Broken, leaning or rotten fence post: repair it or replace it?

Fencing 13 October 2026 7 minutes read

On a timber-post fence, the weak point is usually the post where it meets the ground, not the panels. The right fence post repair depends on where the post failed and what it is made of, so look before you buy a spur or book a new post. Kane replaces failed posts and fixes broken fencing, and fence and post work by Steven sits alongside new fences and gates.

Check the post before choosing a fence post repair

Take hold of the post and push it. If it moves at ground level while the boards above stay true, the foot of the post or its footing has probably gone.

Then note where it failed: at the soil line, further up the timber, or through a concrete post. Each points to a different fix.

Match the damage to the fix

Timber post snapped or rotted at ground level

This is the one fault a repair spur is made for. Bendrey Bros, which sells concrete spurs, says they are used when a wooden post has snapped or rotted off at ground level, to extend the life of a fence that is still serviceable above ground. Read that as buying time for one failed post on an otherwise firm run, not a reason to keep a fence that is failing elsewhere.

Timber post rotten or broken higher up

Bendrey Bros' concrete spur and Birkdale's metal spur are both sold for posts that failed at ground level. Neither is offered for rot or a break further up, so that case is outside what a spur is made for and usually means a new post.

Leaning post: how to fix it

Do the push test. Movement at ground level usually means the footing or the foot of the post has failed, even if the timber above looks fine. The fix then depends on what you find. If the foot has rotted or snapped at ground level and the timber above is sound, it is the spur case above. If the timber is rotten higher up, it usually means a new post. If the post itself is sound but its footing has moved, the post may need re-setting, and how it is set matters, as the next section explains.

Broken concrete post

Bendrey Bros and Birkdale sell their spurs for timber posts, not concrete ones, so a cracked or snapped one is a job for a fencer to look at rather than a spur from the merchant.

Several posts gone in one run

When several posts on one run have failed, replacing the run is often a better choice than patching it post by post. The close-board guide explains what decides when a whole run is due.

Repair spur, spike or new post: how they differ

Concrete repair spur. A short concrete post, 990mm or 1220mm long in Bendrey Bros' range, with bolt holes for bolting or screwing it to the old post.

Metal repair spur. Birkdale's sheet for its FENCEMATE spur, made for 3 and 4 inch timber posts, says to dig a 500mm deep hole beside the post and secure the 1 metre spur with post concrete.

Repair spike. Metal repair spikes are also sold for this. We know of no independent test of how well they hold.

A new post. Jacksons Fencing advises setting posts at least 600mm into the ground, deeper for higher fences, and recommends a 2.4m post for a 1.8m fence. That is one maker's guidance, not a rule. If a post is cut to length, the Wood Protection Association says never to put the cut end in the ground, and The Garden Trellis Company advises two liberal brush coats of end grain preservative on any cut end. A new post also has to suit the run, and how feather-edge and slatted runs are built shows how different the two are.

How the post is set matters too. The Wood Protection Association warns against a concrete 'boot' round the foot of a timber post, because it keeps the bottom wet and raises the risk of decay; water must be able to drain from the foot. Tarmac's Postcrete data sheet says to fill the hole a third with water, never to mix it with water, by hand or by machine, and that it sets in 5 to 10 minutes.

Put together, the sources above give this order for replacing a fence post:

Check for buried services first. HSE guidance says to assume they are present unless it has been shown otherwise.
If it is not clear whose fence it is, agree the replacement with the neighbour.
Dig the hole. Jacksons Fencing advises at least 600mm into the ground, deeper for higher fences, with a 2.4m post for a 1.8m fence.
If you cut the post to length, keep the cut end out of the ground and give it two liberal brush coats of end grain preservative.
Set the post so water can drain from the foot, not in a concrete 'boot'.
If you use Postcrete, fill the hole a third with water and do not mix it, by hand or by machine. It sets in 5 to 10 minutes, and Toolstation gives 3°C as its minimum working temperature.

Why posts fail at the ground

For any garden fence repair, the place to look is where the post enters the soil. The Wood Protection Association classes fence posts as Use Class 4: timber in contact with or very close to the ground and frequently wet. Jacksons Fencing names rotten posts as the most common reason panels fall over in high winds.

Before you dig or replace a post

The Health and Safety Executive's guidance on digging near buried services says to assume they are present unless it has been shown otherwise.

Next, whose fence is it? HM Land Registry says there is no rule that the fence on the left or right belongs to that property, and T marks on the deeds are not always conclusive. The idea that the posts face the owner's side has no legal foundation, and where ownership is unclear, a replacement should be agreed with the neighbour. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 does not cover a timber fence.

On planning, Planning Portal says a fence in England can be up to 1m next to a road used by vehicles, or its footpath, and 2m elsewhere without permission. The same page says you can alter, maintain or improve an existing fence within those heights without permission. A listed building (yours, or a neighbour's on the boundary), an Article 4 direction or a planning condition can remove those freedoms, and in a conservation area you might need permission even to take a fence down.

Storm damage and home insurance

Home Owners Alliance says policies often exclude storm damage to fences, hedges and gates. In a 2021 decision, an ombudsman at the Financial Ombudsman Service called the fence exclusion common, and in another decision the policy covered a storm-damaged fence only if the home was damaged at the same time by the same cause.

On a disputed storm claim, the ombudsman asks whether storm conditions were the main cause, or whether other factors meant the damage might have happened anyway. A post already rotten at the base could be one of those factors, which is a good reason to deal with tired posts before winter.

If a claim is refused, complain to the insurer first; for most complaints, it has 8 weeks to give a final response. Policies differ, so read your own policy wording before you assume a fence is covered.

Can a fence post go in during winter?

It depends on the temperature more than the month. Toolstation's listing for Postcrete gives its minimum working temperature as 3°C, so it should not be used below that, for example on a frosty morning.

What a fence post repair costs

Kane publishes no price list, and quotes are free. A quote depends on:

how many posts have failed
whether the fix is a spur or a new post
whether old concrete has to be dug out
access to the fence line
whether the existing panels or boards can go back up

You can start one by sending a photo of the post and the run on WhatsApp.

Fence post work around Surrey and south London

Kane's reviews include repair work as well as new fences. Tom, reviewing on TrustATrader in November 2025, wrote: “Very responsive and competent work replacing a fence post. Have used Steven and team before, and would do again.” Another review that month mentions using Kane before “for a fence repair and gate installation”, and in April 2026 Zoe wrote that Steven did “a fantastic job of replacing and fixing some broken fencing” in her garden.

Posts come up on bigger jobs too: a customer in the CR2 district (the South Croydon area) who reviewed Kane in January 2025 had new fencing and posts fitted, and Kane's page on fencing in the South Croydon area covers that job. Kane is based in Mitcham and works across Surrey and south London, and Steven's home patch in Mitcham has its own page.

Common questions

Can I fix a fence post without replacing it?

Sometimes. If a timber post has snapped or rotted at ground level and the wood above is sound, a repair spur is made for exactly that. If the post has gone higher up, a spur is not made for that, and a broken concrete post needs a fencer's look.

Are fence post repair spikes any good?

We know of no independent test of them. Like a spur, a spike is usually only worth trying if the post is sound above the ground and the failure is at the soil line.

Who has to repair a fence between two gardens?

There is no left or right rule, and the side the posts face does not decide it, according to HM Land Registry. T marks on the deeds often show who maintains a boundary but are not always conclusive. Where it is unclear, agree any replacement with your neighbour first.

Does home insurance cover a fence blown down in a storm?

Often not. Many policies exclude storm damage to fences and gates, and some cover a fence only if the house was damaged by the same storm. Policies differ, so read your own policy wording before you assume a fence is covered.

Sources

If a post has snapped, rotted or started to lean, send a photo to Steven on 07448 176937, by WhatsApp or by phone. Steven can then say whether it looks like a repair or a new post, and quote for free across Surrey and south London.

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