A new homeowner is at his wit's end after his neighbour demanded he pay to have hedges installed along their shared fence for "privacy" purposes. But the neighbour refuses to contribute towards the costs11:30, 20 Aug 2026A new homeowner is feeling stressed over their neighbour’s “entitled” demand for privacy hedges to be installed - but they don’t want to foot the bill.‌Buying a house is arguably one of the most stressful experiences a person can go through, with mountains of admin and complex paperwork, vast expense, ever-changing timelines and delays, and more to contend with. Usually, once you get the keys, all worries tend to ease - though this isn’t always the case. One man has been left feeling stressed after his new neighbour popped round a month after he moved in and asked him to foot the bill to have tall hedges installed along their shared fence.‌The neighbour will not contribute to this in any way as he paid for the hedge on the fence he shares with the neighbour at the other side of his property. Since he paid for one side, he believes the new homeowner ought to fork out for the installation and maintenance of matching hedges along their shared fence.‌The neighbour also wants the new homeowner to fund all the watering costs for the shrubbery once it’s been installed.Though the privacy aspect is appealing to the new homeowner, the request has still caught him off guard and left him feeling baffled and concerned over his relationship with his next door neighbour, as he doesn’t wish to cause any awkwardness or tension in his new home.Seeking advice on Reddit, the homeowner explained the situation and said: “He already pays for the one on the other side for the fence he shares with his other neighbour, but that has nothing to do with me.‌WARNING: Some strong language below...“Is it fair that he's asking me to do that? I mean he’s not forcing me, but I feel like it’s kind of a d**k move to ask me to do it and not pitch in at all. I asked if we could somehow split the cost and he said no, but is still suggesting I do it.‌“Not gonna lie, the privacy would be nice, but I don’t think it’s fair I have to pay for all of it.”In addition, there is a telephone at the end of the homeowner’s garden and before he moved in, the “entitled” neighbour planted a cypress tree “literally two feet away” from the pole in the homeowner’s garden to “mask” the sight of the pole.The neighbour’s sprinkler system waters the tree from his own garden but the new homeowner is concerned this “could be a fire hazard”. He asked whether he ought to remove the tree as it’s on his land, despite the neighbour having planted it and continuing to water it.‌How did people respond?In the comments section, fellow Reddit users were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “If he wants it, he can help pay for it. ‘You benefit too’ isn’t a great argument for making it your bill.”Another said: “People are too nice to their entitled neighbours. If he told me no there’s no way I’m paying for it, got some damn nerve.” A third simply commented: “It's fair to ask. It's fair to say no.”While a fourth said: “The level of entitlement some people have is mind boggling. I’d tank that cypress too. Not a good tree around water pipes.”‌Someone else shared: “Your neighbour sounds pretty entitled to expect you to cover all the costs for shared privacy.”And another Reddit user added: “If he wants hedges for privacy, he should plant them on his side and at his expense. If you desire privacy, install a privacy fence on your side.”Your legal rights regarding a shared fenceCitizens Advice states: “If the wall or fence is safe and there’s nothing about repairing it in your legal documents, it’s up to you whether you do what your neighbour's asking.”Article continues belowProperty specialists Hamptons advise homeowners to check their title deeds for ‘T’ marks to determine responsibility over boundaries.A ‘T’ on one side indicates the property owner is responsible, while an ‘H’ mark shows joint responsibility between neighbours.