We have split the cost with neighbors for a shared fence. We agreed on the height and style of the fence and got a few quotes. We paid as we were having other sides fenced as well, and we split the shared side.
I can't imagine doing this without knowing what the fence is and what it will cost. If they're getting something dramatically different from what's on your other sides, I'm not sure I'd want to contribute.

By code in most places fences need to be 6” inside property line (yeah crazy as it potentially ’gives’ one neighbor control of extra space. Only because you want to ne neighborly is contributing $$ a thing but no way without some transparency.

Where I live it's common to build the fence on the property line and split it.

I would definitely tell them you can't commit to paying until you see some of their quotes. At the end of the day, if they are building it on their property, you dont have to pay and they can't sue you for it, so even if they ask for $7k, you could still give them $2k as a goodwill gesture.

Why would you split costs on a fence you don’t even own? It’s theirs and will be on their property.

Anonymous wrote:Ha! 2k? My small wooden fence was 20k. Good luck!

That's insane unless you have many acres.

It’s nice you want to contribute to be a good neighbor OP but let’s say you contribute then for some reason they take it down. Or move and new neighbors take it down.. you would have no recourse.

Anonymous wrote:The only time we split the cost on a fence was when we lived in a townhouse where our fence and our neighbor’s shared a side - we split the cost of the shared side and the builder gave us both a discount for doing both fences in one job. It’s nice of you to contribute but you don’t owe your neighbors money for their fence - sounds like you don’t care if there is one.

I definitely do care. It's a small plot. There is a fence now, but very old. All three sides went up ages ago and were falling apart.

Anonymous wrote:Ha! 2k? My small wooden fence was 20k. Good luck!

That is how we paid! That side cost 4k. We did not pay for the whole perimeter they replaced, just the side we have in common which is not very long.

The only time we split the cost on a fence was when we lived in a townhouse where our fence and our neighbor’s shared a side - we split the cost of the shared side and the builder gave us both a discount for doing both fences in one job. It’s nice of you to contribute but you don’t owe your neighbors money for their fence - sounds like you don’t care if there is one.

Ha! 2k? My small wooden fence was 20k. Good luck!

Whoever first put the fence up can take it down if they choose or replace it if they choose. But if they own the fence, there’s no reason for you to contribute to the cost of replacing, especially if you don’t care to have a fence. If you want to put a fence up they don’t need to contribute to the cost, either. Who maintains the fence? Pays to replace rotten boards? Etc.

Anonymous wrote:People just need to pay for fences themselves

OP here and I'd never ask someone to pay if we owned, but we figured it was better to keep the peace, and for 2k I will do that. More though I am not ok with.

People just need to pay for fences themselves

I haven't heard of splitting the cost. My understanding is that the person who owns the fence pays. That is what we have done.

We have neighbors on three sides, and own none of the fences. Our back neighbors rebuilt their fence when they moved in a couple years ago, high quality $$$$ fence. We had never met them (we don't share a street so don't see each other out and about) and they never asked for us to help pay, they just went ahead and did it. One side neighbor asked if we'd split, we asked how much and we split the cost with them. Now the third neighbor is thinking about redoing their fence, asked but we asked for a quote and they won't tell us. Are we unreasonable to not want to commit until we know the cost? We obviously don't have a say in materials they use, and I really do not want to pay something astronomical for 7k when we paid 2k for our 2nd neighbor's perfectly nice fence.