Neighbouring treehouse

[Spooked7]

I will append a diagram if it helps, but AIBU to ask neighbouring family to take down large wooden treehouse that sits above the level of our fence and dominates the view?
I don’t know the neighbours and don’t want to start a dispute with them, especially as we only recently moved in. However, we had no idea there was a treehouse overlooking our garden. It was disguised by overgrowing trees as the previous owner of our house had passed away over a year before we viewed the house...and the trees hadn’t been cut back for a while. After a few days living here we started to see heads of small boys popping through the trees about 4 feet above our fence. I still didn’t realise it was a treehouse. Then a month later they employed a tree surgeon to cut back the trees as they were overhanging our (small) garden and blocking light from getting in. This exposed the entire, very large, wooden treehouse. It is a platform about 5.5ft off the ground, with a see-through fence panel about another 3 ft in height around its edge. The whole structure sits above the level of our fence. It has some bits of camouflage netting and a sheet of canvas loosely attached, that flap and wave in the wind. It is both intrusive and unsightly and I have no idea what to do about it without angering the neighbours. I have had advice from the council who said they will happily go round and investigate anonymously whether they should have sought planning permission for it, but it would be completely obvious that we instigated it, as it doesn’t really affect anyone else. I know that if/when we decide to sell our house this treehouse will put a lot of people off. It dominates our very small garden.

Has anyone managed to resolve a similar issue without it leading to a dispute?

@TheNoodlesIncident I am 100% sure they wouldn't have built that thing there if they'd thought it would be visible. I'm not in any way accusing them of exposing it on purpose. Their kids were probably upset that their den was no longer hidden.
The issue is with trying to sell my house in the future. Had I known there was a treehouse there it definitely would have put me off buying, even if it had been covered by trees, so presumably it would also put off potential buyers in the future. It isn't the neighbours' fault that I didn't know it was there, but now that I do know, and that it is literally out in the open, it is a whole different situation.
I'm not a confrontational person, and I don't want to cause them or their kids grief, but I have my own family interests to prioritise, and this is a tiny house that was never meant to be our forever home. My small kids will outgrow it within a few years.

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Even once the foliage grows back you'll know it's there, you just wouldn't be able to see if the kids were on it. I'd hate that.

How old are the kids? They will outgrow the treehouse sooner than you think. Believe me, I am on your side. My neighbours two doors down have done this (during lockdown last spring) and it has been a bastard of a nightmare at times. But the kids are now 4 and 6 and outgrowing the treehouse as well as the novelty of it.
Still, if your neighbour goes on to have more kids, you'll have that thing there for years. Go to the council.
As I said, I am two doors down from the treehouse and I find it bloody invasive. I'll be in my garden and the kids shout over to no one in particular (but it's directed at me). Or I'll be working in the garden and I'll look up and find two faces observing me or shouting over at my cats and my dog. They constantly throw toys into next door neighbour's garden. Our back alleyway is full of their toys they've dropped over the back fence (their treehouse is in a corner where the side and back fence meet). And they're just loud! I have 3 kids so my noise threshold is high, but the treehouse got to me this year.
It created a lot of tension and anxiety over the last lockdown and summer (there's has a slide. So they would slide from the treehouse into an inflatable pool. Disneyland for them! Hell for the neighbours!).

theirs has a slide.
Sorry for my terrible grammar slip!

I have to say that I find it difficult to believe that the council will do anything

Too bad.

You should not have cut down the trees then.

I have to say that I find it difficult to believe that the council will do anything

you may be right, but you actually do need planning permission for a tree house.

I’d put up trellis (really fucking high, if they can break planning so can you) for some climbers and bamboo in pots.

@Spooked7 I agree with you, I don't think it was done with any thought to being intrusive. Their agreement and action over the downed tree branch shows they're thoughtful and considerate, not the opposite. I should imagine their kids have not said anything to their parents about being able to see into your house now, so they are probably still unaware. I would approach them to ask if they can add a solid side to the structure so your gaff can't be seen, I genuinely can't see them objecting to that. It's maybe not the ideal solution for you as you would prefer its not being there at all, but it is less reasonable to ask for that. In time they might be happy to get rid once the children have no use for it, and if the foliage has grown over it again - and it will - then you won't have any problem selling your house because of it.

@DickBastardly

Well I clearly don’t want to make enemies, which is the reason why I posted, hoping for helpful responses, unlike yours

I was being helpful. I told you i think it’s a bad idea.

I've seen you comment on peoples posts a few times now, and you're incredibly rude in all of them. Is your life really so miserable that you have to take to the internet to make people feel about themselves? It would appear so, as happy people don't do that.

I'd also find that intrusive OP. But like a few others have said, if it's a eucalyptus, it will grow really quickly - we had a massive eucalypus in our garden and when we moved in a year last May, the previous owner had had the top lopped off (apparently it was absolutely enormous) and all the foliage stripped back to nothing. 12 months later, by this summer, the sprouts from the trunk had grown over 2 metres and really bushy, it's a prolific bastard! By next summer, it will have grown loads.

That said, I would still have a word with your neighbours and invite them round to have a look. It may be they don't realise how much has been but back and how close they are to your house.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon I didn't cut down anything. Their tree surgeon did it.

I think a solid screen might make it worse as it will cut out all the light. Do you think you can live with over the winter when they won't be using it so much and wait for the foliage to grow back?

So, what were they like when you approached them about the overhanging branch that was cut down? Did you speak to them in person then? They obviously sorted it.

As others have said, a personal friendly request to start - invitation round to see it for themselves or take photos to them and hope they'll be reasonable. If not, off to the council..

OP, I don't think you're being unreasonable as that would annoy me too. Imagine standing in your house and people looking in at you from a treehouse :/ bit intrusive! Also to all of the people saying "why didn't you notice this when you bought the house?" OP clearly stated that she couldn't see the treehouse through trees etc, and had more important things to be worrying about when buying a house.

Maybe you could start off by trying to befriend the neighbours and then finding out if their reasonable people or not. If they appear to be reasonable, then I would gently mention it to them :)

That's a real eyesore to look at, and completely destroys any privacy you may have expected to have in your garden.

I'd go and speak to them directly, ask them to come round and look at it from your garden to understand its impact. Show them the before tree pruning picture too, so they can see how you missed it on viewings. I doubt they'll offer to remove it (perhaps they could resite it somewhere less obtrusive in their garden) but maybe they could do something about disguising it from their side. If you get no joy from them then I don't see that you have any option but to ask the council to visit and take it from there. It doesn't show them in a good light, it's an inconsiderate thing to have built but maybe they genuinely didn't realise.

In the meantime, I agree with pp's suggestions of tall bamboos in large pots. Instant screening that you're in control of.

Yabu. You only just moved in. It’s your own fault for not spotting it or having a proper look.

Surely your surveyor should have noticed this - unless it was built after the survey.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Too bad.

You should not have cut down the trees then.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Too bad. You haven't read the thread.

Why did they chop the trees down?! They must have an idea of how intrusive and dominating the treehouse would be.

If it genuinely bothers you I'd approach the council. Are the kids actually playing in it? How old are they? Just wondering if they might be near to growing out of it.
I guess the platform could be lowered?

@IceFrost

You sound like the WORST neighbour ever and a completely miserable person!! Clearly the kids are playing in it. Find something else to fixate on and leave the kids alone.