PHOENIX — Monsoon storms can cause plenty of damage to homes and especially fences, but who has to pay for the repairs if the wall is between two properties? One Valley woman reached out to the Let ABC15 Know team when she couldn't get any answers.
“I got up and I looked out of my bedroom window, and I said, ‘What the hell!’ I mean, it was just completely gone. The fence was just over in their side of the yard, like the wind had come and blown it over there,” Myrtis Todd recalled.
The Mesa senior says her wooden fence was knocked down by a storm back in 2023.
“This microburst came through... it just pushed it over that way,” Todd explained.
She says she found someone to replace the fence with a block wall and tells us her neighbor agreed to pay half of the cost. However, Myrtis later learned that her neighbor was only renting the house. So, she reached out to the property management company to try and get them to pay half of the cost of the wall.
“Never heard anything!” Todd said.
She says she sent emails, called the business, and even tried to talk to them in person, but she couldn’t get a response from anyone. That’s when she decided to email Let ABC15 Know.
Our Better Business Bureau volunteer, Selma, got to work contacting the property management company.
“She got involved, and the next thing I know, I get a call from some young guy up here and he told me, ‘I need you to send me an invoice,’” Todd explained.
She says it took months and months of back and forth between her and the property management company, but Selma never gave up! Myrtis finally got a check for $2,000 from the property management company to cover half of the cost of the new block wall.
“I sent a text to Selma – Got the money. We finally got it taken care of, and I was just... I was just amazed. I was really amazed!” Todd recalled.
Arizona does not have a statewide fence and boundary law. Myrtis had a wooden partition fence that was built on the property line. In her case, both property owners were equally responsible for repairs and replacement.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, here's what you should know before you make any repairs:
- Make sure you understand the regulations for fencing in your city
- If you’re both responsible for covering the cost, get an estimate first
- Get everything in writing
- If a dispute happens, try to consult a legal expert so you know your rights and options.
Do you have a consumer issue? Let ABC15 Know! Email Consumer@abc15.com
