Woman furious after neighbour stained fence without permission and 'completely ruined it'
A woman has been left absolutely fuming after her next-door neighbour 'ruined' her fence.
Louise was shocked when she walked out into the back garden of her home to see that the wooden fencing on one side was discoloured.
It turned out that her next door neighbours had stained their side of the fence.
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Staining is commonly done to prevent fences from rotting, fading and splintering, and to protect them from the elements.
But the basic treatment didn't go down well in Louise's house.
Taking to popular forum Mumsnet to vent about the dilemma, she wrote: "My new neighbour has ruined our fence (in our deeds) by staining their side without our permission.
"They lied and told me it was a treatment when I asked them when it would dry clear (which they also assured me it would do!).
"As it's a stain, it cannot be jet washed or sanded off. It's affected about 30/40ft of around 120ft of our boundary.
"We hate the colour so will not be staining ours, plus it would only damage our other fences when it seeps through."
She went on to explain that she doesn't know what her next best move is.
"I just want to know where I stand," she wrote.
"I've reached out, they offered to go halves on the stain (jokers!!... Not happening).
"In my eyes the only way to rectify this is by replacing the whole thing. I've read that this is criminal damage?"
Louise concluded that when she first reached out to her neighbours on Facebook, they were 'semi playing ball', but they have since deleted their account.
So, before she goes up to their front door and knocks, the homeowner explained that she's trying to figure out what her options are.
It's hard to say whether or not Louise will be any clearer on what to do after reading the replies to her post, since people seem to be quite divided on what she should do.
Some thought she was being a little bit dramatic.
"It’s not ruined goodness. Just stain it. Yea it’s annoying but hardly fence replacing level of situation," commented one user.
Another suggested: "Tbh, the fence looks like it needs some treatment, it looks very dry and dull. I would probably use this as an opportunity to treat my side and take up their offer to pay for half."
But others took her side.
One demanded: "Why should she stain it? She wasn’t asked for permission and she didn’t want it [done]. I would want it made good. If that means replacing it then that’s what needs to happen."
A second admitted: "It would irritate me too, OP. Nothing they do on their side of the fence should affect anything on your side."
What do you think? Is this worth the argument, or should she just let it blow over?
Ali Condon