Next door's bloody tree

[Notmycircusnotmyotter]

What can I do about the tree next door that blocks the sun in my garden for most of the day? I wouldn't expect it to be chopped down but it needs properly paring back. I spoke with my neighbour and she says it's expensive so if I want it done I have to pay.

what's reasonable? Are there precedents?

thanks

yeah that's it

It is a recipe for unnecessary and expensive litigation if you don't accept that and try to make someone though.

So you've gone from the bloody tree to the lovely neighbour, pay half and be grateful.

Is this the same neighbour? She’s gone from refusing to do anything about it to agreeing with you over night? And don’t trust AI to know what tree it is.

Wow I’m surprised at the comments. Our neighbour complained about our tree being too tall (I didn’t agree and it wasn’t encroaching their property or blocking light as it was next to their garage and driveway) but we paid to have it cut down rather than there be any animosity. Living with bad blood between neighbours is awful.

Council doesn’t care about loss of sunlight. We have a ginormous sycamore blocking our sun all day. We have a postage stamp sized garden and the tree is at the back of the garden that backs onto ours. Their garden in about 100 foot.

it drops leaves/pods almost all year. Our deck is covered in bird shit because of the tree, our drain gets blocked with leaves and we get no sun. It’s so big that if it fell it would crush the back of our house, but the council say it’s fine

i don’t want it cut down - just halved in height. I’d pay in a heartbeat but neighbour says no.

Bite their hand off OP and pay.

That is awful.

I too am surprised at the comments - a neighbour has complained about a tree planted close to the boundary, I very quickly got a tree surgeon in - I didn't plant it - the previous owners, it's much too big for a back garden. I'm also surprised that people think it's ok to have an enormous tree in a back garden. The tree might have been there for a long time - but it wasn't always enormous and lots of people plant trees in inappropriate places.

So, you need to get a quote from a tree surgeon to reduce the crown by whatever percent you think you need. Then, you show the quote to your neighbour and get them to agree to the amount of reduction. Then you go ahead and get the tree done, and you pay for it.
It's not bothering her, it's her tree in her garden. It's nice of her to agree to even have it reduced.

Stupid comment

But you could offer to clear the leaves from her property for them seeing as it’s your tree causing the problem?

Or, if you dislike leaves in your garden, buy or rent a home where there’s no trees in the vicinity. Fallen leaves are not the responsibility of the person who owns the tree.

It’s to do with being neighbourly and on good terms with other people. Glad I don’t live next door to you. You sound selfish.

Because you want it done

Shes been kind enough to allow you to do it. She doesn't have to.

You bought the house (or rent it) knowing the tree was there.

why should she get the tree 'trimmed' for you??

Can't you just offer to go around & remove the leaves when it's an issue (or pay someone to) I'd rather do that than chop the tree.

or get a koala!!

Have you spoken to them & offered to pay?

Shop around for quotes too. We viewed our tree from the neighbour's side. It was blocking sun into their garden. So we all had a discussion about it, Dh and I, the neighbour and the qualified tree surgeon (we have used him loads) stood looking at it and talked through what could be done.

We footed the bill for it as it was on our side but it only cost £300. As it is affecting you then you should be willing to pay something toward it being pruned back.

Re the leaves, I have more than one tree, as does my neighbour, the leaves get blown about in the wind, as is what happens with fallen leaves, I sweep/blow them up on my side as and when needed, inc my neighbours leaves that come from trees in their garden, but I don't make a fuss about it, nor do I tell them thier trees are making a 'mess' with leaves.

But it keeps the hedgehogs happy in the corners out the way.

I am not an inconsiderate neighbour, but dear god maybe I need to speak to the leaf gods perhaps?

I’m glad I don’t live next door to you either. You sound entitled and the sort of person that buys a house near a load of trees and then moans when they fall into your garden.

As for being neighbourly and on good terms with other people, well, that very much depends on the sort of people they are. If you happen to live next door to arseholes who don’t give a toss about whether their behaviour disturbs the lives of others and do what they want, when they want, then no, they can sweep up their own leaves. If they’re decent people then of course I’d do everything I could to help. Sadly these days that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

I’m not entitled at all. When I moved in, the tree that’s planted right next to my fence was relatively small as the people living there at the time kept on top of their garden including pruning their tree. Then new neighbours moved in. Lovely people but not gardening-minded. In the ensuing 5 years the tree has grown tall and mostly overhangs my side of the fence. Luckily we’re all on good times and they’ve agreed to get it cut back. I offered to pay towards it but they’ve declined.

It's interesting that the law would insist that you trimmed a hedge that was too high, that you did not erect a fence that was too high but it's silent about trees.

The law is not silent about trees!

Trees and the Law

The health of the tree is paramount.
Seek advice from an Arborist.
Ask whether a prune would have any negative effect on the tree and obviously do not consider damaging the tree or making it unstable.

Only have tree pruned by an expert. You should pay.

Seek sunshine by walking around the block.

Do your neighbours own their house or renting? If they’re renting their landlord could pay for it, if not and they genuinely cannot afford it you may have to pay if they also want it cutting down if they don’t I guess there’s nothing you can do. I was renting a house a few years ago which had a tree in the garden and our neighbours complained to our landlord about it and they arranged to get it cut down. Our landlord didn’t even ask if we wanted it down, they just didn’t want the neighbours complaining.

Sorry didn’t know that!!

Nearly every large tree can be reduced in size safely and without harming it. Most should be if they are a nuisance.