Muddy, no wonder his fence won’t last long with such a short gravel board.
As for solicitor fees, irritating but a few hundred now will save you more in the long run and remove any doubt from all parties concerned.
If it turns out that both of you have infringed the boundary line (who knows???), then a negotiated compromise/settlement would draw a line under the matter and remove any elephant in the room when either of you decide to sell up.
Life’s too short. Get it out of the way imho.
Dexterous this is mine it’s been up nearly ten years, still solid.all round my house is like that.
On saying that, the post rotted…after 8;yrs only the one though.
Concrete gravel boards would solve the problem. If your gardens gets waterlogged could be you have heavy clay soil or a high water table.
Deeds will often indicate which boundary the property owner is responsible for. The documents may state it explicitly, but if they don’t then a T-mark may be used instead. If an H shaped mark is present – which will run across the boundary line – then both neighbours are equally responsible for the upkeep of the fence.
Muddy I would see my solicitor on the boundary issue if it worries you. However after selling 2 properties & a holiday home in the last year I can put your mind to rest …the days of a surveyor measuring up gardens for the buyers mortgage company or the buyer are long gone .
As for the fence rotting …that’s what they do rot … I’d treat his comments with contempt . Definitely an idiot
Straight question Ripple - do sellers have a legal duty of responsibility to mention possible boundary disputes during the process?
Good move. 
Absolutely YES.
What Do You Have To Disclose When Selling A House?.
There are potential legal and financial repercussions for being less than honest with a potential buyer.
Thanks for that TAT, and a special thanks to Cinders for that link.
You’re welcome. TBH I did not know myself.
I can understand you not wanting to get involved with solicitors, though you can ask for nothing.
On the other hand, if that fence is on your land, or even bordering your land, you have every right to water your adjacent plants and sod the rotting fence.
If I were you, I’d water them heavily every day and watch the fence rot.
Before he replaces it, though, make sure you put up some trellis or, better still, a shed backing right up to it. You don’t want him to nick any more of your land!
When you’re selling up there’s quite a few questions that deal with boundaries, never mind disputes with neighbours.
For instance, do you know who is liable for or owns each and all of your boundaries … though there’s a handy ‘don’t know’ in the list of answers.
If I remember rightly they also ask if the boundaries have ever changed or altered too.
The questions they ask now are pretty exhaustive.
Most fence panels and gates have one side that’s more attractive than the other – one side is usually smoother, displaying the best features of the design; the other is where the supporting posts and rails can be seen (not quite so pretty!).
You’ve probably always assumed that the nicer side of the fence should face into your own garden, and why wouldn’t you if that boundary is your responsibility and you’ve paid for it?
So you might be surprised to learn that it’s not unknown for neighbours to voice some strong opinions on the matter, and even to insist that the “good” side should face their own garden.
So are there any rules about which side of the fence should face you and which should face your neighbour?
Usually, the answer is “no”, though there may be exceptions, which we’ve outlined below. If the boundary between you and your neighbour’s garden is your responsibility (check your property deeds) and you are paying for the fence, it can face any direction you like.
Cinders post is correct about which side faces your neighbour. Also the posts (where applicable) have to face your side too.
So in other words, we get the rough side of the fence and the posts too!
Muddy, for what it’s worth and as others have said, I doubt very much whether your watering has got anything to do with the fence rotting at all.
Doesn’t he Ronseal the wood anyway?
Also, how old is this fence we’re talking about?
If it’s been there 50 years I’d expect it to be falling apart! 
Could be where the saying ‘take the rough with the smooth’
originated.
It’s only been there coming up five years ( there was nothing wrong wit( the fence that was there that we had put up ) but it’s a cheapo fence nothing fancy wiltshire a boggy old place the soil is clay .
I am afraid he is simply an unpleasant underhand individual .
I understand.
I have a neighbour the same.
Wonder if they are related? 
I THINK that the side with the support poles on is no longer a reliable and legal indication of fence ownership.
If the boundaries form part of a dispute a dispute where letters have been exchanged you would have to.
Other than that you need to ask a solicitor .
Agreed. It’ll be written down somewhere in some arcane document.
If one were building a single brick width wall (circa 200mm thick), then the centre line of that should match the centre line of any party wall. A similar view should be taken using the boundary as the theoretical centre line of any party wall where there isn’t one (eg in the space between semi detached houses).
Above all, if at all possible, actually speaking with ones neighbours before putting up a fence so that an agreement is in place seems an eminently sensible thing to do.
In my garden, I replaced fences along both boundaries at my own cost. Speaking to the relevant neighbour who should have done one side was beneficial, and we agreed a line to follow.
