Can I stain my neighbor's fence?

@bonbon50 (659)
United States
May 9, 2007 7:14pm CST
A few years ago, my neighbor put up a tall wooden fence on the property line. It looked nice at first, but has faded already. Am I at liberty to stain the side that faces my property, even though it's not my fence? Or would that be out of line? I very seldom even see the people who live there, they keep to themselves a lot so I don't want to ask them. Just don't want to 'step on their toes' so to speak.
1 person likes this
3 responses
mrsbrian
@mrsbrian (1949)
• United States
13 May 07
is it possible to ask the neighbors if it is ok to paint the fence on your side? if your at odds with them than you can always call the city officals and find out.
APasserBy
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
10 May 07
Over here we don't do anything with our neighbors' fence and we don't even know if they do anything to ours the side that faces their property. We did go to visit our neighbors but not all of them and when we were there we didn't bother looking at the fences either. We just thought as long as the fence is there doesn't matter the paint it or not. I think it's OK if you paint the side that faces your house, they can't see that side until they visit you anyway :)
pilbara
@pilbara (1436)
• Australia
10 May 07
As far as I am aware the responsibility for a mutual fence is just that - mutual. So I believe that it would be perfectly ok to paint your side of the fence. Obviously talking it over would be better of course, but if you can't then I would go ahead.