Tell us what is happening next door
A few sentences is enough to start. What the dispute is about, who it is with, and whether anything has a date on it. We will tell you the realistic options, including the ones that do not involve us.
Please do not send detail about your matter before a conflict check. A short summary is enough to arrange a first conversation.
What the dispute is about — a fence, a tree, a boundary, a wall, noise, an easement, a strata by-law or an animal. How long it has been going on, and what has already been said or written between you.
If a fencing notice has been served on you, if a council has written to you, or if there is a hearing or a date to respond by, say so at the top of your message and give the date. Periods in these matters do not pause because you have contacted a lawyer.
Keep the first message short and do not attach your file. A law practice has to run a conflict check before it can receive the detail of your matter, and in neighbour disputes both households are often local. You will be told where to send documents once that is done.
Some of these problems are answered by a phone call you can make yourself. A barking dog is usually a matter for your local council under the Companion Animals Act 1998. Whether a tree may be cut is usually a question for your council. A strata dispute normally starts with the owners corporation and then free mediation through NSW Fair Trading. We would rather tell you that than open a file.
An enquiry is read before anything is said about your matter, and a conflict check is run before a matter can be accepted. Sending this form does not by itself make anyone here your lawyer, and nothing you read on this website is advice about your own position.
Only what is needed to answer the enquiry is asked for, and the detail of the dispute is left for a conversation. Personal information is handled under the Australian Privacy Principles, which the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner sets out in full. Our privacy policy explains how they apply here.
Neighbour Dispute Lawyers is an informational website about neighbour and boundary disputes in New South Wales. Legal services are provided by Jameson Law, and it is Jameson Law your enquiry reaches. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
If there has been threatening behaviour, or you feel unsafe, that is not a fencing problem and it should not wait on an enquiry form. Contact the police. In an emergency, call 000.