Fence replacement question

[Mike Gordon]

I recently bought another rental property, SFR. The fence on one of the sides of the property is in terrible shape and could affect the ability to charge market rent in my opinion. I contacted the owner of the house next door, who was initially eager to share the cost of replacing the fence. I sent him the bids I got and he hasn't been responsive about it. The cost to replace that side of the fence with a new fence runs $3k-$4k. I also tried to contact the owner on the other side - the fence on that side isn't in great condition - and they didn't respond. Would you wait until he responds, badger him into responding, or take the cost on to replace the fence yourself?

I think both neighbors are rentals. I would think people would want to make the neighborhood look nicer, which benefits everyone. What are your thoughts on improvements like this in general?

[Nathan Gesner]

This is not uncommon with neighbors. They'll initially express interest, then they realize it may be better to keep their mouths (and pocketbooks) shut to see if you'll foot the bill yourself.

Fences are typically installed by one homeowner. Find out if the fence belongs to you. If it does, tear it down and leave it down. You'll quickly find out if your neighbor wants it back up and then you can negotiate splitting the cost. If the fence belongs to them, or you can't figure out who it belongs to, then you probably shouldn't do anything until you have a written agreement with the neighbor.