Homeowners will know of the constant upkeep of homes and gardens, including fallen or broken fences that often come down in a storm.

If you live in a property with neighbours on either side of you, you might wonder which fence you’re responsible for and whether you should pay for repairs.

Users on Reddit have been discussing who is responsible for fallen fences with one saying: “My neighbour won't split the cost of our fence - what do I do?

“I'm having some issues with my neighbour after our fence blew down in the storm last month. I think the fairest thing to do is split the cost but he thinks we should cover it as he's checked and it's apparently 'my fence'. Has anybody else had this? What happened?”

My neighbour won't split the cost of our fence - what do I do?
byu/Beginning_Trash_3261 inAskUK

Among the responses were a few people suggesting that the fence owner should pay for any damages or repairs.

One Reddit user commented: “Is it your fence? If so then yeah that's on you to replace.”

Another said: “If it's your fence then it's your responsibility, just as if it went down on the other side it'd be your neighbours responsibility”.

A few suggested checking the house deeds to make sure they’re aware who the fence belongs to, with one saying: “If it's you fence on the deeds it's your responsibility”.

This person said the house deeds didn’t solve the problem for them: “There's no ownership stated on our paperwork. I've accepted I'll probably have to cover it all myself, but in the meantime we'll be fenceless for several months. Sounds like this will end up being your solution too.”

Someone else shared a different opinion: “You neighbour doesn't have to replace the fence even if it's his.”

What side of the fence am I responsible for in the UK?

So whose job is it to replace a broken fence? You might have heard that the fence on the left of your garden belongs to you but Compare the Market says that this isn’t always correct.

The comparison site added: “The fences themselves may also give you a clue. Garden fences typically have a good side (the smooth side with no posts) and a bad side (the side with extra posts). If the good side faces into your garden, it’s usually yours. But again, this might not always be the case.

“If you own your property, you can check the deeds and title plan. The deeds show the legal ownership of the property and the title plan is a map that shows the general position of its boundaries.

“You should have received a copy of the title deeds from your solicitor when you bought your home, so it’s worth going through your old paperwork. If you can’t find them, you can contact the solicitor that did your conveyancing work or contact HM Land Registry.

“You can also check to see if a boundary agreement, saying who’s responsible for each fence, already exists.”

You can get more advice via the government website. There are different rules with England and Wales being the same while Scotland deals with boundaries in its own way.

On the title deeds of your property, check for a ‘T’ on the boundary. If this is found on your side, then it’s your fence to keep an eye on and replace.

You could otherwise spot a ‘H’ (like two T’s together) – this means you and your neighbour share responsibility.

Compare the Market added: “Unfortunately, there’s no garden fence law in England and Wales that specifies who has ownership of the boundary.

“However, you should find that ownership is shown on the deeds of modern properties (it’s usually only a problem associated with older deeds).”

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In some cases, checking the title deeds might not clear up the issue for you and your neighbour.

So, if after checking the deeds, you’re still unsure, you can set up a boundary agreement with your neighbour or get a determined boundary which you apply for.

You can find out more about what to do and who is responsible via the government website (a link to which can be found above).