Fence and Gate Repairs in Melbourne
The paling that’s been leaning into next door’s yard since the last storm. The gate that scrapes the ground every time someone opens it. These things don’t fix themselves — and left long enough, a straightforward repair becomes a neighbourly dispute, a trip hazard, or a fence line that needs rebuilding from scratch.
Melbourne City Maintenance repairs timber, paling and Colorbond fences and gates across Melbourne’s inner suburbs. We turn up, work through your list, and leave the fence doing what it’s supposed to — without pushing you toward a full replacement when a targeted repair is all that’s needed.
Call Melbourne City Maintenance on 0403 162 374 for a quote, or request a quote online.
What we fix
- Rotted, split or storm-damaged palings and pickets
- Gates that have dropped, dragged or won’t latch properly
- Leaning fence posts straightened and reset in fresh concrete
- Snapped rails, loose capping and pull-away fence panels
- Worn latches, hinges and self-closing gate mechanisms
- Patch repairs to timber, paling and Colorbond fencing — so one damaged section doesn’t force a full replacement
Why fence repairs in Melbourne are trickier than they look
Most fence problems look straightforward from the footpath. They rarely are — and the three most common faults all have a catch.
The paling is rarely the actual failure point. By the time a paling has visibly rotted, the timber rail or post behind it is usually compromised too. Replace only the paling, and you’ll be back doing it again in twelve months. Melbourne City Maintenance assesses the underlying structure before quoting, so the fix holds.
A dropped gate is almost always a hinge hardware problem, not a post problem. Nine times out of ten, a gate that keeps dropping after adjustment has worn-out hinge hardware rather than a post that needs repairing. Swapping the hinge strap and pin — rather than simply re-tightening what’s already worn — is the fix that actually lasts.
Colorbond and timber fail differently and need different approaches. Timber rots from moisture and insect activity; Colorbond fails at its fasteners and fixings. Getting the diagnosis right saves you from replacing panels that didn’t need replacing.
Where a job crosses into fencing contractor territory — a full fence rebuild, a structural retaining fence, or anything requiring a council permit — we’ll tell you upfront rather than start work outside our scope.
How it works
- Send your list — Tell Melbourne City Maintenance what’s wrong: the leaning section, the gate that won’t shut, the missing palings. Photos help, but aren’t required.
- We turn up and work through it — One trade, one visit, everything on the list actioned in the one booking wherever possible.
- You come home to a finished job — No half-repaired fence line, no follow-up call-out for the bit that got missed.
Fence repair pricing in Melbourne
Fence and gate repairs are charged at $360 — minimum booking, 4 hours on site or $640 flat for a full day (over 4 hours on site). Labour only — materials are extra. Larger jobs are fully quoted before work begins.
For scale: replacing two or three rotted palings or re-hanging a dropped gate is typically a 1–2 hour job. A section of fence with multiple post resets and rail replacements is more likely a full-day booking.
If the fence sits on a shared boundary, repair costs can sometimes be split with your neighbour under Victorian fencing law. Melbourne City Maintenance is happy to advise what’s reasonable to put to your neighbour before you approach them. The Victorian Consumer Affairs guide to dividing fences has the detail.
What our clients say
“We used Melbourne City Maintenance for the removal, powder-coating and reinstallation of our rusting iron fencing. Bill and his team were fantastic — very professional and courteous, and they achieved a great result in a short period of time. Highly recommend.”
— Kate Rassie, ★★★★★
Where we work
Melbourne City Maintenance repairs fences and gates across Melbourne’s inner north, including Northcote, Thornbury, Fairfield, Preston, Ivanhoe, Carlton and surrounding suburbs.
The inner north’s established housing stock — mostly weatherboard cottages and Edwardian homes built before 1970 — comes with timber fencing that’s been absorbing Melbourne weather for decades. When moisture, movement and rot have been working on a fence for years, you need someone who understands what they’re looking at — not a quote for a full replacement when a targeted repair will do.
If you’re dealing with timber cladding as well as fencing, Melbourne City Maintenance’s weatherboard repairs service covers the same failure points — moisture, rot and movement — on your home’s exterior walls. And if the fence is just one item on a longer list, our handyman services page covers what else we handle in a single visit.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair a fence in Melbourne?
Fence repairs with Melbourne City Maintenance are charged at $360 for a half-day (up to 4 hours on site) or $640 for a full day (4+ hours). Materials are extra. Most single-repair jobs — re-hanging a gate, replacing a few palings, resetting a leaning post — fall in the 1–2 hour range. A firm estimate is provided before work begins.
Can you repair a leaning fence without replacing the whole thing?
Yes, in most cases. A leaning fence usually only needs the affected post or posts reset in fresh concrete, with the rest of the fence line left intact. Melbourne City Maintenance will inspect the post condition and give you an honest answer on whether a reset will hold or whether replacement makes more sense.
Why does my gate keep dropping even after I’ve had the hinges adjusted?
A gate that keeps dropping after adjustment usually has worn hinge hardware rather than a hinge that’s simply out of position. Replacing the hinge strap and pin — rather than re-tightening what’s already worn — is typically the fix that holds long term.
Do you repair Colorbond fences as well as timber?
Yes. Colorbond repairs are usually a fastener and hardware fix rather than a panel replacement. Melbourne City Maintenance repairs both timber and Colorbond fencing across Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
Should I repair my fence or replace it?
If the posts are sound and the damage is limited to a few palings, a section of rail or the gate hardware, a repair is almost always better value. Melbourne City Maintenance will give you a straight assessment — and if replacement makes more sense, we’ll say so rather than start a repair that won’t hold.
Do I need a fencing contractor or can a handyman do this?
A handyman covers repairs, patching, re-hanging gates and post resets. A full fence rebuild, a structural or retaining fence, or any fence requiring a council permit needs a licensed fencing contractor. Melbourne City Maintenance will tell you which side of that line your job falls on before you spend a dollar.
Ready to get the fence sorted?
A leaning post or a dropped gate doesn’t get better on its own — and it’s rarely the big job it looks like from the footpath.
Call Melbourne City Maintenance on 0403 162 374, or request a quote online, and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s a two-hour fix or something bigger.
A friend found reviews of this company on a neighbourhood website so I included MCM in my list when I sought quotes for repairing and painting weatherboards on my house.
