Building shared fences
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What you need to know about building a fence when your land is next door to land owned by Greater Western Water.
Building shared fences
If you are building a shared fence, there are rules that you must follow, including:
- Who pays for dividing fences on adjoining land.
- What type of fence you can build.
- How neighbours install and repair dividing fences on their land.
These laws are in the Fences Act 1968 (Fences Act), which is a Victorian law.
Before you start to repair or replace your fence, contact your local council to confirm who the land next door belongs to. Your local council may have a dedicated webpage or application form to help you find this information.
Who pays for a shared fence
Usually, the owner of the land on each side of the fence pays for half of the fence costs.
If you are replacing or repairing a fence and your property is next to Greater Western Water (GWW) freehold land, we may share up to half of the cost of a fence (for labour and materials) if it meets the requirements of a ‘sufficient dividing fence’, in accordance with section 6(1) of the Fences Act.
A sufficient dividing fence is a like-for-like replacement or repair and usually:
- matches the existing fence on the property
- considers the purpose of the land
- is similar to other fences in the area
- meets relevant planning and building rules.
If you install a fence that is more than a ‘sufficient dividing fence’, you will need to cover the entire cost of the fencing work and any associated works, in accordance with section 8 of the Fences Act.
How to request sharing the costs of a fence
Step 1: If you’d like to repair or replace a fence and we are the owners of the land next door to yours, email fencingenquiries@gww.com.au.
Please include:
- photos of the existing fence
- quotes for the fence replacement or repair
- Something that shows you are the owner of the property, this could be:
- A title with your name on it. You can do a title search on Victorian Government’s Land Registration page.
- A rates notice from your local Council, showing your name as the owner.
- the street address of your land and the street address of the adjoining land owned by us.
Step 2: We will get back to you in three business days and make a decision on your request in 20 business days.
Step 3: After we agree to the fence replacement or repair, including costs per your quotes, you may start work. It is your responsibility to get the required permits and council approvals.
For further information, visit Fences Act 1968 or contact fencingenquiries@gww.com.au.
