Boundary Issues - who's in the right?

[MrsElle]

I rent a field that has 4 houses backing onto it, one being the house of the landowner. Two of the other three homeowners are great and love the horses being there, but the third has just collared me and complained that Chad keeps sticking his head over her fence and eating her plants

I wondered who's responsibility it was to keep Chad from sticking his head over her fence - it is her boundary by the way so she is responsible for fencing it (although if it was unfenced I would obviously do that).

Temporary measure has been to put a length of electric fencing up a couple of metres away from her fence, but Chad is no respecter of electric fencing so if he really wants to stick his head over her fence he will walk through the electric fencing.

Should i suggest she makes her fence a bit higher by putting a trellis up or something, or is it down to me to put a post and rail fence up within the paddock?

 

[AmyMay]

I'm pretty sure that if a field contains stock of any sort then the keeper of those animals must ensure that they cannot stray or damage a neighbouring 'property'.

So your responsibility in short.

 

[MrsMozart]

I believe, and I may well be wrong (it's been known

), but I believe that as horse owners we have strict liability for anything our neds do...

Can you put some trellis up?

 

[RLF]

What AmyMay said

 

[Tinypony]

She's got a point, her plants might be expensive.

But they might also be poisonous I suppose, so maybe have a word with her and see if you can come to a solution between you? She might like a trellis, but she might want to keep her view.

 

[Skhosu]

I would fence my horse in, not expect someone else to have to protect their stuff from my horse...

 

[MrsElle]

Ok, hands slapped, looks like a trip to the wood yard this weekend

The woman got my back up, she was a bit arsey with me so I had my stubborn head on