townhomes, fence, neighbors, and I have questions

[Anonymous]

Setting: small old townhouses, no HOA

My neighbor has a white picket fence surrounding her front yard. Neighbors on other sides (us, and another family) do not have fences in front - we're open to the sidewalk and other adjacent neighbor. So fence neighbor is in the middle.

Who is responsible for painting and upkeep of that fence, on the exterior side? Technically it's right on the property line (if not outright on our yard, which is a possibility). But... it's obviously belongs to the neighbor. She had her interior painted, but not exterior. I don't want to paint it. But I hate looking at the ugly peeling paint.

Are we wrong that we think she should be painting the whole thing, not just her inside and sidewalk side?

[Anonymous]

You really need to know for sure whether it's on your property or not. We had a survey done and realized a neighbor had built part of his corner fencing a few yards onto our property. We asked him to move it, and he promptly did, very kindly. If a neighbor uses part of your land for years, they could potentially claim adverse possession.

This neighbor might not have been the one to put up the fence, so maybe she doesn't feel she should be painting the exterior. If some of it is on your land, she needs to move the fence. If it's on her land, she needs to pay for the entirety of the upkeep, and you don't get a say in how badly it's done

[Anonymous]

Even if you don’t have an HOA, there’s a condo association right? Check the docs.

[Anonymous]

My hoa makes us maintain the fence side that faces our neighbors. If you live in a community with an hoa check the docs. As a prior poster said you need to get a survey. Do not attempt to determine the property lines using measurements from a plat. You need a survey.

[Anonymous]

It’s your neighbors responsibility but you can’t force her to paint it.
I suggest talk to her and paint it yourself.