ᐅ Is it allowed to place privacy screens anywhere on your own property?
Created on: 13 Mar 2021 10:21
K
kati1337
Hello everyone,
I have the following situation: Last year, around the time we moved, we talked with our neighbors and agreed to plant a hedge along the property boundary for enclosure. In principle, I still have no objection to that; the hedge can definitely be planted right on the boundary.
However, a few days ago, the neighbors installed a shed along the boundary. It is quite a large structure made of silver corrugated metal. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s not exactly the view we want to have while having breakfast on our terrace.
I would now like to build a wooden privacy fence on our side of the property, something with a trellis for climbing plants, and plant greenery in front of it so that when looking toward that corner, we see a nice garden instead of the metal.
Am I allowed to do this without any issues? Are there any minimum distances I have to keep? I’ve attached a sketch where I have marked the metal shed in gray and the desired privacy fence in yellow. Of course, I wouldn’t do this without discussing it again with the neighbors first, but I would like to know where I stand legally. I haven’t been able to find much information online, only about enclosures with fences.
I have the following situation: Last year, around the time we moved, we talked with our neighbors and agreed to plant a hedge along the property boundary for enclosure. In principle, I still have no objection to that; the hedge can definitely be planted right on the boundary.
However, a few days ago, the neighbors installed a shed along the boundary. It is quite a large structure made of silver corrugated metal. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but it’s not exactly the view we want to have while having breakfast on our terrace.
I would now like to build a wooden privacy fence on our side of the property, something with a trellis for climbing plants, and plant greenery in front of it so that when looking toward that corner, we see a nice garden instead of the metal.
Am I allowed to do this without any issues? Are there any minimum distances I have to keep? I’ve attached a sketch where I have marked the metal shed in gray and the desired privacy fence in yellow. Of course, I wouldn’t do this without discussing it again with the neighbors first, but I would like to know where I stand legally. I haven’t been able to find much information online, only about enclosures with fences.
M
Myrna_Loy13 Mar 2021 12:57A look at the building regulations of the respective federal state and the development plan can answer this question.
Schimi179113 Mar 2021 13:01Would the area near the shed on your property also be a good spot for seating? That way, you can enjoy the view of your beautiful house while having breakfast, grilling, or just relaxing 🙂
Nice-Nofret schrieb:
If the shed is new and was not included in the original building permit / planning permission, you would probably need a building permit / planning permission and the municipality should have sent you a corresponding construction notice... a few centimeters’ distance is irrelevant; building right up to the boundary must be allowed and the maximum allowed meters must not be exceeded.
I would clarify this if I were you; then talk to the neighbor. If it is not approved, you can probably build freely on the boundary line and they should not complain.. Hmm, here we don’t need a building permit / planning permission overall, only a construction notice. I have never received anything from the municipality regarding neighboring properties, but we were also the last ones to build here. The house next door was always about 4-5 weeks ahead in construction compared to us.
nordanney schrieb:
That is then a fence enclosure if you build on the boundary line. This is regulated by neighbor law in the federal states / provinces or by the local development plan.
Behind the boundary line, you are free to build as you want. I actually don’t want to build right on the boundary, but what exactly counts as “on the boundary”? The neighbor also didn’t put their shed exactly “on the boundary,” but if he opens the door of the shed at an angle wider than 90 degrees, then the door is on our property. 😉 So, it’s probably not a 40cm (16 inches) distance; maybe about 20cm (8 inches)? No idea, I didn’t measure with a ruler outside.
If I now put up a wooden privacy fence at about the same 20cm (8 inches) distance from the boundary, am I legally safe? A colleague said you have to keep 50cm (20 inches), others say that only applies to hedges.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
A look at the building regulations of the respective federal state / province and the local development plan can answer this question. The local development plan doesn’t say much about it. Only that properties facing a major road are not allowed to build something that blocks the view of traffic. That doesn’t apply to us. Then the next “higher” regulation must apply, right?
Where exactly do I need to look? Building code? Building regulations? There are also special regulations just for gardens, right? Is everything regulated at the federal state / province level again? I’m totally lost in this bureaucratic jungle.
Schimi1791 schrieb:
Wouldn’t the area near the shed on your property also make a good seating area? Then you can enjoy your beautiful house while having breakfast or grilling, etc. 🙂That’s also an idea. I hadn’t thought of that yet. The downside would be that the seating area is so close to the neighbor’s property. And we would have to walk further from the kitchen to the terrace. As it is currently planned, we could use the kitchen window as a pass-through to the terrace, which I think would be really convenient 😀kati1337 schrieb:
We also built our carport right on the property line. Different regulations apply for parking spaces (carports/garage), usually within the buildable area. In these cases, building on the property boundary is allowed. This is something you should be aware of when planning or after building.
As far as I know, for sheds and similar structures, the required distance from the boundary must be observed.
But it doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t bother you. You don’t have to take legal action over everything, I agree with you there.
However, I would then adjust my approach a bit: if the neighbor is not strict about it, I wouldn’t worry too much about a few centimeters either. In that case, I would do what I like, but within reason.
kati1337 schrieb:
The downside would be that the seating area is so close to the neighbor’s property. And we would have to walk further from the kitchen to the terrace. I think he means not the main terrace, but the nice secondary seating area.
Similar topics