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Fence ownership


SO16_Saint
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There is no rule of thumb, we live on the same side of the same road as my parents, about 250yds away, our fence is on the left, theirs is on the right, somewhere between us someone owns neither, whilst someone else has the expense of two boundaries to maintain. As you say, it's marked on your deeds, does your mortgage company or solicitor have these? I don't think the Local Authority will be able to help, but the Land Registry may be able to.

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Cheers DG.... think it may be a case of searching for the Deeds tonight.... don't think the neighbours are going to be overly keen to fix it, even if it is their responsibility

 

If your house is under a mortgage you won't have the deeds, I think the solicitor of you mortgage company will have them..

 

http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/public/faqs/where-are-my-deeds-kept

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Deeds, as such, no longer exist. Properties are registered at the land registry and the old papers traditionally referred to as deeds get lost in time.

 

The office copy entries (basically the modern equivalent of the deeds, available from the land registry for a few quid) are unlikely to have the answer.

 

You need the original conveyance which may be referred to in the office copy entries. If it is you may be lucky and get a copy from the land registry. If not, you need the pre-registration documents (basically the old school deeds) as the conveyance should be amongst them. They may be on your solicitors file if it hasn't been destroyed, or with the previous owners.

 

First port of call should be land registry. If that doesn't assist then the solicitors who dealt with the purchase.

 

As for rule of thumb, there is none. People say it's normally the right side but that's about as accurate as saying a spun coin normally lands tails side up.

 

Good luck.

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As DG said - I'm one of the unluckies who has left and right and the bottom of the garden all under my ownership.

 

Me too, it's a real bummer as I have to maintain the lot and it is about half an acre in total !

My place was on its own originally (almost 100 years ago) and over time others were built around it and clearly at the time it was deemed desirable to own the boundary, unfortunately I have inherited responsibility for it all !

TBF I was aware of it when I bought the house so can't complain about it now !

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I was always led to believe that if the fence posts and rails point in towards your property then the fence is yours whereas if the fence facing your garden is 'smooth' then it's your neighbour's responsibility.

 

We've just bought a new house and certainly our fences are designated so - the 'deeds' have a red T on the boundaries to show who's responsible for what.

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Is there any rule of thumb re this? Is it the left fence as you look out or right? Our fence has fallen down in the winds today, and cant find the deeds, which I assume would say for sure? Would the Council know? :?

 

There is no rule of thumb what-so-ever. It all depends on your deeds. In my last house, I had responsibility for 2 sides and the bottom fence ... they ALL blew down ... almost 30 fence panels ...

 

Moved house. New house I have the same again, except luckily one side is a very long brick wall, which is very nice.

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Fence is easier, bloody hedges need cutting twice a year and if you have the above the tree surgeon to cut them down will cost an arm and a leg.

 

I think my reply was missing the "tongue firmly in cheek" emoticon.... Privet hedges I can live with, just, leylandi are worse than the worst sort off garden weed

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You do not have to put a fence up if you dont want to. If your neighbor wants to put one up that is up to him. But if he does the posts must be moved so that they are on his land and not yours as you would lose land if he used the same fence posts but put the fence his way around . Unless it is of the concrete post type which slots the panels inbetween.

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