Hello everyone,
We have attached our semi-detached house in Fulda (Hessen) to an existing, already completed semi-detached house. We are currently at the shell construction stage, and the windows are scheduled to be installed in three weeks. Until now, our plot was undeveloped.
Our soon-to-be neighbor recently approached us, saying that he would like to install a fence between the two semi-detached houses and has already spoken with a local landscaping contractor. He intends to fence his entire property and wants to start soon so that the garden can be used in the summer.
He approached me and said it is common for neighbors of semi-detached houses to share the cost of the fence placed in the middle and would like to have a joint discussion with me and his landscaper regarding the type and implementation of the fence. I honestly can hardly imagine that he would want anything different in the middle than what he chooses for the rest of his property.
To be honest, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I am already occupied with the shell construction, and garden planning is still quite far off. Frankly, I don’t currently have the time or financial capacity to also deal with garden planning. It should be noted that his house is slightly elevated compared to ours, so the terrace and garden level come into play.
Apparently, in Hessen, there is an obligation to enclose the property at the neighbor’s request...
"According to the Hessian Neighbor Law, the owner of a developed or commercially used property is obliged, upon request by the owner of the neighboring property, to enclose their property as long as the border to the neighboring property is not occupied by a building. If both properties are developed or commercially used, the owners of both properties are mutually obliged to cooperate in the construction of the enclosure (§ 14 HNRG)."
However, the fact is that we do not want a fence at all, and if anything, we would prefer a hedge or something similar, but not a conventional fence (which is also a permitted enclosure in Hessen). I also wonder if the neighbor can really put us under such pressure just because he wants to start NOW. He should be free to do what he wants on his own property, and I would never have thought of asking him to cover costs for a privacy screen or hedge that I might prefer.
Has anyone in Hessen experienced something similar?
Thanks
We have attached our semi-detached house in Fulda (Hessen) to an existing, already completed semi-detached house. We are currently at the shell construction stage, and the windows are scheduled to be installed in three weeks. Until now, our plot was undeveloped.
Our soon-to-be neighbor recently approached us, saying that he would like to install a fence between the two semi-detached houses and has already spoken with a local landscaping contractor. He intends to fence his entire property and wants to start soon so that the garden can be used in the summer.
He approached me and said it is common for neighbors of semi-detached houses to share the cost of the fence placed in the middle and would like to have a joint discussion with me and his landscaper regarding the type and implementation of the fence. I honestly can hardly imagine that he would want anything different in the middle than what he chooses for the rest of his property.
To be honest, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I am already occupied with the shell construction, and garden planning is still quite far off. Frankly, I don’t currently have the time or financial capacity to also deal with garden planning. It should be noted that his house is slightly elevated compared to ours, so the terrace and garden level come into play.
Apparently, in Hessen, there is an obligation to enclose the property at the neighbor’s request...
"According to the Hessian Neighbor Law, the owner of a developed or commercially used property is obliged, upon request by the owner of the neighboring property, to enclose their property as long as the border to the neighboring property is not occupied by a building. If both properties are developed or commercially used, the owners of both properties are mutually obliged to cooperate in the construction of the enclosure (§ 14 HNRG)."
However, the fact is that we do not want a fence at all, and if anything, we would prefer a hedge or something similar, but not a conventional fence (which is also a permitted enclosure in Hessen). I also wonder if the neighbor can really put us under such pressure just because he wants to start NOW. He should be free to do what he wants on his own property, and I would never have thought of asking him to cover costs for a privacy screen or hedge that I might prefer.
Has anyone in Hessen experienced something similar?
Thanks
In our area, the person on the right-hand side of the street is generally required, upon request, to install and maintain a fence, and they are allowed to make decisions about it independently. Only neighbors who share front and back boundaries need to come to an agreement.
Our rear neighbor didn’t want any fence at all, but my wife has a strong need for safety and security, and our dog has a great desire for freedom. So we naturally built a fence at our own expense (on our property, not on the boundary) without even asking for half the cost.
Maybe now he’ll just do whatever he wants and pay for everything himself?
I would wait and observe, making sure that whatever the landscaper puts in there is not on the boundary line or, even worse, on your property. Of course, don’t pay anything beyond the cost of about half a chain-link fence. But as I said, maybe he doesn’t want anything at all anymore and expects you not to interfere with what he’s building now. And I’d actually let it go if he installs a 1.80 m (6 feet) high welded wire mesh fence with printed privacy screens. You can always plant some nice greenery on your side afterward.
Our rear neighbor didn’t want any fence at all, but my wife has a strong need for safety and security, and our dog has a great desire for freedom. So we naturally built a fence at our own expense (on our property, not on the boundary) without even asking for half the cost.
Maybe now he’ll just do whatever he wants and pay for everything himself?
I would wait and observe, making sure that whatever the landscaper puts in there is not on the boundary line or, even worse, on your property. Of course, don’t pay anything beyond the cost of about half a chain-link fence. But as I said, maybe he doesn’t want anything at all anymore and expects you not to interfere with what he’s building now. And I’d actually let it go if he installs a 1.80 m (6 feet) high welded wire mesh fence with printed privacy screens. You can always plant some nice greenery on your side afterward.
I would prepare by hiring a landscaping contractor of my choice to create a quote according to legal requirements, at the minimum standard. I would compensate the contractor for their time and, if the neighbor refuses to cooperate, I would show them this quote and offer to cover half of the costs. This way, you would have already set a price anchor. The mood is already tense, and such "demander" types tend to keep asking for more and more in the end.
HGZT2025 schrieb:
I’m not sure, but to me, living nicely alongside each other doesn’t mean annoying new neighbors right away with a fence (by the way, that kind of says “I actually don’t want anything to do with you”): I would have hoped he would come over, say a friendly hello, and after a bit of small talk say something like, “By the way, we should talk about the fence and what we want to do there sometime. But for now, just make yourself at home.” At least that’s my naive idea...
But no, to be clear, I’m approached like this: “We’ve now hired a landscaping contractor to put up a fence around the property. It’s common to split the cost 50/50, so would you cover your part?” I see you are stuck in a fixed perception of the neighbor as an unempathetic aggressor who is forcing his impatience on you. Whenever there is understanding for your “side,” you prefer to bring up more reasons why he is a nasty jerk rather than taking a moment to cool down. Of course, the stubborn one is always the other person. You might be better off sharing the fence or hedge instead of recognizing that any disagreement involves two parties.
tomtom79 schrieb:
Oh, I’m so glad I didn’t build a semi-detached house—for exactly this reason: one says this, the other says that, and everyone thinks they’re more important than the other. There’s no real cooperation. The real problem with semi-detached houses is that if and because neither side has come to terms with not having a fully detached property, both neighbors end up projecting their frustration onto each other as if this were fate. “My annoying twin brother is to blame for not being an only child.” Why should Karl-Heinz and Horst-Kevin have it any better than Jacob and Esau or Cain and Abel?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
Marvinius201623 Mar 2025 16:58This looks like the beginning of a major neighborhood dispute that will likely keep several lawyers busy.
M
MachsSelbst24 Mar 2025 09:07Personal preferences about fences aside, on your own property you can generally do whatever you want within the limits of laws and regulations. In our case, for example, we ended up with what is probably not an uncommon situation: we are planning to plant a hedge in front of the neighbor’s fence. Simply so we don’t have to look at that ugly double-wire mesh fence with plastic weaving in anthracite color for the rest of our lives.
Losing about a meter of property because you need space behind the hedge for trimming is just my problem.
I suppose it’s similar where you are? Just pay your share for the standard fence according to the law, and that’s it. It’s not all downside—you get immediate physical separation from your neighbor, who apparently isn’t interested in fence conversations anyway.
In fact, this is even cheaper for you than if the landscaper had to come back later to work on the fence between the properties. In some cases, the landscaper can’t easily bring in heavy equipment like an excavator or risks damaging the nice new lawn.
If the neighbor demands more money, just ignore it. He can take legal action, but chances of success are probably slim… so he likely won’t.
After all, he is the one who hired the landscaper, he is the contract party, and he has to pay upfront.
That was the case for us as well. One day the neighbor came to the door and said, “We need to talk about a fence…” I just brushed it off, and eventually he built and paid for the fence himself. In return, he was allowed to put it directly on the property line, and I didn’t complain. Since then, I haven’t talked to him either—he’s not interested, and thanks to the fence I don’t see him anymore when working in the garden… win-win.
Losing about a meter of property because you need space behind the hedge for trimming is just my problem.
I suppose it’s similar where you are? Just pay your share for the standard fence according to the law, and that’s it. It’s not all downside—you get immediate physical separation from your neighbor, who apparently isn’t interested in fence conversations anyway.
In fact, this is even cheaper for you than if the landscaper had to come back later to work on the fence between the properties. In some cases, the landscaper can’t easily bring in heavy equipment like an excavator or risks damaging the nice new lawn.
If the neighbor demands more money, just ignore it. He can take legal action, but chances of success are probably slim… so he likely won’t.
After all, he is the one who hired the landscaper, he is the contract party, and he has to pay upfront.
That was the case for us as well. One day the neighbor came to the door and said, “We need to talk about a fence…” I just brushed it off, and eventually he built and paid for the fence himself. In return, he was allowed to put it directly on the property line, and I didn’t complain. Since then, I haven’t talked to him either—he’s not interested, and thanks to the fence I don’t see him anymore when working in the garden… win-win.
N
Nice-Nofret24 Mar 2025 13:29.... You don’t need to leave space behind the hedge for trimming; the neighbor is allowed to trim any branches that extend onto their property.
Similar topics