Neighbor ignores homeowners trying to discuss replacing their shared fence, but later complains about the posts after they pay 90% of the cost: ‘It was our decision to replace it’

Cata Holmes • Writer

Sep 19, 2026 7:15 AM EDT

Apparently, a free and new fence wasn't good enough for these entitled neighbors…

Neighbors… what a complicated subject. They could be the best people you could ever meet and trust them with everything you have… or they could be the worst and actually make the experience you have in a neighborhood or at home very complicated. In my personal experience, I've never had issues with the people who lived next door, and that is taking into account that I moved a lot growing up. So, when I encounter stories like this, they really surprise me by how mean and entitled people can be.

Something that sparks dilemmas with neighbors is a shared fence. We know that it is an object that belongs to both families, although one takes care of it more than the other. In the story we have below, the homeowners wanted to change the fence because it was falling apart. It was moldy, unpleasant to look at, and not safe at all. Of course, they went up to their neighbors and discussed the problem. They weren't as worried about the situation, so in the end, the homeowners paid for almost the whole replacement, about 90% of it.

And they made a good replacement: now it had a metal post, so it was going to last far longer than a wooden one. It's safe to say that it was a good investment.

There was a little change, though. The husband preferred not to see the posts, so they were installed outside of their property line, facing the neighbor's home. Before doing this, they checked with the HOA, and they had a city permit to do this, so it's not like they made a decision that broke the law. It's all very legal, and they have fences with other neighbors, and some of those are located inside others' properties, so they didn't think much of it.

The neighbors showed up at their place and were angry that the posts weren't located on the property line. Their response was that they could pay for them to be removed and positioned on the property line, but of course that didn't happen.

via Unsplash+ (via balesstudio)

Shared fence separating neighboring properties after homeowners paid to replace their old backyard fence.
Licensed media provided as editorial context.
Neighbor complains about shared fence that WE fully paid for

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Frustrated homeowners dealing with a disagreement after replacing a shared fence with their neighbors.

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Contractor working on a new fence after homeowners decided to replace an aging shared fence for more privacy.
Image shown for illustrative purposes; person depicted is a model.
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Neighbor ignores homeowners trying to discuss replacing their shared fence, but later complains about the posts after they pay 90% of the cost: ‘It was our decision to replace it’

Apparently, a free and new fence wasn't good enough for these entitled neighbors…

Neighbor complains about shared fence that WE fully paid for

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