To think my neighbour is being unreasonable

[princesstiasmum]

I have a very large fur tree in my garden which hangs over my neighbours fence too
I know it was cutting some of the light out of their garden so go someone to cut it down quite a lot.also to cut at the sides as it was getting very bushy and spreading enough to cut light off from my living room
The young man has been to do it this morning , and cut loads off
I havjust had a phone call from my neighbour to ask why he hasnt cut some off their side of the fence, she had apparently already had a go at him, and he said i didnt ask him to, but the general rule is to cut only the side if the person whose tree it is.
Anyway she rang me again and i said ididnt know how it worked only that i had asked him to cut it down to a certain point and cut the top off, which incidentally wasnt bothering me,
My neighbour said well its your bloody tree, and i am not paying anyone to cut my side,
I had told them last summer and before that they could cut some off if they wanted to
I am really annoyed and sad that it has come to this and her being nasty, as i have lived here for 35 years, and looked after their house when they went away etc, and also offered to shop for them as they have both got health problems,
I told her i couldnt afford to pay anymore, couldnt really afford this but apart from the sides the height didnt bother me
I wish now i had left it,
We are both pensioners, but they are older than me and much better off
When the tree was cut down at the top i rang her and asked if it was better and lighter, she said yes much better, but now being nasty because he hasnt cut at her side ,low enough not to cut any light out
Just wondered if it is usual to cut just one side or go all round, in others experience

"The tree belongs to the person upon whose land it has originally grown. Even if its branches or, worse still, its roots have begun to grow over or into a neighbour’s territory, it belongs to the landowner where the tree was originally planted".

"It’s always better to discuss this with your neighbour first but if an expert does have to be called in, it’s the tree owner’s responsibility to foot the bill. They can then choose to pay up front or by claiming it
against their own home insurance policy".

ADastardly both quotes taken from your link.

A right to cut back overhanging branches is not the same as an obligation. The obligation to maintain the tree and not cause issues remains with the tree owner.

Op if the tree is on your land and you own the land you own the tree. If you rent then the landlord should be sorting out the tree. If both you and your neighbour rent from the Council then the Council own the tree - you would need to look at your rental agreement to see what provisions are regarding upkeep of trees etc.

Thanks to those who can understand what i am trying to say, and to the nasty comments, know peoples circumstances before making snide comments

Why are you asking if you clearly aren’t willing to consider that you may have been unreasonable?

Howabout the expert comment refers to the roots causing problems not branches? And the other comment is just about establishing ownership? Later on it says overhanging branches can be cut back to the boundary line.

As stated,the council own the tree, they wouldnt pay for it to be cut back or down, i had them upp to have a look, they said they didnt do that anymore uless the tree roots were very close to the house,
I also told them that it was cutting some sunlight from my neighbours garden, he said if they had a complaint they were at liberty to make arrangement to have whatever the problem was looked at by the council but they still wouldnt do it, and couldnt force me to as it wasnt my tree,but if they wanted it down they were welcome to pay for it and the council would arrange it, so i shouldnt have bothered, but i will be telling them to get their lilace and buddleia which hangs over my garden cut

Roots are just an example of an issue. As I said before you have a right to cut back overhanging branches but the tree owner has the obligation to maintain the tree (which if you know anything about trees means both sides)

Yabu. It shouldn't cost your neighbour money to maintain the overgrown tree in her garden. You need to pay for it.

Council house residents are (in my area) responsible for maintaining their own garden. If it was a cost issue then a conversation with neighbour explaining what you intended to have done within your budget and give them the opportunity to pay a contribution direct to the tree surgeon if she wants additional work done.

Just because it's a council house doesn't mean you don't have any responsibility to be a good person and considerate to neighbours.

Imho happypoobum handled her tree situation perfectly and also perfectly summarises the rights and responsibilities.

Quite envy her never having to talk to her neighbours as sometimes doing the right thing is much easier without all the social dancing.

Yes I do know about trees

Was asking a perfectly valid question actually considering it says nowhere, on your link or mine, that the owner is obliged to do anything unless it's causing significant damage to the property.

My neighbour has about 10 trees in their garden which all hang over onto our garden, block out the light and taking up room. I hate it. It is so rude. Why should we have to pay a fortune to trim their trees? You are being rude and inconsiderate.

I am just sorry that having been neighbours for 35 yeras that it has come to this, the tree surgeon said she was very rude and nastyu and swore at him, there was no need for that she could have asked him politely why he hadnt cut some of that side, he said because of her attitude he wouldnt do it if she paid him now, and she has all the light she needs,it doesnt cut any of her light out now,its just the bit hanging over her fence thats left
He has done a good job for what i could afford to pay him, and the tree doesnt look bad, its in the back garden and still gives us both privacy, she didnt want it cutting right down either ,

Glad I don't live next door to you. Makes me appreciate how lovely my neighbours are.

Housing associations only seem to cut trees that are diseased or dangerous, otherwise do the tenants have to pay. If this is h.a, then wouldn't it be fairer for both tenants to pay to have their own side done, why should one person have to pay for the whole lot if it's not their tree and they don't own the tree or the land. If n.d.n. want it cut back her side then shouldn't she speak to the tree surgeon who the council employed to chop it down and pay for it herself.

As stated, the council own the tree

You have lived in this council house for 35 years and expect "the council" i.e. the rest of us, to take care of your garden. Do we have to pay for your cleaning as well? Your shopping? Your holidays? Where does it end.

You are the neighbour from hell. I feel so sorry for your neighbours .

We’ve got lylandai trees which had been planted on the border before either myself or neighbour moved in. We each do our own sides and take turns to cut the top down.

“the council own the tree,”

Yes, they do. But it’s still your responsibility to maintain the garden in as much the same way it is your responsibility to clean the bathroom they own in the house.

Especially as you’ve been there for 35 years, and are the person who’s left it to grow for long enough that it now needs a qualified tree surgeon to deal with- rather than a gardener on £15 an hour.

Woodland, hedge, trees all around just inside our boundary house owner here, with neighbours all around. They are legally entitled ( at their expense) to cut any branches that overhang onto their property, but have to give me the wood/prunings back. I have no obligation to do it for them. Hth.

As it happens the rest of my garden is lovely, and the tree was due to be cut back last year, but i was let down, tree surgeons and people capable of cutting large trees down are few and far between, and if you spoke to my neighbour before all this she would tell you i am the best neighbour she has ever had, and when i was considering moving to a smaller house she said she hoped i wouldnt as she couldnt bear the thought of a family full of kids, doesnt that tell you something,
Oh and i also pay for my hedge cutting, and both my front and back gardens are lovely, and my cats are indoor cats, and dont get intop other peoples gardens, thats it now, im out
Your nasty minds can think what they like,

I’m so pleased I have nice neighbours. A neighbours overhangs onto my drive, it slowly creeps further and further to my car risking damaging it, they said to let them know when it’s an issue as it’s their tree they’ll sort it. All I do is knock, move my car and they sort it out.

So I think you’re being unreasonable and then to say they will have to cut their flowers back, sounds very petty.

You are the neighbour from hell. I feel so sorry for your neighbours .

Oh come on - hardly the neighbour from hell. Loud music, drug taking, uncontrolled feral children, criminal activity, squalourv- ?? No. Just didn’t prune all of a tree

Sorry OP. As the neighbour I was so annoyed that they let their tree get so tall. Leaves and seeds all over my garden (not theirs!)Ended up contributing £300 just so they'd get rid of it. Relationship ruined!

I totally agree it is annoying when people allow their trees to encroach into other people’s gardens and then either get uppity when they are trimmed or refuse to cover he cost of heir management.

It is incredibly inconsiderate

Leaves are a total pita.

I don’t own any trees yet have a leaf hoover and my garden is covered in sap and seedlings, at this time of year I can get ten bin bags full of compressed leaves every weekend. If I don’t keep on top of it it all turns into a black much, destroying the garden and making the driveway deadly! But I would never dream of demanding the offending neighbours come round and clean it up. I just silently hate them.