A MUM graffitied her fence with “do not touch – private property” after her neighbour allegedly painted it without her permission.
Sally Ann Lloyd, 52, moved into a new build in Birmingham, in 2001 with her then-husband.
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But she says she quickly clashed with her neighbour over the original picket fence which separated the two properties.
Business owner Sally, who no longer lives in the house, had a dog at the time which was able to run through the dividing fence and access her neighbour’s garden.
Have you been involved in a similar row over a fence with your neighbour? Contact: Jonathan.Rose@thesun.co.uk
Sally, originally from Sutton Coldfield, claims she asked her neighbour if she could put up a proper fence, which divided their properties, in 2002.
She said that her neighbour refused, so took matters into her own hands and paid for a new panel fence on her property – next to the original picket fence.
She told The Sun: “When you buy a new property you have certain responsibilities.
“She didn’t move into the property until five years after it was built. I contacted her because I did know her and asked her if she was going to put a fence up.
“You can see the picket fence in front of the fence I put up. She said she’s not paying 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 picket fence.”
However, in 2006 her neighbour allegedly leaned over her picket fence and painted Sally’s five-panel fence without her permission.
Sally said: “One day she decided to get her boyfriend to paint my fence. He leant over her little picket 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 lent over her fence and painted my fence.”
By 2017 Sally’s fence had deteriorated so she suggested pulling down both the picket fence and her fence and sharing the cost of a new one with her neighbour.
I thought this was the only way to get on her level.
Sally Ann Lloyd
When her neighbour again declined, Sally graffitied her own fence with “do not touch – private property”.
Sally continued: “She told me no again. So I thought I’m not having this.
“She’s not getting any joy from me paying £500 for another fence to pleasure her garden so I graffitied the whole back of it.
What are my rights in this situation?
BOUNDARY disputes are a common reason for neighbours to fall out.
We explain how to resolve a boundary dispute with your neighbour.
Check the boundary
You can check the boundary by looking at the the deeds to a property.
If you haven’t already got these, you can purchase them from the Land Registry on the government’s website for £3.
This will show the layout and boundaries of the land you own.
Note that you can also purchase a neighbour’s title deeds to see whether any extra property boundaries are outlined in theirs that aren’t in yours.
Sometimes, a T will be marked on a property line to denote responsibility for the boundary.
If you’re in a dispute with a neighbour about property boundaries, you can get the Land Registry to step in.
It will be able to define a boundary that everyone agrees on and will prevent future arguments.
However, this can be difficult as the Land Registry has strict requirements and needs detailed plans.
Try a mediation service
It’s best to keep tensions low by talking things through if possible and avoid making the situation worse.
If you really can’t come to an agreement, mediation services could be a good place to go as they’re cheaper than court costs.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors offers a service to help neighbours resolve rows about boundary lines and related issues.
“I thought this was the only way to get on her level to make me feel better for forking out on another fence.
“When she saw the fence she said I was childish and pathetic. I lived there for another two years and she never put up a fence to block it.”
She added: “Living next to her and paying for two fences drives you mad. A new fence is a lot of money.”
Sally moved out of the property in 2018 as she needed more space for her now seven-year-old daughter.
The Sun has approached Sally’s neighbour for comment.
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