Garden fence problem

SyStemDeMoN

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So a few years ago after all the strong winds we had my garden fence (the one to my left) was scrap.
I went out and bought 11 new fence panels and replaced them all. Job done.

Now the fence on my right has been getting worse for a few years. The house is rented out to a polish family who I get on with well enough and I have asked them to get the fence fixed. They tell me they have no money to pay for it, so I told them that maybe the landlord should get it fixed for them.

A few months ago I saw the landlord who on a friday comes and collects the rent from them. I asked him to get the fence fixed and he just said ok.

The fence is now at a point where in a day or two my dogs are going to be running around in their garden as well as mine.

I feel I am hitting my head against a brick wall and everyone is just waiting for me to pay to get it done myself.

Now I am pretty sure the landlord is not declaring his earnings from this property to the good old taxman. So can I use that in any way ?
 
Now I am pretty sure the landlord is not declaring his earnings from this property to the good old taxman. So can I use that in any way ?

How do you know?

Quite frankly that's irrelevant as far as the fence is concerned, you're obviously just looking for leverage but I doubt that's the right way to go about it.

Edit: I think your dogs could be the leverage. You wouldn't want them biting someone or something like that due to there being no fence there. Do the tenants have kids?
 
It’s usually the landlord/tenants responsibilty depending on the property deeds of course to be responsible for the LHS

Offer to go 50/50 and suck it up, that what my neighbours and I did.
 
How do you know?

Quite frankly that's irrelevant as far as the fence is concerned, you're obviously just looking for leverage but I doubt that's the right way to go about it.

Edit: I think your dogs could be the leverage. You wouldn't want them biting someone or something like that due to there being no fence there. Do the tenants have kids?
I am pretty sure because I have been told this by quite a few members of the mosque a few doors down. I think they used that when they needed him to cut down a tree that was causing them problems over their mosque.

They do have a teenage daughter but would I be to blame instead ? I would think not but the way the law is nobody would really know for sure.
 
Who's actually responsible for the fence, just because it's on the right doesn't mean it's not your responsibility - it could be shared responsibility - check your deeds.

For example, i'm responsible for the left, right and back fence along with the neighbors that connect to it.

Never had any issues in the past with mine, in fact my right neighbor replaced the whole fence last year, and i offered to contribute but he refused any money (probably because he got the nicer side of the fence ;))

If it is his responsibility I guess the tenants could complain that your dogs are getting into their garden... depends if the tenants are bother by it, so might not want the hassle.

Failing that, and if it really bothers you, you could offer to go 50/50 with the landlord and fit it yourself.
 
I'm no expert but if he's a Landlord he has to be registered/licensed by the Local Authority and has to keep the property in good repair/safe for the tenants. Might be an idea to contact the LA and see if they can apply pressure to get it fixed under his license remit.

https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/repairs
 
They do have a teenage daughter but would I be to blame instead ? I would think not but the way the law is nobody would really know for sure.

No matter who would be to blame (i dont know because the law is complicated as you say) the landlord may take it seriously if he thpugh that could be a possible outcome.

If someone at the local mosque is on good terms with and already dealt with the landlord, maybe they could have a word with him for you and express your concerns about the dogs injuring someone and the negative outcome that would have? Just a thought
 
Hmm some food for thought there. The Iman of the mosque just lives two doors down I shall speak to him.
 
Probably not the answer you want, but the owner of the dog is responsible for keeping it under control. From what I've read, if you need to keep your dog in your garden, and 'under control', then it would be up to you make sure it can't get out of the garden. So if your neighbour doesn't want to replace/fix the fence then you'd need to do something, e.g. put your own up. Doesn't sound fair though.
 
As above, the landlord/neighbour is only responsible for maintaining the boundary, unless the deeds/covenants state otherwise this could be a 2 foot high picket fence, a hedge, or many other things. It's very unlikely it has to be animal proof. That's down to the owner of the animal.

That said, when new neighbours moved in with a dog, and wanted to build a dog run that incorporated a short run of our rickety fence we happily chipped in to have our section renovated. But then again, we knew it needed replacing soon and could afford to do it.
 
I believe Kristian is correct about the dog. A work collegue had a similar issue where the neighbours fence was only 4' high so had to install a 6' fence inside his property along the 4' fence to contain his dogs.

My deeds show which property is resposible for which fence but the deeds only mandate a post and wire fence which marks the boundary not a fence to provide privacy or anything else. Worth checking what your deeds say, the landlord may provide a boundary fence but only provide the minimum and cheapest option which may not contain your dog.
 
As above, the landlord/neighbour is only responsible for maintaining the boundary, unless the deeds/covenants state otherwise this could be a 2 foot high picket fence, a hedge, or many other things. It's very unlikely it has to be animal proof. That's down to the owner of the animal.

Just the thought of an incident like that could make the landlord act though. I certainly wouldn't want to take that risk if I was the landlord.
 
Just the thought of an incident like that could make the landlord act though. I certainly wouldn't want to take that risk if I was the landlord.

Its not the landlords risk its the owners of the dogs Risk.

If the fence isn't suitable to keep the dog in then the owner should not allow the dog to be out without some form of control.
 
If the fence isn't suitable to keep the dog in then the owner should not allow the dog to be out without some form of control.

The fence is suitable at the moment I presume it's just in a poor state of repair? ( perhaps @SyStemDeMoN Can confirm). Not totally clear from the first post but that's my guess. Forget the legal side, the OP is looking for a way to get the landlord to do the work. Hence the suggestion.
 
If your dogs got into the garden and did attack your neighbours you will be charged as allowing a dog to be out of control. You may go to jail, the dogs put down. My dogs are important to me so I have made sure my own garden is dog proof.
 
The short of it is, your dog your responsibility to keep it in your garden. Not the landlord's. Would be nice if he maintained his fence but he doesn't have to.
 
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And the landlord probably knows that, if he knows his stuff.
 
The only help from me extra,

As stated theirs no legal requirement to provide a fence but if provided it must be safe and secure, which could be as easy as removing it and leaving nothing

But, many new builds housing estates have a covenant starting fence mysteries be provide, and have to meet their specifications, so if a newish build have a chart with the residents/trust society and get them to approach the owner direct.
 
And the landlord probably knows that, if he knows his stuff.

Not every landlord will do only what is legally required of them. A lot will do extra, especially when it concerns the safety of their tenants. The prospect of an accident for example which could have been avoided would spur me personally to take some responsibility and take reasonable steps, in this case doing something about the fence.

I am, for the purpose of this example assuming that the fence is just about ready to fall down and know that the tenant has a child and that the neighbour has dogs. As a duty of care to my tenants I would want to make sure that they are safe from avoidable circumstances. Whether any or all of this is actually enforceable wouldn't factor into my decision in this example. Being informed or aware that I could avoid a potential issue would be enough.

As someone from the local mosque had to use leverage to get something done about a tree suggests that the landlord wasn't willing to do it off his own back, or at least to their timescales. Before reading that, I offered a suggestion about using the dog and the fact the tenant has a child as a lever to give the landlord a nudge. Couldn't hurt to try.
 
You would make an exemplary landlord, but the reality is that a lot of landlords are not like that :D
And if the landlord is at all dodgy, implicit threats that someone might get hurt if he doesn't get the fence fixed might not go down in the way you would hope :devil:
 
You would make an exemplary landlord, but the reality is that a lot of landlords are not like that :D

I would like to think I am :) Have been a landlord for many years and is exactly how I would act in these circumstances (without needing the leverage discussed), although in my situation it's very unlikely it would ever get to this point as the agents do regular inspections and flag any issues that have not been reported). The thought of injury that could have been avoided just wouldn't sit right with me.

Of course we only see one side of the story and the fence may not be as bad as we're assuming here but I'm taking it at face value. Will be interested to see what the Imam thinks could be possible once the OP's had a word with him.

Out of interest @SyStemDeMoN can we see a picture of the fence ?
 
I'm pretty sure the fence would be repaired quick if I lived next door and was practising my daily naked touch your toes exercises :p
 

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