To refuse to pay to cut neighbour's tree?

[Latetotheparty26]

Neighbour has a tree on their land which shades our garden in summer. I mentioned 3 years ago that it would be great if they could trim the height. At the time, they refused as they had just opened own business and couldn't afford it. I accepted that and felt bad asking.
I asked again last summer, was given lots of excuses about nesting birds (I didn't expect it cut until it was the right time to do so), that it was a noise barrier (very new house with great double glazing) and also a security measure (tree is between fence and main road which is 10-15 foot high off road).
Met with them this week for them to tell me (in a very round about way) that, yes they finally had sorted someone to come and trim all their hedges (out of which this tree grows) and that the guy would quote on the tree - I was very pleased but, they then went on to say that they guy would let me know his quote to sort the tree and that with their permission he was to quote it be trimmed to a (very specific) height and that he was to not trample/flatten the bushes surrounding it.
I was left speechless! They want me to pay, to cut their tree with very specific requirements!
I know legally we have no leg to stand on, the tree does not obstruct daylight from our house, but...SURELY I can expect my neighbour to be...reasonable and neighbourly and maintain a pretty big tree!? It's only going to get bigger!

I'm not going to pick you up on your obvious mistake about conservation areas and the use of the word 'permission'.

Nor who can carry out the work.

Depending on the size of the tree a felling license may also be needed if in Scotland.

Not in a private garden you don't.

You've been asking for it to be done .. you pay !!! We have an Oak in our garden, but we wanted it trimmed so we did it but also did the overhangs into neighbours garden to help them out (they'd never asked).

You asked, you pay.

You asked, you pay.

Pay someone to cut all the branches that over hang on your side and chuck them back over there fence. It’s legally there property so you have to return them

Of course you pay. You're the only one who has an issue with the tree.

I have a few trees in my valley that grow high enough to impact my neighbour's sea view. They came and talked to me about it and asked if they could cut them back. Every couple of years they knock on the door and let me know they are going to do the trees. The trees have been there for a couple of hundred years and are not to be cut down, but they can take the top off for their view. If everyone is respectful (they cut back the tree, I allow it) then there should be no issues.

I think you’re allowed to cut off any branches overhanging your fence - you can cut them up to the boundary line. Not sure if that would help with opening up your garden space?

How tall is the tree and how near is it to your proprty (ie if it came down in a storm is there a risk that it could damage your property)? For my insurance, I’ve had to declare any trees over a certain height within a certain distance from the house. One large tree is in my neighbours garden. Insurance company required me to write to my neighbour advising that tree must be maintained at a certain height as if not then insurance claim would be via them/their insurance. Luckily I get on well with the neighbour!!

You ask you pay. It’s not bothering them🤷🏻‍♀️

I’d laugh if a neighbour expected me to cut my trees down for their benefit.

Odd that their first response was that they couldn't afford it but their later one was to tell you you're paying.
Thigh I think you should pay if you want it done.

Hang on - YOU have demanded that they get their tree in their garden cut to meet your preferences but you want them to fork out a small fortune for it when they otherwise wouldn't be doing so?

There is a CF in this tale and it certainly isn't the neighbours

TBH I think you're lucky they've even agreed to cut it in the first place. Personally I like big trees and would have said no (though we do let the family behind out garden trim anything that overhangs

If it hangs into your garden, cut off the overhang and chuck it over their fence. Did this with ex neighbour and his millions of fucking trees (lots of other issues there too).

Well I like trees so I'm biased. If you want someone else to cut/prune their tree and they kindly agree to your request then you should be expecting to pay for it.

I'm going to go with YANBU. Why? as so many people think you are being unreasonable. Polite consideration for others.

If you were on a plane and someone was taking loads of elbow room, you'd want them to shift their elbow back a bit right? BUT all those in favour of the other passenger sitting comfortably would suggest why? he's comfy and it's not affecting him while he's enjoying the extra elbow space. Same dilema. Just because the neighbour likes the tree, doesn't mean that the neighbour shouldn't accept that the tree is making op's garden a miserable place to be. It's stealing Ops light and I imaging encroaching Ops property. OP has endured this for a long time.

Neighbours are VU to assume that Op should pay anything to cut their hedge/trees to their spec.

If you end up agreeing to pay, I'd tip the tree feller extra to chop the whole thing down.

But moving your elbow doesn't cost anything?

Nor does it impact wildlife, affect noise or security. All reasons OP's neighbours have given for wanting to keep the tree.

So RCohle you don't like the elbow story BUT the common courtesy part still stands. If you have a large overgrown tree that makes your neighbours garden a misery, then you are being VU to keep it tbh. Let's face it only OP knows how frustrating the light robbery is for their family. Neighbours can happily bury their heads in the sand because they don't have to live with the consequence of their overgrown tree and look to take no fiscal responsibility in its maintenance. In other words screw all around us we're alright Jack.

I don't think neighbourliness and courtesy requires you to do whatever your neighbour asks of you, however disagreeable and expensive it is for you. I think it, at most, requires you to seriously consider reasonable requests, try and see things from your neighbour's perspective and seek an amicable resolution. OP's neighbours seem, to me, to have done exactly that.

OP doesn't like the tree whereas her neighbours do. They both have valid reasons for their opinions (light v wildlife/noise/security).

The neighbours have compromised by agreeing to have the tree trimmed, despite clearly not wanting to, and the compromise expected on the OP's part is to pay. That seems perfectly fair and courteous to me.

We cut down our neighbours Leylandii, cost us £500, well worth it, they would have left them. They didn't contribute to cost.

People need to accept that there are trees and if we want to continue to breathe, then we're going to have to live with them. All we know is the OP has taken a dislike to this particular tree for whatever reason, and we have no idea of how much it really is impacting her, often when people get fixated on something, they blow it all out of proportion. So far all we can see is a bit of 'shade in summer', which is not like it's about to fall down and land on her roof, fall on her child's head, or roots damaging her house. A bit of 'shade in summer' is not a major inconvenience that requires wholesale deforestation of a tree.

I can't see how a tree would secure a home tbh. I agree that neighbours need to be reasonable, but it doesn't feel like they are. It's their tree, they're quite happy to state that, but not happy to accept it's overgrown into Ops land. They shouldn't have the right to inflict their anything onto Ops land.

Trees can steal light. I lived in a house where the trees did just that & I hated living there it was always so dark even at the height of summer. Forced a move.

Everyone getting on their high horses about chopping down trees, we are talking about one tree, not the mass deforestation of the rainforests (in order to grow palm oil for our chocolate habits!).

but not happy to accept it's overgrown into Ops land.

The OP has not said that any part of the tree is on their land, only that it puts some shade on their land in summer. So the OP is expecting the OP to spend money on dealing with a tree that the neighbours not only like, but isn't encroaching on her property at all.

OP has also says that it doesn't take daylight from her house, it's her garden that's shady. We have a tree at the bottom of our garden, screens us from the neighbours but it does put their garden in a fair bit of shade (it also does the same to ours). They've asked us to remove it - there's no TPO on it but they were miffed when we said no we like the tree (and it stops them gawping). OP you want the tree trimmed, it's reasonable that you pay for it.