I can't believe it! Who does stuff like this?

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Richard Kolb

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:angry: :angry: :angry: rant warning! :angry: :angry: :angry:



So I came home yesterday and notice my new neighbor, who moved in last weekend, had a fence. Now at first this didn't mean much to me, but for some reason today it was always in the back of my mind. My yard is fenced in with a 6' privacy fence. So I get home today and I go look at there new 3' Home Depot special fence and I see that they screwed brackets into my fence to hold theirs up. I can't believe it!! Who does stuff like that? Not only did they damage my property, they didn't ask permission, and now their fence is on my property. I'm not that concerned about the property lines, but it's my f-ing fence, I'm the one that paid for it, who the hell thinks it is ok to attach stuff to someone else's house? So I have this question, how do you go tell your new neighbor that they need to detach there fence from yours and not add other stuff to it? I am so pissed, they've only been there a week and so far this is the countdown:



1. When they called the gas company they gave the wrong address so the gas company switched my account to there name.



2. After they called the gas company they called the phone company, the electric company, and the cable company and did the same thing.



3. They drilled holes in my fence to attach theirs to it.



I'm so pissed :angry: I refrained from going over to ask them to detach theirs today, it would have gotten ugly, so I'm waiting until tomorrow to say something.:angry::angry:
 
I'll cross the boarder from Maine with my ST and help take his fence off yours. :)
 
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You just go over and tell them you didn't like the fact that they attached thier POS fence to yours. Is your fence inside your property or does it run the line? I had mine put in 5' from the line so as to keep my neighbors away from it. (with thier mowers and such) I only have a part of my yard done to keep one of my nieghbor's dog (who is never on a leash when he walks it to crap in everyone else's yard) from my dog. (when he was still alive) If your fence is on the line the only thing you can tell him is to remove the brackets holding his up. (since his would then be on his property);)
 
Rich, you better go over and straighten them out right away. Be polite but let them know you mean business. Too bad they are starting off on the wrong foot. Hope they end up being good neighbors.



Gary D.
 
I think that the utlities thing was a mistake. The fence, they assumed you wouldn't mind. But like Gary said, kill them with kindness.
 
Sounds like something my neighbors would do. I had to put a boulder on the corner of my yard to keep them from driving through my grass. :angry:
 
I can understand your annoyance that he attached his fence to yours without your position. But look at it this way. If he asked you first, would you have let him?? If the answer is yes, then the results would be the same. If the answer is no, you would have started a relationship with your new neighbor that you may regret later.



A number of years ago, my neighbor asked me if he could attach his fence to the corner post of my fence to close the gap between my driveway and his house (about 15 feet) He put up his fence and decided to put his own corner post in rather than attach to my post since that would put part of his fence on my property.



While he did ask, I would not have made a big deal out of it even if he didn't. We both have to live next door to each other and I would hate to think that something as dumb as connecting both fences to a common post should start a feud between neighbors.



Be a bigger man and greet the neighbor as a new friend and don't worry about the damn fence. Life is to short to go off on something so insignificant.



...Rich
 
R1ch999999, you obviously can't control what they do, but you CAN control your response to what they do.



Maybe they had the naive notion that the existing fence was on the property line and as such the side facing them was on their property and fair game for an adjoing fence to be secured to.



Sure, I wouldn't assume such a thing; and you wouldn't assume such a thing, but some people might.



As for the mixup on the bills, could that simply have been they had the wrong house number, gave that wrong number out several times before noticing the error, and the error was made worse by the gas company doing something stupid?



I guess I am a glass-half-full kind of guy, and like to give most people the benefit of the doubt.



TJR
 
Many people these days think nothing of invading or imposing on others. It's a general decline of individual and social responsibility. It may be ignorance (simply not knowing) on their part, but if it upsets you, you have the right to express your feelings. You should not have to cower whenever someone trespasses on your rights to in order to "keep the peace". Keeping the peace is not your individual responsibility; it is shared.



So, let's say that in a couple of years they beat their fence to the point that it begins to damage yours. What then peacekeepers? Who gets to deal with that? Maybe they have children who are climbing the fence, as kids do, and one of your fence posts breaks and they get injured. Who gets to deal with that? Gees, the way most property law works, YOU own "their" fence if it's on your property and say nothing, and now, YOU get to maintain two fences. Just a few reasons to consider.



With the temptation to contact an attorney at the first sign of trouble, there's too much at risk in our current social environment, and too many circumstances that you cannot control that I suggest you control the ones you can. And you can - you can request that they ensure their fence is on their property and that is self-supporting. Be truthful - you are concerned about financial and civil liability, period.



My 2¢ worth.

 
If their fence isn't really bothering you I'd let them leave it but point out firmly that you'd have appreciated it if they had asked you first.

I put a 6' tall wood shadowbox fence in after we got the dog (greyhounds can't be chained), had the yard surveyed first. One side went against my former neighbor's hedges but he didn't live in the house anyway. He inheirited it from his parents and it sat empty for years, although he took care of it. So on three sides, the fenceposts are on the inside but against the hedges they were on the outside out of necessity. Last year he finally sells the house and the new owners tear out the hedges. So from their side it looks like crap but hey, ya shoulda left the hedges in. :rolleyes: S'all right, they're nice people.



In your case I'd say something because they obviously do not have respect for other peoples' stuff. Let them get over and pretty soon they'll be swiping your newspaper and changing their oil in your driveway.
 
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I am with Rich in that the end result probably would have been the same. I would NOT have been happy about their lack of respect though. The one thing I'd like to point out is; if you do nothing about their fence, driveway, grass they cut, etc etc on your property they will normally become the owner of the property under the squatters right law.



My neighbors driveway is on my property. We get along fine. But I still wrote up a document stating the fact that we both know that their driveway is on my property and I am allowing them to use my property for convenience. And that at no point can they become the owner of the property simply because of the fact they are maintaining the property. And they are expected to maintain the property as it is to their advantage to do so.
 
Well, if they asked I would have said no. They attached their fence to the corner post where my gate is, if I open my gate and it damages their fence I'm liabel for the damages. Nevermind the fact that a ton of extra holes in a fence just helps it rot out faster, granted, it isn't that much faster but it is still faster. I don't understand the mindset that doing something like that is even ok, I was raised to respect other peoples property and it just baffles me that other people don't do the same. When I put my fence in I went to my neighbors on all three sides to tell them so 1) they'd know what was going on, and 2) I'd have permission to abut mine to theirs. In fact, the company that installed in insisted on being there when I got permission to abut mine to theirs.



As far as them becoming owners of my property, that law is getting shot down more often then not. Several people I know have had people mowing their lawn, or taking care of something on their propety, and then having them try to claim it is theirs. In fact, someone keeps paying my grandmothers taxes every year trying to claim her propery (300+ acres) and each year she has to insist they get a refund and pay it herself. In all of the cases the original owner has won. In my case the properties are clearly surveied and marked by the town and it is a violation to remove those markers. If you want to mow over the marker you're just doing your neighbor a favor.



Thanks for the replies, I'm still going to ask them to remove the fence from mine and refrain from stuff like that in the future.



And for the utilities thing, how on earth do you buy something as big as a house and not make sure you have the address right? I can't understand it, but it is only a minor issue and had it not been for the fence thing I wouldn't have brought it up.
 
Once upon a time..in my neihborhood, if you paid to have your fence put up first. It was common courtesy to ask to attach. If you agreed the new person paid you for half of that section used...nowdays my old hood has had so many roll overs of diferent people, most are renters, with no common sense or courtesy...:wacko:
 
Sounds like you live in a neighborhood without a HOA. If you did, then your new neighbors probably broke some rule(s) and you could sic them on them.

Don't get me wrong I hate HOAs and live in the country with freedom, but I'm just saying..
 
I'm in the process of putting up a fence. I am doing the work myself and would be awefully upset if one of my neighbors just attached to it.



First off, how do you know the post is set well enough for more than what's already there?



If they attached their fence and a kid runs smack into ther side but knocks down your post, who pasy to put it back up?



In my case, I have great neighbors behind me and the Clampit's next door. I live on a corner so I only have to worry about the two. The next door people have two girls, the oldest of which has some severe behavioral problems (the paramedics have been called to the house at least three times). I am concerned that they will be kicking a ball against the fence regularly. I am keeping that in mind and building that side a bit sturdier.



If either side comes and ASKS to attach, sure no problem. I won't even ask to have them pay for 1/2 the adjoining fence side. If they offer, sure I'll take it. But, if they just attach without asking.... they may find that the screws have somehow managed to come loose. I'm purposefully not leaving a way for them to easily attach as a hint.



I am really not concerned about the people behind me. They are the same age as my wife and myself with two kids, one is one month older than my daughter. I would like to be friends with them and have actually considered putting a gate in on the adjoining side between the yards.



It's really up to you. What kind of relationship do you want to have with them. You could be nasty or nice and still tell them you would have at least apprciated them asking you first.
 
Just out of curiousity did the home owner install the fence themselves or have someone do it? They might not even realize that it was attached to your fence. I would approach this cautiously because you are going to live beside these people for a potentially long period of time.



Dan
 
I don't know who installed it, my plan is to say something like 'I don't know if you realized it, but your fence is attached to mine. That isn't ok with me, I would like you to detach it and put your own post in.'
 
Why not ask for compensation for your fence? Unless you fill in all the holes caused by their fence you do run the risk of the wood rotting at a faster rate or becoming more suspect to wood boring bees. Just an idea.



Dan
 
Some questions for R1ch999999,





1. Was your fence meant to be a property-line fence (a fence that divides property lines), or did you mean for it to have a setback, and if so, what is the setback in feet, approximately?



2. What is your townships ordinance regarding property line fences? Are they allowed, what can they be made of, and can they be on the property line or is a setback required (or is there any another tolerance for where the fence should be...i.e. within x feet of the property line).



I am asking these questions to assess:



a. If your fence is legal.



b. If your fence could have been assumed to be "on the property line" by the neighbor/installers.



If the fence is truly on the property-line, or close-enough to be considered a property-line fence, then depending on your township ordinances the backside of the fence might very well be their property, with them responsibile for upkeep and with them being able to secure anything they want to it.



TJR
 
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