A mother has defaced her fence with ‘do not touch – private property’ after her neighbor allegedly painted it without her permission.
Sally Ann Lloyd, 52, moved into a new build in Birmingham with her then husband in 2001.
But she says she soon clashed with her neighbor over the original fence that separated the two properties.
Business owner Sally, who no longer lives in the house, had a dog at the time that could run through the dividing fence and gain access to her neighbor’s garden.
Have you been involved in a similar argument over a fence with your neighbor? Contact: Jonathan.Rose@thesun.co.uk
Sally, originally from Sutton Coldfield, claims that in 2002 she asked her neighbor if she could install a proper fence, separating their properties.
She said her neighbor refused, so she took matters into her own hands and paid for a new panel fence on her property – in addition to the original wooden fence.
She told The Sun: “When you buy a new property you have certain responsibilities.
“She only moved into the building five years after it was built. I contacted her because I knew her and asked if she wanted to put up a fence.
“You can see the wooden fence in front of the fence I put up. She said she won’t pay for a fence and if I wanted a fence it was up to me.
“I then put a fence in my garden, in front of the wooden fence.”
However, in 2006, her neighbor allegedly leaned over her picket fence and painted Sally’s five-panel fence without her permission.
Sally said: “One day she decided to have her friend paint my fence. He bent over her little fence and painted my fence.
“I told her she couldn’t do that. Luckily my brother is a lawyer.
“He took her to court and she had to pay me £250 in damages because she borrowed her fence and painted my fence.”
In 2017, Sally’s fence was worn out, so she suggested taking down both the picket fence and her fence and sharing the cost of a new fence with her neighbor.
I thought this was the only way to get to her level.
Sally Ann Lloyd
When her neighbor again refused, Sally defaced her own fence with “do not touch – private property”.
Sally continued: “She said no again. So I thought I didn’t have this.
“She doesn’t like me paying £500 for another fence to please her garden, so I’ve painted the whole back of it with graffiti.
What are my rights in this situation?
BORDER DISPUTES are a common reason for arguments between neighbors.
We explain how to resolve a boundary dispute with your neighbor.
Check the border
You can check the border by looking at the title deeds.
If you don’t already have it, you can buy it from the Land Registry on the government website for £3.
This shows the layout and boundaries of the land you own.
Keep in mind that you can also purchase a neighbor’s title deeds to see if there are any additional property lines marked in theirs that are not in yours.
Sometimes a T is marked on a property boundary to indicate responsibility for the boundary.
If you have a dispute with your neighbor over property boundaries, you can ask the Land Registry to intervene.
It will be able to define a boundary that everyone agrees on and prevent future arguments.
However, this can be difficult, because the Land Registry sets strict requirements and requires detailed plans.
Try a mediation service
It’s best to keep tension low by talking about it if possible and preventing the situation from getting worse.
If you really can’t reach an agreement, mediation services can be a good place to go as they are cheaper than court costs.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors offers a service to help neighbors resolve disputes over boundary lines and related issues.
“I thought this was the only way to get to her level so I could feel better about stepping into yet another gate.
“When she saw the fence, she said I was childish and pathetic. I lived there for two more years and she never put up a fence to close it off.”
She added: “If you live next door and pay for two fences, you’re going crazy. A new fence costs a lot of money.”
Sally left the property in 2018 because she needed more space for her now seven-year-old daughter.
The Sun has contacted Sally’s neighbor for comment.