.
How do I know which side I own?
A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway.
The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry.
In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing.
Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules
People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this.
You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for.
Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic.
Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are.
Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side.
“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.”
Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit.
While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give you a hint, it’s not foolproof – so you can’t be certain.
Fines and punishment
It is recommended to always check legal documents before making changes to avoid hefty fines.
There is no law that the neighbour has to get the good side of the fence, so it’s completely up to whoever owns the fence.
Fencing pros have suggested: “It may be worth selecting a double-sided panel with no ‘bad’ side as both sides look the same and rails are concealed within the fence panel.”
If one boundary backs onto a road or footpath you can install the panels with the rails on the inside
But if it’s installed on the outside, it can provide an “easy ladder for burglars to enter your garden”.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Property Litigation Association have created a mediation service to help neighbours resolve disputes over their property boundaries without resorting to court action.
RICS also provides a list of surveyors who could assist in boundary disputes.
If a dispute continues, it is ultimately a court that makes decisions, but they do not like such disputes being put before them.
Changing a boundary
If you want to change an existing boundary, such as replacing an old fence with a new one, we always recommend discussing with your neighbour first and making sure it is all agreed.
The registered titles can help you to reach an agreement, but only if this information has been added.
In terms of decorations on a fence legal advisers recommended asking around over who actually first installed it.
But they also urged caution before getting to work on amending the fence without getting more certainty yourself – since there is a danger of actually being prosecuted for criminal damage.
How high can a garden fence be?
The height of the fence is measured from your ground level, this can have an impact when, due to slopes in the ground, your garden may be at a higher level than your neighbours‘.
A garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission if it’s over than 2m.
However, there are some complications to this.
If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.
You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.
But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.
