How high can the backyard privacy wall be in Phoenix? (new home, fencing)

[SloCoChef]

One realtor told me this - there was a house in Scottsdale - a real hot property that had over 15 offers bid -- There was no HOA - I asked, 'who owns these walls? how does this work?' He then pointed out how everyone's house was shoved over to one side of the lot and the house 'yard' on the other side of the lot... The side of the backyard that was revealed with nice landscaping and lots of room etc... that wall I was told was my issue to upkeep and maintain.... So the other backyard wall that faced the other neighbor and the other side of the house - was very near the house with little room between....that wall was for the neighbor to maintain ~ as it provided his wall to the open airy lawn space..... And on it went -- the wall that was super close to the house was the neighbors to upkeep - the area that had trees and landscaping or the 'other' wall was the one I was to upkeep. The backwall - well it was McDonald or Hayden - so who knows - I guess it would be me -- or whomever did the upkeep of the trees on that side of the wall next to the roadway.... Dunno if this is true or not - but that's what he shared.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by SloCoChef

One realtor told me this - there was a house in Scottsdale - a real hot property that had over 15 offers bid -- There was no HOA - I asked, 'who owns these walls? how does this work?' He then pointed out how everyone's house was shoved over to one side of the lot and the house 'yard' on the other side of the lot... The side of the backyard that was revealed with nice landscaping and lots of room etc... that wall I was told was my issue to upkeep and maintain.... So the other backyard wall that faced the other neighbor and the other side of the house - was very near the house with little room between....that wall was for the neighbor to maintain ~ as it provided his wall to the open airy lawn space..... And on it went -- the wall that was super close to the house was the neighbors to upkeep - the area that had trees and landscaping or the 'other' wall was the one I was to upkeep. The backwall - well it was McDonald or Hayden - so who knows - I guess it would be me -- or whomever did the upkeep of the trees on that side of the wall next to the roadway.... Dunno if this is true or not - but that's what he shared.

I personally wouldn't take the agent's word for something like that, unless they owned a home in that particular neighborhood. Even without a HOA, there can still be "CC&R's" which specify who is responsible for what, and it isn't necessarily logical. My home does not have an HOA, but the walls were put up by the builder, and each property owner is required to maintain all the walls surrounding their property. If I damage a wall, I'm responsible for restoring it - and I have a legal right to "trespass" on the neighbor's land to do so.

Many other neighborhoods in my area originally had wood fences that gradually rotted & fell down, and at some point, most all have been replaced by block walls -Ownership & maintenance of those walls falls on whomever paid for the replacement, it could be the neighbors split the cost, it could be whomever got sick of looking at a rotten fence first...

Don't get me wrong - block walls don't often require maintenance, so that shouldn't really drive a purchase decision.

[SloCoChef]

Yes - agreed on getting documents etc... rather than my agent!

Believe it or not one home I put an offer in - in FH had the neighborhood looking a bit distressed from people not maintaining their yards - and I spoke to the HOA woman about that - she said peeps just fell on hard times and can't afford a gardner (& my guess they might be too frail? to do it themselves) -- But I told her the WORST house in the whole neighborhood was right behind :me: and what if anything did the HOA plan to do about the wall? She was surprised or feigned surprise asking whatever did I mean? Afterall she had the 'hood scouted for 'fouls' just recently and only found overgrown weeds....

I told her to check out the block wall at the back of the lot -- just for laughs or just for starters ..... I told her that 'that' didn't happen overnite.... When you saw it - a tree had punched right through the wall with toppled concrete and block with jagged edges here and there - that part of the wall was a mess...

She apologized and said she didn't know - that the owner lived in WA state and would be notified of that (& the ripped screens and busted out window that was boarded up)....as when he retired he hoped to live there...

In the end though she said it would be MY battle with the tenents about upkeep and deciding what to do????? Anyway I lost the deal to a cash offer and also lost the headache

But it was a nice place indeed!

[Captain Bill]

As Zippyman stated, the agent is not the final word on HOA or City/County requirements, and for situations like you describe, you need to get the information first hand in writing.

The agent should point to where you can get the answer, and help you get it. But in the end, the buyer is responsible.

[freefall]

Originally Posted by j_cat

Kind of passive-aggressive if you ask me. You're the one who wants it, so why must your neighbor contribute?

'passive-aggressive'? Just what do you base that on? They are the ones who had a 2 foot wooden trelis privacy fence on their side of the wall, and half of it just got blown off, so there is now a gaping hole.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by freefall

'passive-aggressive'? Just what do you base that on? They are the ones who had a 2 foot wooden trelis privacy fence on their side of the wall, and half of it just got blown off, so there is now a gaping hole.

Definitely NOT "passive agressive" . . .

Who knows, Freefall . . . they may be waiting for the perfect time to ask you.

[freefall]

Originally Posted by bummer

definitely not "passive agressive" . . .

who knows, freefall . . . They may be waiting for the perfect time to ask you.

Maybe I'll invite them over for a bbq to discuss - or is that too 'passive-agressive'?

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by freefall

Maybe I'll invite them over for a bbq to discuss - or is that too 'passive-agressive'?

LMBO . . . maybe just a beer until he agrees, then a BBQ.

! ! ! ! ! !

[LadyShyanne1]

I have a neighbor who apparently enjoys looking over the shared privacy wall into my backyard, I was wanting to find out what the height limit is on a backyard privacy wall is so that I can try to keep Mr.Look-Over-The-Wall from looking over the wall. Can anyone help me with this question?

[rgscpat]

Are you in Phoenix, whose wall heights have just been discussed, or another city? Also, it can get tricky if the back yards are sloped or terraced, especially if Mr. Lookover is on higher ground (or is very tall!). Is Lookover being sociable or just staring and being creepy? I assume his name doesn't show up on any public "bad" lists.