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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed by this tree

72 replies

justalittlelemondrizzle · 30/05/2016 15:07

We bought this house at the end of last summer. Nice big sunny W facing garden. Everything was fine till last month when the neighbours huge tree (I'd say double the height of the houses) started to get its leaves back. I lose the sun off my garden from 3 - 6 every day. My gaden is cold and dark because of it while all the neighbours including tree owners gardens and houses are basking in sun. This is the time the dc's will be playing in the garden after school, time we would have bbqs etc. We've tried to cut some back but it's so thick and tall we can't do anymore ourselves.
As well as this in October when it loses all its leaves you basically cannot see my garden by the sheer amount that fall. Really don't know what to do. We don't really speak to the neighbours. How much sun does everyone else get. Aibu?

OP posts:
Original poster
justalittlelemondrizzle · 30/05/2016 15:49

Foof. When we moved in the tree had leaves. But obviously a lot had already fallen and picked up by previous owner. Garden was v sunny then. It was September. And it's not hard to see the state of their garden when their massive dogs have destroyed our fence to use our garden as a toilet.

OP posts:
DaisyAdair · 30/05/2016 15:53

Bit harsh Foofoobum

I sympathise OP, we have a similar issue with similarly unapproachable neighbours and I think I'm going to have to fork out quite a bit of money to have the tree cut back as they certainly won't.

JuliaDreams · 30/05/2016 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WorraLiberty · 30/05/2016 15:57

You can't do much about it before about the end of August anyway, as it will have active birds nests in it.

travailtotravel · 30/05/2016 15:57

We just had our neighbour along the back fence (who we don't know and its probably a good thing because he has a cockerel and that thing is a-n-n-o-y-i-n-g in a suburban area) up in arms because we chopped back the overhanging branches from his awful over-hanging leylandii.

You can't do that to my trees, he said.

We can, said our tree surgeon as they overhang the boundary. And then politely asked the irrate chap whether he's like the branches placed on his side of the boundary as they were his property or whether he'd prefer them taken away.

Cost us about £150 and we now have light in our garden.

In this instance with that picture, I'd pop round and try and have a chat first but be prepared for no movement from them and a big bill if you want to do something about it.

CheesyWeez · 30/05/2016 15:57

Last year my neighbours had someone come from the council and outline what they are their neighbours had to do about some annoying trees.
From www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes/high-hedges-trees-and-boundaries:

  1. High hedges, trees and boundaries

You must try to settle a dispute about a high hedge informally before the council can intervene.

Ask your council for a complaint form if the hedge is all of these:

2 or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs
over 2 metres tall
affecting your enjoyment of your home or garden because it’s too tall

You might have to pay the council a fee to consider your complaint.

Read more about complaining to your council about a high hedge.
When you can trim hedges or trees

You can trim branches or roots that cross into your property from a neighbour’s property or a public road.

You can only trim up to the property boundary. If you do more than this, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property.

If you live in a conservation area, or the trees in the hedge are protected by a ‘tree preservation order’, you might need your council’s permission to trim them.

MyUsernameDoesntHaveNumbers · 30/05/2016 15:58

I am amazed that you didn't think that the tree would shade your garden!

You haven't even spoken to your neighbours and you are already up in arms, perhaps your neighbours want to get rid of the tree? If you don't speak to them you will never know but then you wouldn't have the 'drama' of the situation.

mrsmortis · 30/05/2016 15:58

YABU - the tree was there before you were. And it won't have changed significantly in the few months since you bought the house. If you didn't want a shaded garden then you should have found a different house to buy.

What type of tree is it? If it's a native then it probably has a protection order on it so even if your neighbours wanted to remove it they couldn't. Even pruning it would be subject to approval by the local tree protection official. And as someone who has had protected trees on her land, that's not always easy to get, even if it's needed to protect the foundations of your house.

Saramel · 30/05/2016 15:59

I feel your pain. I have trees overhanging my front and back garden which cause us all sorts of problems but the neighbours love them. However, as much as I hate them, I prefer good relationships with the neighbours so I keep my mouth shut and the branch loppers in the shed.

Lynnm63 · 30/05/2016 16:04

I'm pretty amazed you didn't realise a tree would have leaves in summer and drop them in Autumn. YABU like those people who move next to a church then complain about the bells ringing on a Sunday morning.
If it's protected by a tree preservation order and you cut it down you'll be in trouble.

Foofoobum · 30/05/2016 16:07

Juliadreams it's not snobbery to think their garden is messy or unkempt (both can be factual) but to call it a disgrace (shameful) is. My garden could then be considered a disgrace because we don't have closely tended lawns but we do have rare wild flowers, even rarer bumblebees and a plethora of flora and fauna that you don't get in a well kept garden. I love it because of its positive effect on nature and the local wildlife - I'm in no way ashamed of it and not should the OPs neighbour's be. What if they can't physically keep their garden in good repair? Is that shameful?

bakeoffcake · 30/05/2016 16:11

If it's hanging over your fence you are allowed to ask them to remove the branches.

I would definitely go and talk to them, but I'd offer to pay the whole cost of removing it. Why should they pay hundreds of pounds so you have more sun?

nuttymango · 30/05/2016 16:12

YANBU to be annoyed by the loss of light but YABU to expect the neighbours to do anything about it - you knew it was there when you moved in and a tree without leaves is obviously going to have leaves in the spring.

ChardonnayKnickertonSmythe · 30/05/2016 16:13

Ammonia sulphate.

Are you serious? Fuck that!

OP bought the house knowing the tree was there, so no excuse for whinging now.

obviouslymarvellous · 30/05/2016 16:14

Move the swing you have to other side and job done! If you back onto nothing and are sitting at the side of the tree I don't get it, when you have more free space? Trees grow and shed leaves unless evergreen. I think you either speak to the neighbours or move your furniture etc around. The garden looks big enough to do this! You can cut back anything on your side. I don't see the problem?

IamaBluebird · 30/05/2016 16:20

This won't help Op but I think your garden looks lovely. With the tree.

baffledmummy · 30/05/2016 16:21

Wowser Twowrongs! £450 for a bit of pruning and thinning seems bonkers! I guess depends where you live. We had a tree in our back garden stripped right back almost to the trunk for £120 and were told they would removed the whole thing for £180. Scottish city. I'm guessing £450 is SE England?
We've tons more light now it has been lopped...am glad we did that rather than have it removed.
Also...again depending on where you are, pretty much any tree you want rid of in our area requires council permission. They all seem to have preservation orders on them...Even those that are far from being spectacular!

lardyscouse · 30/05/2016 16:26

You must have seen the tree when you viewed the house. Not their fault if you were not able to realise that trees tend to grow leaves every year.

Pipbin · 30/05/2016 16:30

To get my mahoosive willow chopped back to about half the height cost close to £1k. It was about 4 stories high. It's now closer to 20 foot.
It was a massive job and took three men three days. It was a very big tree and our garden has rather tricky access. It reached all the way from one side of our garden to the other as well as all the way across next doors garden.

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 30/05/2016 16:35

We have a huge (messy, litter dropping) tree in our garden. I do wonder if the neighbours to the rear complain about it.

Twowrongsdontmakearight · 30/05/2016 16:47

No, not SE, but NW. But it is a huge beech tree, and that was one of the cheaper quotes! It was done nicely though. Smile

ChocChocPorridge · 30/05/2016 16:49

You do need to talk to them - they might be open to something.

I had a row of leylandii taken down from the back of my garden, and whilst the tree surgeons where there, they got chatting to my neighbours who mentioned that the birds sat on a branch of my cherry tree and pooed on their washing.

Now, the cherry tree was nice enough, but it was also growing out over our garage as well as their garden, so after a chat, I just had the guys take that down too (nothing special, just a standard ornamental cherry). Happy neighbours, and the amount of light coming into both our houses from getting rid of a few trees that were metres away from the house surprised us all.

Perhaps I'm just lucky that my neighbours and I rub along OK - I'm sure I annoy them sometimes, but then they have their own foibles too..

milliemolliemou · 30/05/2016 16:56

caveat emptor. Surely this was mentioned by your solicitor when buying and should have been in the particulars of the people who sold it to you? I hope you solve the problem, but a good local solicitor would have found this out - or indeed you could have asked prior to purchase. Problem is most solicitors are now tied up with EAs and usually remote so don't often know about local issues.

Gide · 30/05/2016 17:04

Approach them. I'm going to ask the neighbour about his this year, same issue, it totally shades the garden (has grown to ridiculous proportions since we moved in over a decade ago) We also get hundreds of saplings, all of which need pulling up, mostly in the back garden, but also along the border along the drive and growing up the drive itself. I looked after the other neighbour's dog this week and her garden is absolutely covered in foot high saplings which will need digging out.

If th guy refuses, I will go the council route.

Original poster
justalittlelemondrizzle · 30/05/2016 17:04

No mention from the solicitor. It wasn't a big deal as when we came to view the house the tree was full of leaves but not as thick so the sun was shining through and the garden was bright. We actually viewed late afternoon which is when we have the problem. We never thought it would get more leaves as it was the beginning of September at the time and everything was still full bloom. We were wrong.
I don't have a problem with the neighbours and I don't think it's "their fault" the tree was there long before they were even there. I think I may have to get my side lopped and thinned but no point doing anything till the autumn due to birds etc.

OP posts:
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