Fencing and garden maintenance

Who is responsible for maintaining fences?

We will maintain any fence, owned by us, that faces a road, public open space, water source or rail line. This is to ensure your safety.

We will not repair fences between neighbours, as these are the residents’ responsibility.

Our responsibility

We are responsible for:

• Fences in communal areas
• Providing and maintaining a 6ft privacy fence panel between you and your neighbour, attached to the back wall
• Existing fences (if owned by us) facing a road, public footpath, open space, water source, or rail line
• Providing 3ft chestnut pale fencing to show where the boundary is between neighbours

When you move into your home, we make sure any fencing we are responsible for is safe and in good condition.

Your responsibility

You are responsible for:

• Side fences or gates separating front and back gardens
• Any additional garden fencing beyond the privacy panel
• Fences between you and a neighbour
• Fencing/gates erected in originally designed open-plan gardens
• Maintaining or replacing fencing you have installed yourself

If you’d like to install new fencing you may need permission. There are height limits for fences and gates, particularly at the front of properties, so please contact us before carrying out any work.

Your questions answered

Working with neighbours

There may be times where you need to work with your neighbour to fix a fence. This includes:

• Fences between two whg properties (beyond privacy panel)
• Fences between your house and a private property
• Fences between your house and a commercial property

Where there is a fence between your house and public land, we will help identify the public body responsible. This could include your local authority. You must work with them to agree responsibility.

If a neighbour is a whg customer and damages a fence, or allows their dog to escape into your garden, this could be a breach of their tenancy agreement. We can provide advice and support if a dispute arises.

We’ve created some useful letter templates you can use to communicate with your neighbour about any fencing issues.

Garden maintenance

You are responsible for maintaining your own garden, including:

• Cutting the grass
• Maintaining hedges
• Looking after trees and shrubs within your boundary

We maintain communal green spaces, including shared lawns, hedges, trees and shrubs.

Walls, paths and outdoor structures

If a boundary wall becomes damaged, we will inspect it. In some cases, damaged walls may be replaced with fencing.

We are responsible for the main access paths to the front and rear of your home.

You are responsible for:

• Patios
• Garden paths that are not the main access route
• Sheds
• Any structures you have added

Manholes and drains

You are responsible for keeping gullies within your garden clear of debris.

If you experience blocked or overflowing manholes, you water supplier will be responsible.

Garages

If you rent a garage from us, we are responsible for maintaining the structure.

If you lose your garage keys or want to change the locks, that’s your responsibility.