A mum painted ‘do not touch – private property’ on her fence after her neighbor allegedly painted it without her permission.
Sally Ann Lloyd, 52, moved into a new building in Birmingham in 2001 with her then-husband.
But she says she quickly clashed with her neighbor over the original picket fence that separated the two properties.
Business owner Sally, who no longer lives in the house, had a dog at the time that was able to run over the dividing fence and into her neighbour’s garden.
Have you and your neighbor been in a similar argument over the fence? Contact: Jonathan.Rose@thesun.co.uk
Sally, originally from Sutton Coldfield, says she asked her neighbor in 2002 if she could build a proper fence to divide their property.
She said her neighbor refused, so she took matters into her own hands and paid for a new panel fence on her property – next to the original 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 knew her and asked her if she was going to put up a fence.
“You can see the picket fence in front of the fence I built. She said she doesn’t pay for the fence and if I want a fence, it’s up to me.”
“Then I put a fence in my garden in front of the 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 get her boyfriend to paint my fence. He leaned over her little picket fence and painted my fence.”
“I told her she can’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.
In 2017, Sally’s fence deteriorated, so she proposed tearing down both the fence and hers and sharing the cost of a new one with her neighbor.
I thought that was the only way to get to her level.
Sally Ann Lloyd
When her neighbor refused again, Sally graffitied her own fence with “do not touch – private property”.
Sally continued, “She said no again. So I thought I wasn’t going to have this.”
“She’s not happy about me paying £500 for another fence to please her garden, so I painted the whole back.
What are my rights in this situation?
BOUNDARY disputes are a common reason neighbors split up.
We explain how to resolve a boundary dispute with a neighbor.
Check the border
You can check the boundary by looking at the property deeds.
If you don’t already have them, you can buy them from the Land Registry on the Government’s website for £3.
This will display the layout and boundaries of the land you own.
Note that you can also purchase your neighbor’s title deeds to see if there are any other property boundaries listed that aren’t on yours.
Sometimes a T will be marked on the property line to indicate liability for the boundary.
If you are in dispute with your neighbor about property boundaries, you can ask the Land Registry to intervene.
He will be able to set a boundary that everyone agrees on and prevent future arguments.
However, this can be difficult as the Land Registry has strict requirements and needs detailed plans.
Try the brokerage service
It’s best to keep tensions low by talking things out if possible and avoid escalating the situation.
If you really can’t come to an agreement, mediation services could be a good place to turn 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 it was the only way to get to her level, to feel better when I split on another fence.
“When she saw the fence, she said I was childish and pathetic. I lived there for the next two years and she never put up a fence to block him out.”
She added: “Living next door to her and paying for two fences drives you crazy. 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 approached Sally’s neighbor for comment.