Hedge Query

[dibble1]

Looking from my rear window down my back garden, which side am I responsible for? (UK). The recent wind took out several paneis.
Cheers.

[paddywak]

Where I used to live standing as you are it was the left hand and across the bottom, but I'm not sure if that's a general rule. Where I am now we have brick walls all round and the matter of maintaining them has never arisen.

[boxtops]

Ours is on the right - the only way you will know is to look at your Deeds, there will be a little T symbol on the boundaries which are your responsibility.

[Khandro]

You are usually responsible for side which has the posts. Left/right doesn't apply. If the posts are central, you will have to negociate.

[madmaggot]

Boxtops is quite right, you may be responsible for one or all of your boundaries; check on your deeds.

[Buenchico]

Nothing in my post contradicts anything above (which is all perfectly correct) but I'll point out that there's a difference between owning something and being responsible for its upkeep.

For example, there's a covenant in the deeds of my house which (bizarrely) makes me responsible for cutting the grass on a small piece of land round the corner from me. I don't own it, I can't see it from my house, it's not even on the same road as my house and it's actually been absorbed into the garden of a house three doors away from me, but I'm still officially responsible for maintaining it!

Conversely, I do own the fence separating my house from that of my neighbour but (since there's no covenant in the deeds) nobody has any responsibility for maintaining it. If it falls down I can tell my neighbour that he can either put up with having no fence between our properties or erect his own.

As others have stated, there's a convention that you own the fence with the posts on your side. That simply comes about because that's the way that most people would erect a new fence fronting onto the street. (i.e. with the 'plain' side facing outwards, and the posts on the inside). If that fence is then continued around the house in the same way, you'll end up owning the boundary fence which has the posts on your side.

However, as has also been indicated, that's simply a convention (and not a rule or law).

Further, as I've already pointed out, the person who owns a fence has no obligation to maintain it (unless a relevant covenant is in place).

Confused? Yes, you and a few million other people likewise!

Chris

[BRIGHT SPARK]

In general you will be responsible for the damaged ones:-)

[spudqueen]

In our first house we were responsible for the fence on the left, in our second house we were responsible for the fence on the right, and in this, our third house, all boundaries are jointly owned! So you really need to check your deeds. Or have a word with your neighbours.

[maggie01]

Ours has always been the left but this house it is the right and the back fence. I always get a copy of the plans if possible so there isn't any doubt what belongs to who.

[dibble1]

thanks all