Boundry fences

[Cheall]

I am about to replace a 7ft hedge with a fence. The hedge belongs to us as it is 4 inches inside the boundry.
I have informed our neighbour about what we are doing and he was in full agreement.
1 week before Idelivery of the fence he has spoken to me about ensuring the decent side faces his property. I have said that I intended the decent side facing into my garden as it will be inside the boundry, also we are replacing our hedge and we are paying all the costs.
Could anyone tell me if I have to put the decent side his side. The other boundry fences I have, the neighbours had the decent side to them not us. Surley I am entitled to one decent side!

[Ethel]

You can put it any way you want it. It is not his, and if he wants a fence to suit his own tastes, he is free to put one up himself on his own property.

[NORMANTHEDOG]

i think you will find he might have a point,i would check it out with the deeds etc.we had the same problem,and our neighbour had to have the good side

[bednobs]

why not save all hassle and get a fence that goes

l-------l-----------l----------l-----------l

and looks the same both sides?ie posts with panels in between?

[joko]

ethel is correct. it is yours to position anyay you like - tell him he is free to purchase his own fence to put up alongside yours. or even put panneling on his side, as well as hanging baskets etc, in order to make his side look nicer, but its still your fence.

sometimes people put the nice side towards their neighnours as a courtesy but there is no law or right.

i would suggest he goes halves for the fence and you let him have the nice side - saves you money and its only a fence, that you can perhaps pannel in.

also, offer him the hedge to replant on his side if he wants, to cover the bad side.

[Cheall]

Thanks to everyone who has answered my question.
we are putting a fence up with concrete posts and panels inbetween but our nieghbours still seems to think there will be a better side.
We are only putting the fence up as he wanted us to take the hedge down and refused to let us go onto his property to trim it.
We don't seem to be able to do right with this situation.
Thanks again

[themas]

Some panels do look different on one side from the other. If you are not bothered which side faces you, show him the panels and ask which side he wants facing him.

There is a convention with close boarded fences (the sort with vertical strips nailed through into arris rails) that the owner of the fence has the arris rails on his side. This may be what he is thinking of. However, I believe this is a convention not a legal requirement but it is sometimes used to determine the ownership of a fence (& hence responsibility for its upkeep) if there is no other information - i.e. the owner is the side with the arris rails.