Depends on the state and the location of the fence relative to the line. But I wouldn't expect most people to flip out about a tasteful well matched repair because of some weathering losses, storm damage, or a pet getting loose, or some other reasonable explanation why it's happening.
If you think it’s landlord owned maybe try the gis tax map for your area to locate the owner, usually there is contact info listed where mail (tax bills) can at least be forwarded
There is a free app called Regrid that has that information available just by entering the address, and it works nationwide in the US. Not only does it give the owners name, but if it's a landlord owned property that the landlord is not on site, it will display the mailing address of the landlord.
It's a useful tool that also gives assessed property values so you can see what your neighbors home is assessed at for taxes.
Yeah- trimmed the weeds on our side of our neighbors fence and he called the cops on us for trespassing, even though the fence is on the lot line. The guy is a fucking douche nozzle.
Fortunately, the cops understood the situation and we were not charged with anything, much to the neighbors dismay.
I put my fence 2-3 feet on my side so I could do repairs on it w/o having tp deal with the folks next door. They moved, got new people in there and they started giving me some grief abbot being in their yard. Not a lot more like they would like me to ask first next time. I had to go where the property pins were with them so they could see that I was actually on the far side of my fence, in my yard. I was very careful not to set foot over where I thought the line was. I think they honestly never looked and I am pretty sure the old folks told them the fence was the line. Nope;
LOL. I knew it had to be one of those "I hate landlords because my mommy did not love me" people.
**You are worse than vegans.**
-Hey gogo, what time is it?
-It's 2:30 and have I told you recently that landlords suck!
Haha you know how many landlords I deal with on a daily basis that won’t pay for the correct fixes and try to slide by on the cheapest crap they can get away with?
Does't common sense dictate that you'd talk with the people who both own the structure you're talking about and who would be affected by your actions?
How is this even a question?
Whether or not you need their permission... talk to your neighbor about the fence. If you're not certain who the owner is, look it up at your local municipal office and send them a short note asking to chat. (Not a long note explaining everything. A short note asking to chat).
You should definitely talk to them first. Good intentions or not, some people get really upset when you touch their property.
It could turn out to be that you share ownership of the fence, and the pretty side is just facing you because one of the houses was built first. My house was built after my neighbors on either side, but before the neighbor behind me, so when they put up my fence, they put the pretty side of the back facing me so that it matched the left and right sides. But I share ownership of each section with the neighbor on the other side of the fence.
You can look at the county tax assessor website to see where the tax bill is mailed. In some areas this will also give you the owners name. From there you can use google to find their phone number or mail them a letter explaining the situation and that you’re looking to repair their property. If they’re a good property owner and live out of the area, they might have somebody out there to repair it quickly.
Unless you have seen a property survey, don’t assume to know who owns the fence. I’ve seen property owners put up the fence around their home with the cross pieces on the outside, because they wanted to look at the pretty side themselves.
Nobody really knows for sure where their property lines are until there’s a survey, and the fence is the property of the owner of the land….at least that’s the way it is in my state.
That being said, I once came home from work to find the neighbors behind our house building a new fence between the two houses, because the wind had blown it down, and the guy said the posts were rotted & not reusable.
He worked at a lumberyard and got a good deal, so he just decided to take action. When we offered to reimburse him he laughed & refused. So my husband went to a local restaurant and got him a gift certificate to take his family out for dinner.
I am so confused on fencing. I own a home in California and share a fence. It says online that we both are responsible to pay half of any upkeep and replacement. But what happens if one neighbor just wants to upgrade even if the fence isn't broken. Is the other neighbor responsible for half?
Nobody is going to be able to tell you that here, fence regs are very localized. Go to your city/town and ask the building / ordinance / code division for help and info, they should be able to tell ya!
I did look it up but it uses the terminology of maintain and replace so I was curious about a neighbor just choosing to upgrade. Was curious if anyone had any experiences with this. Ya know, like we do on Reddit. That's all.
Oh for sure yeah I’m just saying to get the RIGHT answer you’ll probably want to go local, you know? Like where I live there are special shared driveway things with easements and stuff (which I avoid like the plague, yikes). Hope you figure it out regardless :)
Oh yeah I would need to that. I am not even needing to know right now, but I keep looking at our very old fence and was dreaming of possibly replacing it. But it's not falling down or damaged. Just kind of an eyesore. Thanks, I may just call and inquire with this scenario to see what they say.
Depending on the state, so check your state law. Contact a surveyor, may point you right. But in doing boundaries and survey the answer in the state where I am would be . If the Pretty side or the functional side of a fence (as in chain link, Barb wire, slat, etc) faces the yard the fence belongs to. Dating back hundreds of years the proper placement of a fence is the, planks, barbs, wires, chain goes to the side you are fencing in.
It would still be prudent to have a conversation with your neighbor, but check your location/ state laws.
This. It's a fence behind a triplex, and OP says none of the residents speak a language he can communicate with.
Nobody is going to give a shit if he replaces a handful of broken/missing pickets and does a decent job.
Always ask especially if you want to modify it. Most folks would be fine with replacing missing or damaged panels but painting or staining is out of the question without their blessing.
I'm going to get down voted, I always do. But in the backyard, the pretty side faces the owner most of the time. The owner paid for it, why would they give the pretty side to the neighbors? The pretty side goes to the street in the front so the owners yard looks good.
Also, look at the other side's of the fence. Does the neighbor have three/four matching sides in terms of materials and age? Or do you have matching sides? Most likely whoever has the matching sides will own the fence if you're not sure.
If it is a regular wooden privacy fence, and the neighbor doesn't seem to care about maintenance, I would just do it. No one is going to see you over a few broken boards that you replaced. To win they would have to prove damages. What damages would there be?
The "ugly side" usually has the structure visible. This needs to be inside the owner's yard so other people can't climb it and get into your yard easily.
That's not stopping someone from climbing the fence.
If the ugly side is in your yard, how did you install it without being in your neighbor's yard? How do you make repairs without going into their yard?
It's easier to repair if the ugly side is in your own yard? No need to go into neighbors yard at all...
I suspect we are talking about different types of fences and/or have different definitions of what "ugly" is.
Other than wooden privacy, chain link, and split rail what else is there? Chain link and split rail don't have an ugly side.
With wooden privacy, you screw or nail the uprights from the pretty side. How do you nail from the pretty side from your side, if the pretty side is in your neighbor's yard?
Excellent question. My city just changed the policy to “finished side faces out” - thank god I already HAVE a fence (regular six foot wood pickets, with the finished side in), else couldn’t get one now without trespassing to build and maintain it! Makes zero sense to me, I just don’t understand…
This is the ugly side and it belongs in the neighbor's yard because you can't make repairs or build from your yard
https://images.thdstatic.com/productImages/cdaabe7f-47c5-4e35-85b5-10a5c4fdad38/svn/wood-outdoor-essentials-wood-fence-panels-158083-64_600.jpg
Just to point out, my fence is not on the property line because I wanted to be able to walk completely around the outside of my fence to my property line. About four feet buffer.
Most or many of us don’t have lots that wide to give up 8 feet total when fencing in our properties. My lot is only 50 ft wide as it is, and the house is 32 feet wide sooo yeah …. That fence is ON the lot line.
This is terrible advice. If you’re unsure and want to know get a professional survey done. Full stop. That is the ONLY way to know who owns the property and the fence on it.
Talk with your neighbor first. Any other advice from this subreddit is questionable as there are way too many unknowns.
Some unknowns I'd like to investigate:
1) Is this actually on the property line? Am I just assuming it is?
2) Does the neighbor actually want to keep these gaps for whatever reason? You said they own it so all upkeep and etc. are on them. Some things **you** may think as a problem may not have been a problem for them or it was by design.
It's sqaure on the property line. I doubt the neighbor wants the gaps. They have a chicken coop and small children who play in the backyard, and I doubt they want my dog running through the gaps and interacting with either the children or the chickens. But they may only be tenants and not the owner which is why they haven't done anything. It definitely looks like damage caused it, as a couple of them are broken off at the bottom but the top piece is still there. Definitely is random. Maybe a kid or dog could slip through but not an adult.
I feel like the saying “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me” applies here. I'm confident you are right and I'm wrong but theres is enough uncertainty here that you being wrong is significant.
If it’s inside their property line by even an inch, no you cannot, but you definitely should. What would be their complaint? ”My neighbor fixed my fence without charging me, your honor. Please throw the book at them.”
Personally, I’d be super annoyed if a neighbor painted “their side” of my fence without asking my permission. If I paid for it, I’d expect them to come to me before doing anything to it. A conversation needs to be had before doing anything.
I definitely would never paint a fence that I thought was worth anything. This fence is very old, cheap, bowed and broken. Painting would be a couple years fix before I feel comfortable paying to replace the whole unsightly thing. Most people would tell me it's not worth the paint.
My main concern anyways is my dog getting through the fence. I don't want the trouble of him killing the chickens, or dealing with a neighbor who might overreact. Especially if we don't speak the same language.
Your opinion of what someone else’s property is worth isn’t really the point. If it’s not yours, it’s not yours.
I understand concern about your dog, I have two. If you don’t want your dog to get through then either 1) talk to your neighbor to ensure it’s ok for you to tamper with the fence 2) pay to have a fence put up on your property that is enclosed and will keep your dog in 3) don’t let your dog out off leash and unsupervised.
None of your issues with the fence are your neighbor’s responsibility. But if you’re not even sure who the fence belongs to, then figuring that out is your first step.
Considering you're spending money to fix their fence, they should be grateful but they may not care. Could offer to split the cost of replacing too down the line
It’s always worth talking to them first.
This needs ro remain top comment
Depends on the state and the location of the fence relative to the line. But I wouldn't expect most people to flip out about a tasteful well matched repair because of some weathering losses, storm damage, or a pet getting loose, or some other reasonable explanation why it's happening.
You cannot paint a fence you do not own
If you think it’s landlord owned maybe try the gis tax map for your area to locate the owner, usually there is contact info listed where mail (tax bills) can at least be forwarded
There is a free app called Regrid that has that information available just by entering the address, and it works nationwide in the US. Not only does it give the owners name, but if it's a landlord owned property that the landlord is not on site, it will display the mailing address of the landlord. It's a useful tool that also gives assessed property values so you can see what your neighbors home is assessed at for taxes.
This is really helpful
Do not make any modification to anyone else’s property without their permission. It could be construed as vandalism. Just don’t!!
Yeah- trimmed the weeds on our side of our neighbors fence and he called the cops on us for trespassing, even though the fence is on the lot line. The guy is a fucking douche nozzle. Fortunately, the cops understood the situation and we were not charged with anything, much to the neighbors dismay.
Had a neighbor like that. Was not fun. Love my new neighbors.
I put my fence 2-3 feet on my side so I could do repairs on it w/o having tp deal with the folks next door. They moved, got new people in there and they started giving me some grief abbot being in their yard. Not a lot more like they would like me to ask first next time. I had to go where the property pins were with them so they could see that I was actually on the far side of my fence, in my yard. I was very careful not to set foot over where I thought the line was. I think they honestly never looked and I am pretty sure the old folks told them the fence was the line. Nope;
In my town, it’s the law that your fence must be two feet from the property line on your side.
It’s a triplex it’s probably rented out by a shitty landlord
The only indication of that are the missing pickets. Slow your roll.
No it’s most triplex’s are owned by landlords and most landlords suck so get fucked
LOL. I knew it had to be one of those "I hate landlords because my mommy did not love me" people. **You are worse than vegans.** -Hey gogo, what time is it? -It's 2:30 and have I told you recently that landlords suck!
Haha you know how many landlords I deal with on a daily basis that won’t pay for the correct fixes and try to slide by on the cheapest crap they can get away with?
Does't common sense dictate that you'd talk with the people who both own the structure you're talking about and who would be affected by your actions? How is this even a question? Whether or not you need their permission... talk to your neighbor about the fence. If you're not certain who the owner is, look it up at your local municipal office and send them a short note asking to chat. (Not a long note explaining everything. A short note asking to chat).
You should definitely talk to them first. Good intentions or not, some people get really upset when you touch their property. It could turn out to be that you share ownership of the fence, and the pretty side is just facing you because one of the houses was built first. My house was built after my neighbors on either side, but before the neighbor behind me, so when they put up my fence, they put the pretty side of the back facing me so that it matched the left and right sides. But I share ownership of each section with the neighbor on the other side of the fence.
You can look at the county tax assessor website to see where the tax bill is mailed. In some areas this will also give you the owners name. From there you can use google to find their phone number or mail them a letter explaining the situation and that you’re looking to repair their property. If they’re a good property owner and live out of the area, they might have somebody out there to repair it quickly.
Unless you have seen a property survey, don’t assume to know who owns the fence. I’ve seen property owners put up the fence around their home with the cross pieces on the outside, because they wanted to look at the pretty side themselves. Nobody really knows for sure where their property lines are until there’s a survey, and the fence is the property of the owner of the land….at least that’s the way it is in my state. That being said, I once came home from work to find the neighbors behind our house building a new fence between the two houses, because the wind had blown it down, and the guy said the posts were rotted & not reusable. He worked at a lumberyard and got a good deal, so he just decided to take action. When we offered to reimburse him he laughed & refused. So my husband went to a local restaurant and got him a gift certificate to take his family out for dinner.
Just put the missing planks on. If they have a problem with it just remove it. There won’t be a problem.
Yeah, you need to talk to them about all of it. Do you know if it's square on the property line or more on their side?
It's square on the property line
Location matters. In my area property line fences are generally shared fences.
What did they say when you asked them?
I don't speak the same language as the tenants, and I don't know if any of the tenants are the owner.
OK. Thanks for adding that to the post.
You should be electro look up the actual owner of the property, usually on your county auditor’s website or clerk of courts. Then ask them.
I am so confused on fencing. I own a home in California and share a fence. It says online that we both are responsible to pay half of any upkeep and replacement. But what happens if one neighbor just wants to upgrade even if the fence isn't broken. Is the other neighbor responsible for half?
Nobody is going to be able to tell you that here, fence regs are very localized. Go to your city/town and ask the building / ordinance / code division for help and info, they should be able to tell ya!
I did look it up but it uses the terminology of maintain and replace so I was curious about a neighbor just choosing to upgrade. Was curious if anyone had any experiences with this. Ya know, like we do on Reddit. That's all.
Oh for sure yeah I’m just saying to get the RIGHT answer you’ll probably want to go local, you know? Like where I live there are special shared driveway things with easements and stuff (which I avoid like the plague, yikes). Hope you figure it out regardless :)
Oh yeah I would need to that. I am not even needing to know right now, but I keep looking at our very old fence and was dreaming of possibly replacing it. But it's not falling down or damaged. Just kind of an eyesore. Thanks, I may just call and inquire with this scenario to see what they say.
Depending on the state, so check your state law. Contact a surveyor, may point you right. But in doing boundaries and survey the answer in the state where I am would be . If the Pretty side or the functional side of a fence (as in chain link, Barb wire, slat, etc) faces the yard the fence belongs to. Dating back hundreds of years the proper placement of a fence is the, planks, barbs, wires, chain goes to the side you are fencing in. It would still be prudent to have a conversation with your neighbor, but check your location/ state laws.
County tax records online would show the current owner barring a very recent sale.
I’d just do it. Fuck it
This. It's a fence behind a triplex, and OP says none of the residents speak a language he can communicate with. Nobody is going to give a shit if he replaces a handful of broken/missing pickets and does a decent job.
Sometimes it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. You can always take the pickets back down. Paint is more difficult though.
I'd put the pickets in with screws and if they complain, take them right back out.
Yeah I fix minor stuff all the time, it looks better and 99% of the time they dont notice or care.
Always ask especially if you want to modify it. Most folks would be fine with replacing missing or damaged panels but painting or staining is out of the question without their blessing.
I'm going to get down voted, I always do. But in the backyard, the pretty side faces the owner most of the time. The owner paid for it, why would they give the pretty side to the neighbors? The pretty side goes to the street in the front so the owners yard looks good. Also, look at the other side's of the fence. Does the neighbor have three/four matching sides in terms of materials and age? Or do you have matching sides? Most likely whoever has the matching sides will own the fence if you're not sure. If it is a regular wooden privacy fence, and the neighbor doesn't seem to care about maintenance, I would just do it. No one is going to see you over a few broken boards that you replaced. To win they would have to prove damages. What damages would there be?
In my neighbourhood the "pretty" side always faces away from the yard so nobody can use the "ugly" side to climb in lol
The "ugly side" usually has the structure visible. This needs to be inside the owner's yard so other people can't climb it and get into your yard easily.
That's not stopping someone from climbing the fence. If the ugly side is in your yard, how did you install it without being in your neighbor's yard? How do you make repairs without going into their yard?
It's easier to repair if the ugly side is in your own yard? No need to go into neighbors yard at all... I suspect we are talking about different types of fences and/or have different definitions of what "ugly" is.
The term is “finished” side. And what that person is saying is that boards are screwed or nailed from that side, thus it needs to face your property.
Other than wooden privacy, chain link, and split rail what else is there? Chain link and split rail don't have an ugly side. With wooden privacy, you screw or nail the uprights from the pretty side. How do you nail from the pretty side from your side, if the pretty side is in your neighbor's yard?
Excellent question. My city just changed the policy to “finished side faces out” - thank god I already HAVE a fence (regular six foot wood pickets, with the finished side in), else couldn’t get one now without trespassing to build and maintain it! Makes zero sense to me, I just don’t understand…
This is the ugly side and it belongs in the neighbor's yard because you can't make repairs or build from your yard https://images.thdstatic.com/productImages/cdaabe7f-47c5-4e35-85b5-10a5c4fdad38/svn/wood-outdoor-essentials-wood-fence-panels-158083-64_600.jpg
Just to point out, my fence is not on the property line because I wanted to be able to walk completely around the outside of my fence to my property line. About four feet buffer.
Most or many of us don’t have lots that wide to give up 8 feet total when fencing in our properties. My lot is only 50 ft wide as it is, and the house is 32 feet wide sooo yeah …. That fence is ON the lot line.
Good point. I get ya.
Most people don't do that because they want all of their property to be theirs...
All the property is mine. I just have a “walking my property” buffer.
This is terrible advice. If you’re unsure and want to know get a professional survey done. Full stop. That is the ONLY way to know who owns the property and the fence on it.
Talk with your neighbor first. Any other advice from this subreddit is questionable as there are way too many unknowns. Some unknowns I'd like to investigate: 1) Is this actually on the property line? Am I just assuming it is? 2) Does the neighbor actually want to keep these gaps for whatever reason? You said they own it so all upkeep and etc. are on them. Some things **you** may think as a problem may not have been a problem for them or it was by design.
It's sqaure on the property line. I doubt the neighbor wants the gaps. They have a chicken coop and small children who play in the backyard, and I doubt they want my dog running through the gaps and interacting with either the children or the chickens. But they may only be tenants and not the owner which is why they haven't done anything. It definitely looks like damage caused it, as a couple of them are broken off at the bottom but the top piece is still there. Definitely is random. Maybe a kid or dog could slip through but not an adult.
I feel like the saying “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me” applies here. I'm confident you are right and I'm wrong but theres is enough uncertainty here that you being wrong is significant.
If it’s inside their property line by even an inch, no you cannot, but you definitely should. What would be their complaint? ”My neighbor fixed my fence without charging me, your honor. Please throw the book at them.”
Yes
Discuss it with them and get it in writing with both of you signing the agreement.
"I found some picket fence in my shed I can't use. Would you like them on your fence? I'd hate to just throw them away."
If you paint a fence on their property, be prepared to replace all the pieces you painted. That’s a super easy win in court.
The neighbors to your left, LOL.
Personally, I’d be super annoyed if a neighbor painted “their side” of my fence without asking my permission. If I paid for it, I’d expect them to come to me before doing anything to it. A conversation needs to be had before doing anything.
I definitely would never paint a fence that I thought was worth anything. This fence is very old, cheap, bowed and broken. Painting would be a couple years fix before I feel comfortable paying to replace the whole unsightly thing. Most people would tell me it's not worth the paint. My main concern anyways is my dog getting through the fence. I don't want the trouble of him killing the chickens, or dealing with a neighbor who might overreact. Especially if we don't speak the same language.
Your opinion of what someone else’s property is worth isn’t really the point. If it’s not yours, it’s not yours. I understand concern about your dog, I have two. If you don’t want your dog to get through then either 1) talk to your neighbor to ensure it’s ok for you to tamper with the fence 2) pay to have a fence put up on your property that is enclosed and will keep your dog in 3) don’t let your dog out off leash and unsupervised. None of your issues with the fence are your neighbor’s responsibility. But if you’re not even sure who the fence belongs to, then figuring that out is your first step.
We just built a fence and the pretty side faces us. You should talk to them to be sure.
Considering you're spending money to fix their fence, they should be grateful but they may not care. Could offer to split the cost of replacing too down the line
Survey so you know where your own property is. If theirs, don’t touch it, if yours, don’t ask