The Fourth Department determined Supreme Court properly granted petitioner a license pursuant to Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL) 881 to enter respondent’s property to paint petitioner’s fence. The fact that petitioner built the fence too close to the property line did not preclude the granting of the license:
… [W]e conclude that, in the absence of a statutory definition, the usual and commonly understood meaning of the words “improvement” and/or “repair” encompasses the painting of the wooden fence in this case … .That interpretation is supported by the legislative history, which establishes that the legislature—in recognition that the nature of abutting properties often requires property owners to access the neighboring property in order to make improvements or repairs to their own—intended to encourage such improvements or repairs by removing unreasonable obstacles to efforts to prevent blight and deterioration … . Stuck v Hickmott, 2018 NY Slip Op 01013, Fourth Dept 2-9-18
REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS LAW (ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER PROPERLY GRANTED A LICENSE PURSUANT TO REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS LAW (RPAPL) 881 TO ENTER NEIGHBOR’S PROPERTY TO PAINT A FENCE (FOURTH DEPT))/FENCES (ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER PROPERLY GRANTED A LICENSE PURSUANT TO REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS LAW (RPAPL) 881 TO ENTER NEIGHBOR’S PROPERTY TO PAINT A FENCE (FOURTH DEPT))/LICENSE (RPAPL 881) (ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER PROPERLY GRANTED A LICENSE PURSUANT TO REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS LAW (RPAPL) 881 TO ENTER NEIGHBOR’S PROPERTY TO PAINT A FENCE (FOURTH DEPT))/REAL PROPERTY (ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNER PROPERLY GRANTED A LICENSE PURSUANT TO REAL PROPERTY ACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS LAW (RPAPL) 881 TO ENTER NEIGHBOR’S PROPERTY TO PAINT A FENCE (FOURTH DEPT))