Neighbor Attached Trellis To My Fence: What to Do?

A trellis is an outdoor engineered frame that you can use to grow vines and other climbing plants alike. It is fixed to the wall to train the plants in the pattern of preferred growth to beautify the wall.

You can construct your trellis from various materials. These include but are not limited to metal, wood and vinyl.

Examples of climbing plants and vines that need a trellis are tomatoes, beans, roses, jasmine, cucumbers, grapevines, some vegetables, moonflowers, etc.

Here are frequently asked questions on it; things to note, how to go about setting it and also what should you do if your neighbors attach a trellis to your fence.

What Should You Do If Your Neighbor Attaches a Trellis To Your Fence?

The best course of action if your neighbor attaches a trellis to your fence without necessary permission is to have a dialogue explaining your concerns and displeasure. At times, it could be a misunderstanding on your neighbor’s end. As a result, talking it through helps establish clear and healthy boundaries for living together.

If your neighbor remains insistent after the dialogue and refuses to take down the trellis, you should consider contacting the local authorities. As long as you can prove without a doubt that your neighbor is trespassing on your property, you should get a favorable result in the eyes of the law.

Allowing the law to intercede on your behalf ensures that your neighbor stays bound to the agreement, and a further breach would see them face more stringent sanctions that they are likely to want to avoid.

Do You Need Planning Permission For a Trellis on Top of the Fence?

Permission to have a trellis on your fence can come in many forms. The first, and almost as important as formal permission from your local authorities, is informal permission from your neighbor.

Adding a trellis to your fence might require some adjustments to the fence that could negatively affect the standard of life of your neighbor. As a result, it becomes crucial to sit down with all invested parties to find common ground that ensures you get what you want without being an inconvenience.

Once you and your neighbors (if you share a fence) are on the same page, you can then begin to worry about the need for planning permission to put a trellis atop your fence.

As with everything else, it depends on some factors. These factors are:

1. The location of the fence
2. The height of the fence
3. Your local council

1. The location of the fence

The location of your fence plays a massive role in determining whether you will need permission planning or not. An example will be if your fence faces the highway or a footpath beside the road. However, some areas are exempt from this rule, and you would need to contact your local council for clarification.

2. The height of the fence

Most fences are about 1 meter tall. As such, you will need planning permission if you were to extend the height of your fence beyond 1 meter. However, some places have much taller fences but no more than 2 meters in height. You will not need to apply for planning permission if the fence is longer than 1 meter but under 2 meters in height.

3. Your local council

One other factor that influences whether the need (or not) for permission planning is the council in the area your building is situated.

Some councils consider the trellis to be part of the fence. Consequently, your fence’s height and your trellis need to meet the regulation, which is 1 meter in most cases. Any taller, and you will require the necessary permissions from your local council.

In contrast, some councils do not consider the trellis to be part of the fence and would only judge the height of the fence. As such, there are no consequences if your trellis is above 1 meter or 2 meters in some places as long as the height of the fence is to code.

Can Your Neighbor Attach a Trellis to Your Fence?

Your neighbor can attach their trellis depending on whether you are the sole owner of the fence or if it is shared. Suppose you can prove the fence is yours with the necessary documentation. You can relay the matter to the appropriate authorities if dialogue does not work between yourself and your neighbor.

They would be liable to some form of sanction if they persist with plans to attach a trellis to your fence when they have been advised against it. Proceeding to do so regardless puts you in a position to sue for damages.

However, you must explore all your options before taking it up with the authorities. It could devolve into a drawn-out process that you should avoid. Only do so when all the room for dialogue has been explored.

What’s the Maximum Height For a Garden Fence?

Without planning permission, you can not build your fence to be any higher than 2 meters. However, you can build your fence beyond the legal height of 2 meters with the right permission as long as it does not constitute a nuisance to the public and your immediate neighbors.

What Can You Put on the Top of Your Fence For More Privacy?

One of the most popular reasons for fences is privacy. You can never get enough privacy. More homeowners invest in home renovation projects to make their abode more private. This is commonly in the form of a fence extension or the introduction of a trellis to the fence.

Trellis comes in patterned semi-solid designs that make your climbing plants beautify your fence and even block out the holes with leaves from the plant. This combination of plants and gaps casts beautiful shadows while shielding your space on the outside too.

Trellis also serves as an effective burglar curb as it is not designed to hold so much weight. The result is a structure not easy to climb, reducing the risk of burglary and theft. Some authorities are known to advise people to add it to the top of their fences.

You can also build a trellis to any width or height required. There is no need to worry about how low your fence is and if a trellis can get it to your preferred height.

Can You Press Charges Against Your Neighbor For Attaching a Trellis to My Fence?

Your neighbor attaching a trellis to your fence without your permission is punishable by the law if pursued. So, Yes, you can press charges against your neighbor for attaching a trellis to your fence.

However, you must refer to your property of deeds to verify that the fence is not a party wall between you and your neighbor before pressing charges.

Once the law is involved, you’re advised not to have any contact with your neighbor until the case is resolved to avoid conflict. This is why talking to your neighbor about your displeasure before pressing charges is an amicable way to settle the dispute before going down this route.

Can Your Neighbor Attach or Nail Things to Your Fence?

Your neighbor should not be able to attach or nail things to your fence without your permission. Although, your relationship with the said neighbor could influence their behavior. If they find something they consider beneficial to both parties, they might decide to hang it on the wall for you to use.

But if you will rather they did not, you can amicably bring it up with them, and their response would determine if there is a need to bring it up with the local authorities.

Should You Talk to the Neighbor First Before Attaching the Trellis?

Yes, you should if the fence you would be attaching the trellis to is on their property.

Also, If the fence in question is a shared property, you should inform your neighbor of your intentions to attach a trellis to the fence.

You cannot control the vines on the trellis to grow on just one side of the trellis. It will eventually spread to your neighbor’s side of the fence, which they might not appreciate.

As a result, you should engage in a conversation, rub minds, and share ideas with your neighbor before attaching the trellis to agree on beautifying your space to both your tastes.

Upon agreement, it is also essential to check with the local authorities if it is okay to increase the height of the fence if the trellis is attached above the fence.

Frequently Asked Questions