Don't get me wrong, my neighbors are great. They really are, and they are very helpful to me...however...they have a stockade fence between their yard and the house I rent. Today my neighbor said he wanted to come over to my yard and pressure wash my side of his fence which has that weathered look. He says he doesn't care what the fence looks like from his side but my side is in view of the road and people can see it. Trouble is, I built raised beds along that fence - 4' x 30' long. I built all four sides so nothing actually touches his fence although it come within inches. I have it fully planted with last year's TB iris purchases planted 12" apart to the tune of hundreds of dollars! He wants to cover the iris - which are already up between 8" to 12" - with tarps and pressure wash with a "eco friendly" soap solution! Yikes! He wants to do it later in the year and asked "what are they, do they get taller"? I told him they were bearded iris that will be between 32" to 40"+ in height, and some were rather expensive. He then said he might not pressure wash after all...wow! I'm going to ask the people I rent from (coworkers and friends who know law to a T) if I have to let him come into my yard and do that. I'm afraid whatever the soapy eco-friendly solution is, it will still flood the soil and get drawn up by the roots, potentially killing my plants. What do you think? I don't know what the product is yet but be sure I'm asking next time I see him.

In my opinion, it is totally up to you/your landlord as to what your side of the fence looks like. Nobody owns the view beyond their boundary.

If you wish to improve the appearance of the fence, maybe there are other options such as covering it in shadecloth. Another option may be to plant some bushes somewhere so the fence is not visible from the street.

Be sure & tell him that it would be possibly harmful to the plants. thank him for the thought, but a firm NO.

irisarian said:Be sure & tell him that it would be possibly harmful to the plants. thank him for the thought, but a firm NO.

I would just tell him to stay out of your yard. He has no right to be in your yard without permission unless he is the owner of your rental.

I work with the wife of my landlord, what an interesting conversation we had today! lol I asked if I had to let him come into the yard to wash the fence and she went off - said he only put the fence up because one of his dogs kept trying to attack the small dog the previous renters had, and if he didn't think to seal it it's his problem. They are really nice neighbors and I don't think he'll give me any grief, but I've decided he can't do it. He wants to seal it I'm sure, but that would require actually standing and walking through the beds - not happening. Not with the plants 12" apart. Now if he wants to do it in the fall I'll be moving most of the iris out in to their real homes - I built this bed as a staging area for new purchases until I see how I want to combine heights, colors, and bloom sequence. I think that's a nice compromise and I'm 99.9% sure he'll go for it. Thanks everyone for your input. I'm one of those wishy-washy types that has a very hard time saying no & standing up for what I want, so your opinions really helped me!

Cindy ~ See...you had the solution all the while. Give yourself a little more credit!

Frillylily said:If he didn't think to seal it, it will be YOUR problem when it rots down and you'll have to look at him and his mess. And he'll be looking at you and your mess. You know good fences make good neighbors. If I were you I'd clean up my side and seal it myself. That way the fence is protected, and that will be good for the fence, for you, for him, and for the landlord. If you are renting and don't plan to stay long, maybe don't mess with it. But if you stay long term, you'd be smart to keep it going and looking nice as long as you can.

I get what you're saying, but I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. If I did anything to it, it would be a legal liability even if I didn't damage it. It's his property. My landlord would flip if I did anything myself to the neighbor's fence (I think the neighbor would too). He would have to take it down - and replace it if he wants to - if it actually started to decay. This is a nice city neighborhood with somewhat strict city rules, like letters with fines if the grass gets too tall.

I think your side of the fence is your landlords property even if he put it up and yours to paint,etc. But the law may vary from state to state.

It really depends on where the fence is located. Most people do not build the fence right on the property line due to the chance they may encroach on their neighbor's property. Even so, they trespass on the neighboring property unless they get permission to enter that property to work on the fence. Because the fence is probably on their property the neighbor on the other side can't paint or clean the fence without permission from the fence owner.

In this case I think the neighbor is being very cooperative in waiting to clean the fence. And they are making an effort to keep the fence appearance attractive.