Neighbor Fence Repair Question - WWYD?

Updated on October 08, 2011
H.M. asks from Boulder, CO
10 answers

My neighbors are very nice people - we get along well - etc - and this past spring part of our shared fence fell down. The part that collapsed actually enclosed their yard but ran along our driveway. We agreed (both parties) it needed to be repaired properly - and they decided to take responsibility for finding a vendor. It took a while but they found a neighbor who actually does fence work and decided to replace the entire fence surrounding their property - the quote was $5500. I told them I was happy to split hte cost of the shared portion of the fence (there were 5 sides total - our share would be one half of one full side - roughly half of $1400) and they were ok with that but we never agreed on a set price. Well - the fence has been done for almost a month but they still have not asked for payment. They both work really crazy hours (Pediatrician and VEt) so about 2 weeks ago I left a note on their door asking for the total and saying I would bring them a check - even told them to leave a note on my door - still no word.

My question - where is my responsibility at this point? Do I ask again or wait for them to come and directly ask me? It is bothering me for two reasons - one - I want to be fair and pay my share. Secondly - it's holding up my ability to plan for the holidays. Until I know how much the total is I can't see what our "spending" money is (I put aside $1500 just in case) and I would like to plan a surprise visit back to NY for Christmas (I don't think we've been able to afford it for 5 years) so I just want it resolved. HOw would you handle?

Thanks

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Featured Answers

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

You were actually very generous. I was the first to put up a fence so mine now has six neighbors using one section or another. When the wood one fell down I replace the whole fence with vinyl and expected nothing from my neighbors. I kinda felt bad for my one neighbor because he picked cedar because that was what we had but white goes with everything.

Anyway my point is you actually had no responsibility to pay for anything. If one of my neighbors had offered I would have declined. Pretty much that fence sits in my yard albeit only by a couple inches. No way I would want anyone to own a part of something that sits in my yard, ya know?

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A.L.

answers from Charleston on

Just write the check and give it to them. They may feel bad about asking for money. Then it's off your plate and onto theirs.

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I would just give them a check for $700 (half of the quoted $1400) and if it's too much (if the neighbor did it for less), they'll return the difference.

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M.J.

answers from Sacramento on

Do you know that they use their front door frequently? If they go in/out through the garage, they may not have noticed the note. It's also possible it blew away. Just a couple thoughts to throw out there.

Do you have their phone number or email? If so, I'd try that way to better ensure they get your message. I'd also mention the part about hoping to find out the dollar amount soon because of some upcoming expenses.

Good luck!

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J.F.

answers from Denver on

It's called walk over when they are home one night and ask them.... Done
I am sure you can see lights on and know when they are home.
Just be a grownup and make the first move in person.

1 mom found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Is there any way to email them?

Some people are just better at email then walking next door..

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

My FIL had his fence replaced and he and his 3 neighbors all chipped in. The money and the price were all agreed to before anything was done.

We put up a fence and had an old fence taken down. Had to get the neighbor's approval for the take down. Both said that they would pay a portion, however, since we were doing it for our dog, we ended up just covering the cost.

If I were you, I would hold on to the $$ til the end of Oct. Perhaps try to call them or approach them one more time. If they don't respond, then I wouldn't worry about it.

M.

1 mom found this helpful

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

I would leave another note that says to please respond to you by such and such date. That you have the funds available now and would like to settle this so that you can move forward with your finances........

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G.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Since you agreed to pay for a share, until such time as they say to you, "no thanks," you have a commitment. Go over one evening (this may require some neighborly stalking to make sure they're home) with a pie or cookies in hand, thank them for taking care of the fence (they did take the initiative to get it fixed, after all), and simply let them know that you can write them a check on the spot for the amount of half of your shared side. It could be they haven't responded because people are very uncomfortable talking about money, and you can help get the conversation going by being, polite, direct, and businesslike.

Or if you're uncomfortable talking about it ,too, write a check for $700 with a note that says thank you, and that since you haven't heard otherwise from them, you're assuming that's what you owe based on earlier conversations and the amount of the estimate they shared with you, and drop it in their mailbox or slip it under their front door.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I would sure be wanting to get this out of the way too.

If they don't get back to you then I would write up the totals of what you wrote here, basically the estimate you were told about, what you had said, the amount you thought you would be splitting, etc...then tell them that you are needing to get the amount so you can take care of this to start making your holiday budget.

They should be able to get a $ amount to you without much effort. Give them at least a week after then just cut them a check for the $700+ and be done with it.

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