flat to the mat

Have lived in our house for 8 yrs , always got on very well with next door , stop to chat , clear each others driveways in the winter , go back and forth for drinks occasionally etc etc , good neighbours and reports from friends suggest they think the same of us , harmony .
Came home today to find my young german shepherd in the road , a truck and trailer on my drive with two guys finishing off ripping down our fence ,my wife visibly upset having lost the dog , and a message on the house phone from said neighbour saying could we pay half the cost of a new fence ?
Went over to see the chap tonight and was met with a torrent of abuse calling me a limey and how the English always think they're better than everyone else . The bloke is a high standing member of the local church but obviously another hypocrite to the peace and goodwill to all men scenario . Bizarre that after all these years such hatred could poor out of his gob , needless to say I stood up for my upset wife (sort of flicks a switch ) and the wanker bolted for his door , gobsmacked by the pent up reaction.

farjojo71

They killed your dog??? I would be calling the police!

Gozit

! Wow! I'd be phoning the police as well. Sorry for your loss

Why was your fence being torn down in the first place? If neighbour was the one authorising that action, then i'd be telling him he can shove it and pay for a whole new one

flat to the mat

FFS , no they didn't kill the dog , it was running around outside in the road because the idiots had torn the fence down, tnx for the sympathy all the same .If they had killed her this whole episode would've escalated beyond my worst nightmare by now . Payment for the new fence isn't even being considered

scrubbedexpat091

I was wondering why the neighbor would be tearing down the fence as well if its not his, but maybe it was his?

As for a seemingly normal person changing out of the blue, could be a mental issue or old age issue if older, people can do some strange things when something goes wrong upstairs.

I worked with a guy who had the nicest wife on the planet, then literally out of the blue start to become pretty violent and abusive to the family, turned out she had some sort of brain tumor and it was causing the change in behavior.

My grandmother when she got older thought the neighbors were trying to steal her house, so she sold it, and then had nowhere to live, she was diagnosed with dementia after that.

Gozit

That's great they didn't kill your dog now what about the fence, why were they taking it down in the first place and was it your fence?

plasticcanuck

Co-payment of fencing is required in many municipalities. When I checked online with my municipality, it is required, but there's a number of protocols to follow which your neighbour seems to have completely ignored, if he lived here. On those grounds alone you'd be entitled to ignore his demands. However I do think you should check with your municipality's Bye-Laws on the matter.

Lychee

I am still trying to figure out what exactly happened here. He ripped down your fence without discussing this with you? The dog ran out onto the street? Your wife was upset. You spoke to your neighbour about the fence, and he got upset about what you had said and became verbally abusive? You returned the verbal abuse? You're surprised that the neighbour was angry/hateful? Is that what happened?

Gozit

+1

leith

We had a very similar situation with a neighbour where we used to live. Without any consultation or agreement on shared costs or style of the replacement fence, he tore the existing fence down, proceeded to put up a fence made of cheap, half-green wood, and to present us with a bill for half the cost. We politely but firmly declined, pointing out the lack of consultation and that we would not have chosen such shoddy materials. He was hopping mad but we were not obliged to pay. The problem, however, was that we were stuck with an unsightly fence with knot holes and warped boards - not a good selling feature for our property.
Later, he tried to tear down a nice hedge between our front yards. We caught him in the act and called the RCMP who stopped him and told him he would be charged with mischief if he carried on doing so.
Bottom line - do not pay this bully for any part of the cost of the fence. Watch out, however, for anything else he might attempt and know what your rights are. Do you have a recent survey of your property so that you know exactly where the property line is between your property and his? It does sound as if your neighbour may have some mental issues but you need to know who actually owned the fence that was taken out and where the new one is being put in relation to the property line.
It is, by the way, an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to utter threats against anyone's person or property. And yes, it is a very good idea to get familar with the local bylaws and how to file a complaint.
Last piece of advice - keep a note of dates and times when anything happens, including any conversations you may have, witnesses etc. and do, whenever possible, get things in writing and keep copies. No matter how good the relations appear to be with neighbours, it is far better to deal with things in writing to avoid misunderstandings and possible conflicts where it simply comes down to one person's word against another's. It also makes it much easier for any authorities to deal with the situation if you have your facts and paperwork in order.
Best wishes.

Oink

Tell him you'd rather be a limey than than a moose f***er.

flat to the mat

Just about . Still trying to comprehend why the guy never mentioned his intentions during previous daily chats , why he left a message regarding wanting payment when we see each other every day , and the anti English rant that he has obviously been harboring for a while . It seems he hadn't even told his wife about his plans .
Will keep a record of events just in case , but the way I see things at the moment is that we'll be having a new fence erected tomorrow at no cost to ourselves other than sour relations with next door . hey ho life goes on

Photoplex

You should make a big show of painting your side of the fence to whatever colour you like

iaink

I suggest Red White and Blue


This whole thing is bizarre isnt it? The whole pent up anti brit thing I can understand, but who takes down a fence without discussing it first?

withabix

Not sure where you are, but for the legal position in BC, the Canadian Bar Association website says:

Fences

A fence on the property boundary belongs to both property owners. People often share the cost of a fence, but they don’t have to. Both are responsible to keep it in good shape and they have to get permission from the other one to take it down.