Neighbors demand new homeowners to pay half the cost of a backyard fence installed months before they purchase the home, couple refuses after discovering they legally owe nothing: ‘HOA requires us to share the section of fence'

What's more important? Starting the relationship with your new neighbors on the right foot? Or standing your ground and refusing to pay for a fence built months before you bought the house?

Although this may seem easy to answer, the reality is far more complicated than we assume. This married couple was very excited to move into their new house. They expect to live there for around 15 years, so a good fence is crucial for safety and privacy. Since the house was new construction, it had no fence, so they talked to the HOA about arranging to install their own until the new neighbors showed up. They had their own fence, and half of it separated both of their backyards. Instead of asking them directly about perhaps splitting the cost of building that section, they started demanding money without hesitation or question.

Now, two problems come with this. First, the neighbors are demanding that they pay the current prices, not the ones from months ago, when the fence was built. This makes no sense, since the neighbors are basically trying to make more money than they actually spent. Second, the HOA demands that both properties share that fence, meaning they won't allow building a new one parallel to the existing one. Does this mean they are obligated to pay for something that they had no say in? It looks like it, although the couple decided to do some research to find some legal response to help them.

After deciding to take another measurement and deciding they wouldn't pay their neighbors, the couple and the neighbors had started their relationship on the wrong foot. But the neighbors, not the homeowners, were doing things wrong. They were the ones demanding money without question and talking about the current cost of building a fence that has nothing to do with the work they paid for months ago. That's a bad attitude on their part. I wonder why people decide to be mean and to take advantage of every opportunity they see? The homeowners just wanted a fence on their own, and were willing to pay for their half initially. Of course, they ended up not doing it, and good for them! 

Relationships with neighbors are always complicated, and having a good relationship with them is crucial for some people but not really a big deal for others. I've read multiple stories about them, and it still surprises me how some people choose to be complicated just for fun. Since they are going to live next door for a while, why don't we build a good relationship and sort out the fence situation differently? Maybe that's only me… but I still wouldn't have paid them.