Garden Fence

[coopercharlotte]

Are you legally able to put up boards to cover gaps in the fence by securing them with nails to the existing fence if it is not yours.

[woofgang]

I don't think so in the UK. Can you not get your neighbour's permission? What is the reason for blocking the gaps eg is it to stop your neighbours animals getting in or your animals getting out?

[RATTER15]

No, because "no nails" will possibly break the fence if removed, you go attaching things if it is not your property. Could you not just put up your own fence.

[tonywiltshire]

No and the law is not always the best neighbour, you may find the Fences act 1968 with amendments to July 2010, of interest.

[cassa333]

Not unless you get the owners permission.

[Old_Geezer]

In which case maybe you could put up your own fence in parallel with the existing one ?

[Peter Pedant]

Tony the only Fences Act 1968 I can find is Victoria

no not the railway station in London, Oz

[tonywiltshire]

Thanks Peter,
You are, as ever right, the 1968 law on fences was produced in Australia, if you wish to read something that applies to the UK only you need to read what your local authority says or perhaps the Highways act 1980 or occupiers act 1984, I suspect neither will inform you of the right to knock nails into someone else’s fence.
You stated that you may say something in Latin to me, knowing that is a poor subject for me, what will it be - dulcis ?

[cassa333]

You are not allowed to do anything with your neighbours fence unless they give you permission. Even if your neighbours fence is delapidated and falling down the best you can do is (carefully) push it back over the boundry.

Any thing you nail, glue, prop or allow to grow on your neighbours fence could be viewed as criminal damage. But to be fair unless you do something really stupid it is unlikely to come to that.


Putting a your own fence tight against theirs isn't a good idea or recomended either because there is the possibility that over time their fence is taken away and they will gain a (admittedly small) part of your garden. That's how some petty boundry disputes start!!!

Have you checked your and their deeds to see who actually has responsibility for the boundry? They may have put the fence up or claim it to be theirs but it may not be!!

[coopercharlotte]

Thank you very much. This is extremely helpful.