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

I have over twenty of the bastards surrounding me! Ugly weeds. I was shouted at by a random neighbour for trimming one, in my garden. Wasn’t ever hers. Silly woman.

YABU

I'm sorry op but I do think you are being unreasonable.

You planted the tree, why should they pay for its upkeep? I think that's rather un-neighbourly of you, doesn't matter if they have more money than you it shouldn't be their responsibility and I do feel sorry for them.

I'm sure I saw somewhere that it's your tree.. Apologies if I'm wrong but it's still in your side so I would still assume responsibility.

YABU, your tree your responsibility

Flaffable. She asked if her neighbour was being unreasonable; I'm informing her that she is, not her neighbour, re the tree. It was a question, I answered it. I hope this is a more satisfactory length of answer for you

PS,
@Flaffable YABU

He has cut some lower small branches back and thrown them over our fence which annoys me. For anyone unclear about this, you can cut back overhanging trees/bushes and offer them back to the tree owner, but that does not equate to throwing them back into their garden.

So if you ‘offer’ back branches from an encroaching,tree etc, and the encroaching tree owner declines them, are you stuck with the, and having to dispose of them? Or can you put on neighbour’s property (chuck them over the fence)?

I don’t think you can force them to take back the branches or leaves - you are fly tipping if you chuck them over the fence.

A good neighbour would make sure their tree isn’t negatively impacting on others. But unfortunately good neighbours are becoming scarce!

Admit to not being an authority on this but I highly doubt it is fly tipping. If my neighbour's DC kick their football in my garden I am well within my rights to throw it back. If they have a party and beer cans land in my garden they will get them back. Why should rubbish created by their tree be any different?

Anyway good luck with getting anyone police / council to reprimand a neighbour for giving you back your own branches.

Our trees shed leaves all over the public path. Our gardener collects them up and disposes of them. We don't leave it for the council to do or for someone to sue us when they break their neck on our garden waste.

Also re pp and hedges it is my understanding that farmers have a responsibility to maintain them so they don't encroach on roadways etc. Don't see why garden owners would be different.

I am no expert either, but have had issues so am taking the advice on fly tipping from this website

www.problemneighbours.co.uk/rights-trees-and-overhanging-branches.htm
You have a common law right to cut back tree branches that overhang onto your property. The law states that any branches cut off belong to the person on whose land the tree originally grew, so you should ask your neighbour if they want them back, or if they are happy for you to dispose of them. Do not just throw trimmings back over the boundary - this could constitute 'fly tipping'. Ask your neighbour whether they would like any trimmings back. Equally any fruit on trees, even if they are growing on branches which overhang your property, still belongs to your neighbour. You are therefore stealing if you pick these for yourself without your neighbours' permission.

I don’t have a legal background so won’t go to the sword on it!! Raised my blood pressure - on a Sunday morning.! Note to self don’t get into argument on the internet with strangers!!!!!

However, as you have said it is unlikely to result in any official action by the authorities - I just would never do it. Quiet seething resentment of the neighbours is more my style!!!

See I would chuck the branches over and let them seeth at me.

Ha ha I wish I had the balls! I am such a big chicken

My dp does this for a living. You are within your rights to not trim her side of the tree. She can get someone to trim her side and she can throw the branches back over into your garden. Op don't worry. You've done nothing wrong.

Cutting back hedges on your side is one thing, branches on a tall tree are a different thing. You can't reach them & why should you have the expense of getting someone in.
(Haven't read pages 2 to 5 so might be missing something vital)

pinkhorse thanks for that, people are making it sound as if i have done this on purpose,i left it to the man cutting the tree down to do his job, and as i have said several times,i had the top cut off for my neighbours benefit ,not mine,it was the bushiness that bothered me ,it was growing across my view from my window,
I really think some people just like to be nasty,and they [neighbours] trimmed some off themselves in Summer, i didnt say leave it alone its my tree
What is left on isnt going to affect them at all, she already said its lighter in their house,

oP I think tress that straddle boundaries just cause a lot of tension. They create a lot of work for the other neighbour and often result in tension with people disagreeing on whose responsibility they are and what rights everyone has.

I would have been nice of you to ask the neighbours if they wanted you to trim it so it didn’t encroach on their land, or if you are stuggling financially see if they could contribute to a whole tree job.

But it’s done now, and it’s not the end of the world. It will blow over and I am sure your next door neighbours appreciate the extra light.

If people read the whole thread properly they would see that i did discuss with neighbour about cutting tree right down, no she didnt want that as it gives her, [and me] some privacy, and most of her side was cut back, just not the bit overhanging her fence,my god,some people do twist things
I DIDNT NEED TO CHOP IT AT ALL, CHOPPED THE TOP OFF FOR her BENEFIT,

I don't get why you've had a hard time op I can't see that you've done anything wrong. All this talk more consideration etc, well, yes, if you can afford it of course it's considerate to get the whole thing done. I wouldn't pay to have half a tree sorted out if i didnt need to and now I know my neighbours don't HAVE to cut theirs down on my side I'll get it sorted myself. No issue, no accusations of them being nightmare neighbours, no problem. (Well there is, but it's mine to sort)

Okay OP, but why post on AIBU if you somfirmly beleive you aren’t??

So firmly

YABVU. You should have had the entirety of the tree cut so it isn’t hanging over on her side.

Yes, they are allowed to cut it back, but ultimately it is your nuisance tree and your responsibility. They shouldn’t have to pay to fix a problem you own.