When is a party fence not covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996? 
I seem to be still getting a lot of calls and emails regarding party fences. Hopefully this blog will clear up the confusion of party fences. 
 
Ignoring the complicated issue of where the boundary line is between the properties, wooden fences or wooden fences with concrete posts and gravel boards are NOT party fence walls (or even party fences) under the 1996 Act. 
 
Many people refer to title deeds where it may state within those deeds that the fences along the boundaries are 'party fences'. What this means in most cases is that there is shared responsibility for its maintenance. It does not mean that that the fence is in any way connected with the Party Wall Act 1996. Indeed, it is most likely that the deeds preceded the Act and therefor must have a different meaning. 
 
Section 20 of the Party Wall Act interprets the expressions used in the Act. Under s.20 a party fence wall means  
 
a wall (not being part of a building) which stands on the lands of different owners and is used or constructed to be used for separating such adjoining lands, but does not include a wall constructed on the land of one owner... 
 
"It is considered that a fence is not a wall and that the distinguishing attributes of a wall are solidarity and permanence. A boarded fence, for example, lacks these qualities and, it is thought, could not be regarded as a wall..." Bickford-Smith, Nicholls & Smith 2017 P 14&15 Party Walls Law and Practice Fourth Edition LexisNexis
 
If you have a simple fence between you and your neighbour and the deeds are silent, you will have to rely on other sources such as the Sellers Property Information Form when you bought the house. 
 
If you are unable to determine who owns the fence then it is a matter of agreeing to share the responsibility for its replacement or not. There is no law that states you must have a fence to separate you and your neighbours land (not unless you are obliged by some other Act of Parliament such as the Animals Act 1971). Likewise, you cannot make your neighbour pay towards the fence if you want to replace it. 
 
What you can do is pay and erect the fence yourself, on your side of the boundary and maintain it at your own cost.  
 
 
 
 
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On 6th August 2023 at 12:11, Raymond Whitewood wrote:
On going argument over ownership of wall I built and paid for between my property and the new owner of other property. Who have taken down the wall to three strings at 4.30 am in the morning without consultation. To replace it with a living fence? Which I have told them I will paint on my side. But is this lawful?
On 11th June 2019 at 13:56, Lyn Davies wrote:
I bought a new semi detached property in December 2008 and moved into the house in June 2009. The adjoining neighbour moved in later that year. The wooden fence between our properties had started to deteriorate at ground level. The neighbour lives most of the year in Italy. I am starting to travel more myself. I decided to replace the wooden fence between us due partly to the deterioration and partly to keep my property maintenance free., with a Colourbond metal fence in green with a cream trellis on top. The neighbour recently came home whilst I was on holiday and got several neighbours involved in his issue with the new replacement fence. He has sought "free" solicitors advice. He has now written to me telling me to resite the Colourbond metal fence on to my property and reinstate a wooden fence on the boundary between our properties. I had no way of contacting him prior to replacing the fence and I have not asked him to contribute to the replacement fence. I did this in good faith. The neighbours, and I feel he is being unreasonable, because I have in the past spent more time here than he has.

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