Woman furious after being billed by neighbour for fence he put up 17 years ago

When deciding on a new house to either buy or rent, one of the biggest questions a lot of us will ask ourselves is: "What are the neighbours like?"

Ideally, you never want to have a bad relationship with any of your neighbours, as most likely, you are going to come across them on a regular basis - whether that is them looking after a parcel for you or just an awkward smile as you take out the bins.

Unfortunately, one woman has not had the best start with her new neighbour, as they demanded something quite surprising.

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Shannon Spencer had recently moved into her new home in Yanchep, Perth, Australia, when she was handed a bill by her new neighbour.

It was a 17-year-old receipt for $506 (£277) for a fence that was built in 2005.

Instead of greeting their new neighbours, the angry man popped over to deliver the bill, insisting that Shannon paid out.

Speaking to ABC Radio Perth, Shannon said her new neighbour had been waiting for the perfect time to come round and deliver the bad news.

Despite Shannon describing it as not a 'huge amount', she said: "It's just the fact that the fence has been there for 17 years and he's held this receipt in his hand, this invoice in his hand, waiting for the perfect time to come and hand it over."

Shocked, Shannon initially asked the man if the bill was a joke, but the neighbour said 'all the other neighbours had paid him for the fence,' so she was the last one.

Unfortunately for Shannon, she is legally required to pay for the fence as sated by the Divided Fences Act in Australia.

The radio show also spoke to lawyer Johnson Kitto who said 'the law is on his [the neighbour's] side as much as it pains me to say'.

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He added: "The best advice I can give her is to simply pay it.

"I wouldn’t try to negotiate with him. It’s a relatively small amount.

"Life is worth more than $500 and haggling over neighbourhood fences over that."

While Shannon realised she is legally required to pay up, she is not happy with the condition of the fence.

She claims it is 'rusted' and in poor condition, so shouldn't have to pay the full price.

She said: "I know I'm legally required to pay for the fence, but I'm just disputing the fact that it's been 17 years since it was built, and I moved 17 years later and he's still asking for half of the cost of the fence."

Could have been a better start with the new neighbour, eh.