Boundary
Disputes
Try to head off
lengthy disputes. It is a good idea when you first move into
a house to go upstairs and photograph the boundaries as they
exist at that time. Date the photographs and keep them
carefully. Take another set of photographs each year from
the same place and in that way any alterations can be
clearly seen, should a dispute arise. Naturally tact is
needed to avoid upsetting the neighbours who may be
suspicious. Prevention is always better than cure. If you
plan to put up a new fence or wall or plant a new hedge, try
to talk to your neighbour about it. In that way, you will
hopefully put his mind at rest.
When putting up
a fence, custom dictates that the posts are entirely on your
land and the face of the fence, points to your neighbours.
It is worth is giving up an inch or two of your land to
avoid it going onto next door and creating a dispute. This
is especially so since you will need cooperation to be able
to repair the fence from your neighbours land. Ensure it
complies with Planning Regulations – ring them first.
If you are using
Larch Lap fencing, where the panels sit between the posts,
then make sure that the entire post is on your side of the
boundary and that the top strip overlaps the lower strip on
the fact which point towards your neighbours.
If you are
planting a new hedge, then try to plant it at least 1.2
metres inside your boundary line. It is then far less likely
to encroach onto your neighbours property. Try to keep it
trimmed to no more than 3 metres in height.