My dad’s £7 DIY privacy fence & protects us from our ‘creepy’ neighbour’s prying eyes – but people hate it
A FAMILY has revealed how they made a DIY privacy fence to stop their ‘creepy’ neighbour looking in.
The daughter took to social media to show her dad putting up the privacy fence ever since they spotted their neighbour looking into their garden.
In the initial post, she showed her dad placing a bed sheet onto the washing line and hoisting it up to block the neighbour’s view into the garden.
But it seemed many people weren’t a fan of his DIY privacy fence.
In a recent post, she wrote: “Who knew a dad wanting to protect his children with a bedsheet from our creepy neighbour would be so controversial.”
She revealed that her dad wasn’t being overbearing as they had caught the neighbour in the act of snooping.
“And yes, we’ve caught him being creepy multiple times,” the daughter continued.
“We haven’t had to do this to our other neighbours because they’re normal.”
“A bedsheet pressed so many opinionated people… Anyone else’s neighbour climb on a ladder to peek over?” she captioned the post.
Although the bedsheet did work for a while, her dad did decided to upgrade it.
He decided to hang up a larger sheet of fabric, using tarpaulin on the clothes hanger instead.
You can purchase tarpaulin for as little as £7 from Wickes.
It’s commonly used to cover furniture outside to prevent it getting wet or rusted, but her dad had other plans for it
The clip posted to the TikTok account @afghangirll9 has since gone viral with over 1.4 million views and 72k likes.
People were quick to take to the comments with many agreeing with the dad’s safety precautions.
One person wrote: “The only people who get upset about your privacy are those trying to invade it.”
What are your rights over a fence row?
IT'S very important to know your rights if you are embroiled in a fence row with a neighbour.
How do I know which side I own?
A boundary feature can be a fence, wall, hedge, ditch, piece of wire, or sometimes even just the edge of a driveway.
The only way to know for certain who owns what side and to avoid any neighbour disputes, is to refer to the title plan or Land Registry.
In this, the T mark is used to indicate who the boundary belongs to and therefore who is responsible for its upkeep, say pros at Jacksons Fencing.
Larger developments tend to have some indication provided by the builder, but there are no hard and fast rules
People often think they are responsible for the left (or right) hand boundary wherever they live, but there isn’t any legal basis for this.
You can check with HM Land Registry to see which boundary feature you are responsible for.
Often households can’t get hold of the paperwork but experts say they shouldn’t panic.
Homeowners can guess who owns the fence by checking where the rails are.
Pros say: “The fence is typically facing away from their property so that their neighbour gets the ‘good’ side.
“This is the most secure way of facing fencing so there are no rails for anyone to use to climb into your garden.
“This is then repeated with the neighbour on the other side to ensure that each home has both a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fence side.”
Walls and fences are often built on the land of the boundary’s owner with the edge of the wall marking the limit.
While professionals agree a glimpse at the fence can give you a hint, it’s not foolproof – so you can’t be certain.
Fines and punishment
It is recommended to always check legal documents before making changes to avoid hefty fines.
There is no law that the neighbour has to get the good side of the fence, so it’s completely up to whoever owns the fence.
Fencing pros have suggested: “It may be worth selecting a double-sided panel with no ‘bad’ side as both sides look the same and rails are concealed within the fence panel.”
If one boundary backs onto a road or footpath you can install the panels with the rails on the inside
But if it’s installed on the outside, it can provide an “easy ladder for burglars to enter your garden”.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Property Litigation Association have created a mediation service to help neighbours resolve disputes over their property boundaries without resorting to court action.
RICS also provides a list of surveyors who could assist in boundary disputes.
If a dispute continues, it is ultimately a court that makes decisions, but they do not like such disputes being put before them.
Changing a boundary
If you want to change an existing boundary, such as replacing an old fence with a new one, we always recommend discussing with your neighbour first and making sure it is all agreed.
The registered titles can help you to reach an agreement, but only if this information has been added.
In terms of decorations on a fence legal advisers recommended asking around over who actually first installed it.
But they also urged caution before getting to work on amending the fence without getting more certainty yourself – since there is a danger of actually being prosecuted for criminal damage.
How high can a garden fence be?
The height of the fence is measured from your ground level, this can have an impact when, due to slopes in the ground, your garden may be at a higher level than your neighbours‘.
A garden fence can be as high as 100m but you need to get planning permission if it’s over than 2m.
However, there are some complications to this.
If you are thinking about front garden fences, restrictions state that fences alongside a driveway can be a maximum of 1m or 3ft.
You would need to get planning permission for putting a trellis on a fence of 2m.
But, if any plant that you grow on that trellis exceeds 2m, you do not need to obtain a permit for the growing plant.
Another commented: “That’s a good dad protecting his children because there are some characters out here.”
“It’s the best way, and why should it bother people what your doing in your own house,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “Well done to your dad for being so practical.”
“I think it’s smart!!! Good for you dad! Team Dad!” claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: “I would absolutely do the same to protect my kids.”
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