You don’t need to be friends with your neighbors, even though it’s nice if you can have a cup of tea together and chat a bit sitting at the table in the garden. But the most important thing is to have a civil relationship, because after all, you have a common property border and you live too close to each other to be on bad terms.

A user of Mumsnet is currently quite annoyed with their neighbors because they decided to paint the fence that separates the properties and didn’t announce it in advance, which has now resulted in a weird-looking fence with dripping paint, so they asked if they are angry at the neighbors for no reason as they usually get along quite well.

More info: Mumsnet

Homeowner was quite annoyed with their neighbors because they decided to repaint the common fence they have and didn’t say anything in advance

Image credits: Nigel Cooke

The Original Poster, cheesersqueezer, and their neighbor have a fence that separates their properties, and usually, you would like for it to look presentable. But in OP’s words, now it looks awful because the neighbor decided to paint it a different color, but only on their side.

The fence looks untidy because one side is a different color than the other, the neighbors also painted the sides and naturally, there was some paint dripping.

It’s not the color the OP is not happy about, but that the neighbor didn’t coordinate with them, because cheesersqueezer would have done their side as well for the fence to look uniform. Also, this wasn’t the first time the neighbors have done this, but the last time the OP didn’t say anything as it was the same color and they managed to deal with the drips.

The problem is that they don’t know who the fence belongs to, so they can’t tell the neighbor to not paint it as they wish if it’s theirs. It’s weird that the neighbors didn’t talk with the OP about painting the fence, because they usually have a good relationship.

The problem is that the fence now looks untidy because it is two different colors and the OP’s side has paint drips that don’t look very attractive

Image credits: cheesersqueezer

It is important for the OP that the fence looks presentable as it is a part of the garden and it happened at the most unfortunate time when they would be having family over. It’s a minor thing, but it bothered cheesersqueezer.

While this person went on the internet to vent, it seems that the neighbors realized they should have said something and in an update the OP posted a few hours after the original post, they said that the neighbor had already apologized.

Most people in the comments were quite confused why this was a problem and thought the OP was overreacting. They mocked the OP for worrying that the family party would be ruined.
Some of them suggested painting their own side how they wanted and letting the paint drip on the neighbor’s side.

The more serious answers suggested finding out whose fence it is. Others argued that talking about these things is just a neighborly thing to do, especially if they were getting along in the first place.

It wasn’t the first time the neighbor had done this, but the OP never said anything about it because at least it was the same color on both sides, though there were paint drips

Image credits: Brad Greenlee

It’s also tricky because the OP doesn’t know who the fence belongs to, so they can’t really tell the neighbor to stop painting it

Image credits: cheesersqueezer

There are quite a few reasons why you should try to have a good relationship with your neighbors. And Then We Saved says that first of all, it ensures peaceful living. It is practical, too, as good neighbors will watch out for you if they see someone suspicious coming into your house.

It is also convenient if, for example, you need to borrow a shovel or any supplies that you know you won’t use enough to justify buying them, but borrowing them from the neighbor in exchange for homemade cookies is a good solution. Neighbors can provide many other favors, like looking after your house when you’re on vacation, looking after your children, asking for advice, or creating connections with influential people that may help your career.

Not to mention they can be great people and you may find a new friend that lives just next door. Think about all the fun garden parties you could have!

It is unfortunate that it happened the weekend the OP was having guests over as they wanted their garden to look presentable

Image credits: Rattan Direct

Do you know your neighbors? Do you get along? Would you be mad if they painted their fence and made your side look untidy? Let us know your relationship with the people living next to you and also sound off your reactions to the story. Do you think the OP was being unreasonable to be upset? Or should the neighbors have been more considerate?

Some people in the comments didn’t see why it was such a big deal and others believed the neighbor could have said something, seeing as they got along

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