If the stormy weather has blown over one of your garden fences, you may find yourself in an argument with your neighbour over whose job it is to fix it. Since it’s usually a part of the house that you take for granted, chances are neither have you have put much thought into who is responsible for the upkeep. And particularly if repairs accrue high costs, the debate can become pretty heated, with each side shunting accountability onto the other.
It’s for this exact reason that, according to a Churchill Home Insurance survey, roughly one in five of all property owners in the UK have been involved in a boundary dispute. But is there a way to avoid this kind of argument?. Luckily, the insurance company GoCompare has one simple fix. They suggest that the most fool proof way of determining fence ownership can be found by looking through your home title plans. If you don’t have a copy already, you can access them by submitting an official form to the HM Land Registry, for a fee of £7. Once you get your hands on a copy, the company then says you should look carefully at the boundary markings around the property. If you see a ‘T’ marked on your side of the boundary, that means that you own the fence.
GoCompare writes: “The easiest way to work out the ownership of a fence is to take a look at the title plans of your home. These documents might show boundary ownership, especially if the property is fairly modern. On the plans, ownership is indicated by a symbol that looks like a ’T’ marked on one or both sides of a boundary.
