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Old 05-18-2007, 12:13 PM   #1
Regehr_28
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So here’s my dilemma, I moved in to a brand new house in January and immediately started to look in to creating a fence for my dog. Having met my one neighbour on a couple occasions we discussed that I was building a chain link fence for the purpose of my dog. To which she offered to pay half. Having never seen or met the other neighbours we never mentioned it to them. (First mistake I know). Fast forward to the present, I came home from work to see that they had started to build the fence in our backyard having put the posts in.
Late that night our doorbell rings and its the neighbours that we have never met wondering about the fence we are putting in. They are upset that we didn’t tell them we were building a fence and did not consult them first. We apologized and said we were not looking for any money knowing that it’s not on everybody’s priority list with a new house. At which point they tell me that a chain link fence is not acceptable as she is pregnant and doesn’t want or dog to attack their baby. My dog is over 100lbs, but has never done anything to harm my cousins kids despite being pulled and hit.
Today we received a letter from them saying that the chain link fence is not acceptable and we have till the 27th to come to an agreement with them or they "will be forced to take further action"
I guess my question is can they do anything if the fence is on my property?
Is there any nice ending to this seeing as my family doesn’t want a wood fence?
Any ideas would me greatly appreciated.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:21 PM   #2
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Well, the City's website says
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Fences on residential property are the responsibility of the property owner; the fence must be located within your property boundaries, and it must comply with the Land Use Bylaw height restrictions. If the height and location of the fence complies with the rules of the Land Use Bylaw, no permit is required prior to construction. Any costs for construction and/or maintenance of the fence is a private issue between neighbours.
There may be some local community regulations.

They don't want a fence because they don't want the dog to attack their baby? Isn't that a reason to have a fence?

Some neighbours really suck.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:23 PM   #3
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They have no course of action as long as they aren't paying a cent and the fence is on your property. It sounds like they don't like the looks of a chain link fence and want something different. Frankly, as long as it's on your property, I wouldn't worry about it.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:26 PM   #4
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The first thing you want to do is talk to them - it might save you a ton of time and heartache. Invite them over for dinner, sit down, act like adults and try to work something out. Tell them that you want the fence to keep the dog inside your property. Ask what you can do to be a good neighbour for them - would planting hedges along the fence help?

You both have "rights", but talking it over could be the best way to deal with it and maintain a relationship of respect.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:33 PM   #5
Regehr_28
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Thanks guys,
the plan is to talk to them but I dont see much coming it as they have gone straight to threating us. I guess with the long weekend we wont get anything "resolved" till tuesday
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:39 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flashpoint View Post
The first thing you want to do is talk to them - it might save you a ton of time and heartache. Invite them over for dinner, sit down, act like adults and try to work something out. Tell them that you want the fence to keep the dog inside your property. Ask what you can do to be a good neighbour for them - would planting hedges along the fence help?

You both have "rights", but talking it over could be the best way to deal with it and maintain a relationship of respect.
While what Flashpoint said is a very sensible way to try solving this problem, technically Blackarcher is right. Have a look at your Real Property Report to determine the exact boundary of your lot, if your fence is on the inside then you can tell your neighbour (nicely or not so nicely), to kiss your dog's rear end & build their own wooden fence inside THEIR property line, if they still thinks he's the baby-eating devil or something...

Rest assured, their so called "further action" will not be anything remotely close to something in the legal arena (as long as your fence is inside your lot), it's not like you live in a condominium, it's your lot and you can do whatever you want on it (as long as it's legal of course). You might wanna be careful that they don't try to poison your dog or something though.

In your case, it's just your pregnant neighbour being too cheap to pay for her own darn fence and expect you to build one to her specs, so don't waste your time fretting about it. Cheap neighbours suck.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:41 PM   #7
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Time to erect a 20 foot wall with barb wires on their side. This ensures the dog's safety.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:48 PM   #8
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From past issues with idiot neighbours, I can tell you that (at least in London) they don't have a leg to stand on. I say you teach them a lesson and put up your fence naked.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:52 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobblehead View Post
There may be some local community regulations.
That would be my question -- my sister lives up in Panorama and I've heard there are restrictions about things like what color you can paint your house, etc. to make sure the whole community looks relatively uniform. Not sure if there is some written document you can refer to, or who would enforce it, but it might be worth considering (i.e. if there is some kind of prohibition against certain types of fencing).

Otherwise, I don't think you have any obligation to your neighbor (the comment about being pregnant and not wanting your dog attacking their baby is laughable)... although I would try to work things out mutually, the fact that they're already threatening "further action" doesn't bode well for future inter-neighbor relations...

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Old 05-18-2007, 12:59 PM   #10
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That would be my question -- my sister lives up in Panorama and I've heard there are restrictions about things like what color you can paint your house, etc. to make sure the whole community looks relatively uniform. Not sure if there is some written document you can refer to, or who would enforce it, but it might be worth considering (i.e. if there is some kind of prohibition against certain types of fencing).
That'd be like a condo community or something similar. You can do virtually anything to your house/property if its a detached home you can do almost anything within reason. There was a dispute that made the news near my house a while ago. In the end, the snotty neighbour lost, and the home owner made several planters out of old toilets on his front lawn. Good for him I say.
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Old 05-18-2007, 12:59 PM   #11
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Time to erect a 20 foot wall with barb wires on their side. This ensures the dog's safety.
Haha, that'd be awesome but your fence can only be 6'6" maximum
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:00 PM   #12
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throw dog poop in their backyard
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:03 PM   #13
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don't worry about it..if they don't like it, they can build a fence or plant shrubs or something.
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:08 PM   #14
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The thing to make sure if it that the fence actually is on your side of the property line. You can get a real property report, or one thing I've done is for $20 rented a surveyer that finds the pins, then verified the location by digging down to them. (They are about 1 foot down.) Then called the neighbours over to show them.

Fortunately, those neighbours have since moved and the new people are super nice.
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:08 PM   #15
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They're trying to get you to build the fence that they want, and for you to pay for it, put up your fence, if they want to take action, they can take action.

But if they did and it was my fence, I'd electrify the bloody thing, put up security camera's and spotlights, and put a basket ball court in the back yard and inform them that your property is a governent approved half way house, and if they don't like it they can move.

Then to push it home, I'd buy a prison guard uniform and patrol my back yard at night.

Or is that taking it too far.
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:11 PM   #16
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Could you keep us posted as to what happens, if you don't mind? We don't have neighbours on either side of us yet (and likely won't on the one side before fall) but we want to build a fence soon to keep both the kid and dog in.
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:16 PM   #17
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Haha, that'd be awesome but your fence can only be 6'6" maximum
Aw..that's too bad. I was concern for the dog.
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:17 PM   #18
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Sure will keep you up to date. kinda sucks 5 months after moving into my first house that my neighbours hate me, and I dont see it improving.
oh well...
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Old 05-18-2007, 01:18 PM   #19
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Tell your neighbour that she is welcome to attach some plywood or canvas or other suitable material to her side of the chainlink fence to prevent the baby from reaching through the holes in the link.

A three foot high roll of that canvasy material used in the bottom of flower beds would work well enough and be pretty cheap.

It would be easy to install and easy to remove once the kid is old enough to know not to abuse dogs.

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Old 05-18-2007, 01:22 PM   #20
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Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch View Post
They're trying to get you to build the fence that they want, and for you to pay for it, put up your fence, if they want to take action, they can take action.

But if they did and it was my fence, I'd electrify the bloody thing, put up security camera's and spotlights, and put a basket ball court in the back yard and inform them that your property is a governent approved half way house, and if they don't like it they can move.

Then to push it home, I'd buy a prison guard uniform and patrol my back yard at night.

Or is that taking it too far.
I think an orange jumper suit with numbers across the back woud be better.
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