Storm damaged fence? Here is what to do
Updated October 2026
Southerly busters, summer hail cells and the odd east coast low knock fences over across the Shire every year. A storm damaged fence is rarely a true emergency unless it borders a pool or a road, but the first 48 hours decide how smooth the fix is. Here is the practical order of operations, and when you are ready, an experienced, insured local fencer can call you back with a repair quote.
First, make it safe
Before anything else, deal with the immediate risks:
- Stay clear of panels tangled in power lines and call Ausgrid on 13 13 88. Do not touch the fence at all.
- If the fence is a pool barrier, the pool is now non-compliant and unsupervised access is the real danger. Block the gap immediately with whatever creates a solid temporary barrier and keep children away until it is properly fenced.
- Move loose sheets and palings out of the wind. A loose Colorbond sheet in a gust is genuinely dangerous.
- Prop or rope leaning sections away from paths and driveways rather than trying to stand them back up alone.
- Keep dogs contained some other way. A downed fence and a wandering dog turn one problem into two.
Photograph everything before you touch it
If there is any chance of an insurance claim, document first and tidy second:
- Wide shots showing the whole damaged run and what caused it, such as the fallen branch still on the fence
- Close-ups of snapped posts, bent panels and footings
- Photos from both sides of the boundary if you can
- A quick note of the date, the storm and anything the Bureau or news reported that day
Then check your home insurance policy. Fences are commonly covered for storm damage, but policies differ on things like gradual deterioration, retaining walls and gates, and an assessor may want to see the damage or your photos. Lodge the claim early and ask your insurer whether they need their own quote before repairs start. That is general guidance, not insurance advice: your policy wording is what counts.
The neighbour conversation on a shared fence
Most Shire fences that come down in a storm are dividing fences, and the cost of a sufficient dividing fence is generally shared equally between neighbours under the NSW Dividing Fences Act 1991. The Act even allows urgent repairs to a destroyed or damaged fence to go ahead with the cost still shared, without the formal notice process that normal fencing work uses.
In practice, the friendly version works best. Knock on the door or send a message the same day, share the photos, agree to get a quote or two, and split it down the middle. If either side has insurance covering the fence, compare notes, because the claim may involve both insurers, or one insurer and a neighbour's half-share. If you truly cannot agree, there is a formal fencing notice process under the Act and the Local Court can decide. All of this is general information, not legal advice.
Temporary fencing while you wait
Good fencers get busy after a big blow, so there can be a gap between make-safe and rebuild. Options for the gap:
- Hired temporary fence panels, the builder's-site style, which are cheap to hire and quick to stand up
- Star pickets and mesh for a dog-proof stopgap on a back boundary
- For pool barriers, do not improvise long: a compliant temporary pool fence or hired pool fencing panels is the right answer, and our pool fencing page covers the barrier rules
Getting it rebuilt
Storm jobs are usually either a partial repair, covered on our fence repairs page, or a full run replacement, most often in Colorbond, see Colorbond fencing. For what a rebuild costs per metre, the fencing cost guide has current guide ranges.
Tell us what came down and which suburb you are in, from Cronulla to Menai, and we will pass it to an experienced, insured local fencer who works your area. Mention that it is storm damage and whether a pool or road is involved so it gets treated with the right urgency. Quotes are free and there is no obligation.