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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours behind angry and coming round about cutting holly bush

89 replies

Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 14:33

Hi all

We live in a rented (ex-council) house (3 bed, long back garden, all very tidy). There is an alley way that leads round to the back and holly bushes all along the back of the alley (so in the 'council owned' alley). The holly bushes are out of control and lean right into our garden creating mess on the trampoline. My husband decided to have a 'trim'. Hes chopped it back at the bottom and has made it a bit 'thin' so its a bit 'gappy'. The neighbour next door told us that the neighbours behind are very angry as we have cut his bushes and ruined his privacy. Also he dosent want to see "those nasty council houses" Shock

Would ibu to tell the snob to eff off when he comes round to complain?

OP posts:
daddyorscience · 31/07/2017 14:39

My take on it is, my side of the boundary, my choice. Stick to your guns.

RaspberryOverloadsOnRainyDays · 31/07/2017 14:45

You are legally allowed to trim bushes, etc back to your boundary. But you give the trimmings back to the owner of the bush......

cariadlet · 31/07/2017 14:51

I'm confused. If the bushes are growing in the alley (not belonging to your or miserable neighbour), but lean into your garden, then how can they belong to the neighbour?

MrsOverTheRoad · 31/07/2017 14:55

I also want to know why if he's next door is it affecting him since they're at the back?

Either way...you cut what's on your property...perfectly within your rights.

We cut a MASSIVE branch off our neighbour's tree last week. It was really low and hanging across a big bit of our garden...blocking it from use.

This is Oz where the trees are BIG....DH chopped it off and the neighbour came out fuming about her shade...wanting to know if he'd planned more cuts.

It was in OUR garden ffs!

KurriKurri · 31/07/2017 14:57

They aren't his bushes if they are growing in the alley.
You are allowed to trim anything overhanging your property.
Tell him to bog off, and also if he didn't want to see council houses he shouldn't have bought a house that backed onto them.
He sounds like Knobby McKnob.

user1497480444 · 31/07/2017 15:00

you are allowed to trim your neighbours bushes, if they over hang your garden, as long as it is done moderately, and without damaging the health of the bush, and you return all the trimming to him

Original poster
Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 15:03

Oooo Raspberry maybe i should have dumped his Hollybush trimmings over the fence. Im not sure why but the whole row of 'posh' houses behind us seemed to have claimed the holly bushes even though they are not in either ones gardens but in the alley? The neighbour a few doors down is having a right war with there neighbours at the bottom of their garden as this privately owned ex council house decided to completely lop off 6ft from the top (however in their deeds it shows that the bushes are in their boundary line which makes me wonder if our holly bushes are actually in ours). Im not too bothered whos they are tbh as we are just renting but am very offended about his comment about seeing our ghastly council house and wondering what he will say when he comes round? Apparently, according to our lovely next door neighbours, he can see right into my daughters bedroom. I feel like going round there myself for a word as you cant possibly see a thing unless you stand right against the fence as both gardens are extremely long. So basically the nasty little man is going out of his way to look into our property!! Shock

OP posts:
Original poster
Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 15:09

Mrsovertheroad....he is the neighbour at the bottom of our garden. Both gardens back on to each other so the alley is between us and hollybushes in alley but on his boundary. He has put a fence so that the bushes are at the end of his garden however after talking to the other neighbour at war a few doors down it shows the holly bushes should be in the alley so the whole of the posh houses at the bottom of our (yuky council houses) back gardens have claimed the holly bushes. So when we all try to trim back these bushes (which are 30ft high!) the posh neighbours all go mad.

OP posts:
Boredwithmyname · 31/07/2017 15:24

This is confusing - we need a diagram. Otherwise, try pretending not to speak English when they complain?

diddl · 31/07/2017 15:26

"Oooo Raspberry maybe i should have dumped his Hollybush trimmings over the fence. "

I think that you are supposed to offer them back, but if refused it's up to you to dispose of cuttings.

ChardonnaysPrettySister · 31/07/2017 15:31

Hang in, so you cut the bush that provided privacy and now you are complaining that the neighbour can see into you house?

You can't have it both ways, you know.

Cuppaoftea · 31/07/2017 15:34

Sounds like your DH has rather hacked at the holly bush? If it was me I'd welcome the privacy the bushes must provide and be annoyed if it was damaged rather than just trimmed.

charlestonchaplin · 31/07/2017 15:37

I wish people would stop 'parroting' things they read on the Internet. Get it right! You offer your neighbour the cuttings, the neighbour doesn't have to accept them, and you certainly don't dump them on their land.

OP how sure are you that the alley belongs to the council? 'Terry from number six said so' isn't very reliable evidence.

Also it sounds like your husband did more than cut to the boundary. It sounds like he reached further to remove some branches from the other side. That's what I understand by your use of the words 'thin' and 'gappy'. I can understand why he did that if he thought it was council-owned, but that is going beyond what the law permits and may cause issues with neighbours if there is any chance the alley isn't council-owned.

Your latest explanation of the arrangements of the gardens seems to suggest that part of the alley has been stolen by the houses behind, and what is left was entirely blocked by holly bushes which grew onto your land. I'm not sure if that is what you meant to say. So no-one can walk down the alley then, if it is being blocked by holly bushes. Is that right?

charlestonchaplin · 31/07/2017 15:39

In the time it has taken me to write my post, most of my points have been made by other posters!

Original poster
Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 15:43

To be honest i didnt even notice that dh had cut the bushes until next door had told me! Im not too bothered about the privacy as its only been thined down and both gardens are rather long. It was a real mess down there and was a pita having to brush off the trampoline everytime. Im more pissed off with his poor attitude to our 'ghastly council house'. What an absolute snob.
Drove round to the 'posh houses' earlier and would you believe it, theres a friggin 'for sale' sign outside the nasty little mans posh house. So why the fuck is he even soddin bothered if hes selling the damn place. What a knob-rott Hmm
Im so looking forward to a knock on my door....what do suggest i say to him?? Smile

OP posts:
ChardonnaysPrettySister · 31/07/2017 15:44

You seem quite agitated OP.

Original poster
Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 15:48

Holly bushes are not blocking the alley, no, but very very low. They are basically giant trees of holly rather than bushes, so have a 6ft trunk before the actual holly starts. Iv had a look and dh has litterally only cut back to the neighbours fence. Because most of the bush is leaning into the alley its made it very thin hence why you can see a little bit if you put your nose right up to the fence. Its a tiny alley so the bushes lean right into our garden.

OP posts:
WatchingFromTheWings · 31/07/2017 15:52

I'm confused....so your gardens back on to each other? But there is an alleyway in between? The holly grows on his side of the alley? Do it then hang down into your garden? Are they not blocking the alleyway then??

Original poster
Bellasmummy1980 · 31/07/2017 15:52

Yes Chardonnay i do get very agitated when people judge me according to which house i live in. If he didnt want to see ghastly council houses then he should have purchased property elsewhere Wink

OP posts:
WatchingFromTheWings · 31/07/2017 15:53

Xpost. I follow you now! YANBU having cut them then. Neighbour needs to get them under control himself if he doesn't want anyone else trimming them.

Bluntness100 · 31/07/2017 15:54

He's probably bothered because the house would have looked less over looked with the bushes there. As such when buyers come round if he can see into your daughters window, she can see into his garden.

I doubt it's about the fact it's a council house that's bothering him, more the fact it's opened it up when he's trying to sell and now his garden is less private.

aginghippy · 31/07/2017 15:55

What is there to say? It's not as if you can paste the branches back on. The bush will grow.

If what the NDN said is accurate, then yes he is a knob. On the bright side, if he is selling, he won't be around for much longer

If he comes round, I would listen and nod. Perhaps say, "thanks for letting me know."

CauliflowerSqueeze · 31/07/2017 15:55

If the holly bush overhung your garden then it's not a problem is it?

zzzzz · 31/07/2017 15:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zzzzz · 31/07/2017 15:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.