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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To complain about the neighbours massive hedge?

18 replies

MotherOfDemons · 05/08/2021 14:39

Moved in a few months ago. Neighbours next door aren't a total nuisance, but have built a permanent music room in their back garden, make sure to play music pretty loudly on hot days while smoking cannabis etc, car alarm that goes of at 3am every other morning, stupid front light that illuminates the whole street if it detects any movement etc, which is irritating but I can't do anything about (Not really relevant but don't want to drip feed).

The issue we have is their 4 meter plus tall leylandii. They grew it all around their garden for privacy, I assume, so affects 4 neighbours (two at the back too), blocks out light and grows over our boundary significantly.

I wouldn't care about the overgrowth if it was a reasonable height, but it spans the entire 15 meters length of our garden and is a huge, expensive job to cut back as we can't do it ourselves. They don't bother cutting the top so in places it is more like 5 meters and it's just bloody ridiculous quite frankly. A shorter hedge would be manageable for us and not put our garden in complete shade for the entire day but as it stands even with our tall ladder we can barely reach the top and it's not safe for us, so we have to hire someone to do it.

AIBU to take this to the council? Previous people here had more issues with them including the bush, which they refused to cut and the y (previous residents of our house) couldn't be bothered with the hassle of the council at the time.

OP posts:
Bella43 · 05/08/2021 15:17

Watching with interest as my next doors neighbours have a hedge and the maintenance is really hard work in the summer months. I'm a lone parent and struggle to reach the top but can't afford to pay someone else to do it for me. My neighbours often don't keep up with maintenance their side which makes it look unsightly at the top. The hedge is great for privacy but a lot of work. I'd much rather a fence.

nancydroo · 05/08/2021 15:35

Perhaps you could go to the council. If it were me I would worry that the minor nuisances such as music etc would start getting louder and become more problematic which would personally make me more miserable. Good luck though

Freddiefox · 05/08/2021 15:40

Why did you buy the house? Is the tree on their land? You can’t cut it down whether you have to or not. It’s not legal.

In regards to your light, it likely says on your deeds you have no right to light.

Freddiefox · 05/08/2021 15:42

You can only cut what is over hanging your side, so you can’t cut the top.

Mintjulia · 05/08/2021 15:49

Talk to the local council. In a lot of places in the UK leylandii are regarded as a public nuisance, and owners can be ordered to maintain them at a reasonable height, 2-3m.

superram · 05/08/2021 16:05

They like the hedge, you knew it was there when you moved in. If you are lucky they may agree for you to pay to have them cut back. Why would they pay?

PinniGig · 05/08/2021 16:15

Have you spoken to the neighbours about it yourself? I'd suggest having a quiet but friendly word first to ask if they'd mind taking a bit off and explain its getting a bit massive over your side too.

You could just got to the council for advice I guess yeah but if poss it'd be a lot wiser and less likely to start a boundary war that can drag out to ridiculous extent if you just made a friendly polite "Would you mind if?"

Hollyhocksarenotmessy · 05/08/2021 16:37

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=408
Link above is to RHS guide on high Hedges legislation. You have to try to negotiate with the neighbours first, and if that's not successful, you apply to the council to make a ruling under the high Hedges legislation... There is a fee for this. It's all explained on the RHS site.

Bluntness100 · 05/08/2021 16:42

Have you actually even asked them to cut it back?

Sprig1 · 05/08/2021 16:52

You knew it was there when you bought the house. Not much you can do. They are allowed a hedge on their land.

AmandaHoldensLips · 05/08/2021 16:56

Major pain in the arse. I had a neighbour who planted leylandii right up against our boundary. I asked nicely so many times but she couldn't give a shit. She has since moved and done exactly the same to her new neighbours. Cow.

RedElephants · 05/08/2021 17:17

I feel for you op, we are in a similar position,

When we moved into our house, the neighbours at the time put in leylandii on all 3 sides of their back garden too.
Then a few years down the line moved!

New neighbors arrived all was fine they kept the trees trimmed, then they so havesold up and moved on..

The neighbours who we have had now for 15+ years, although nice people, have not cut them back/kept them trimmed back at all and the trees, like the ops must be 30+ foot high, in the summer the trees block out sunlight until after midday.
I have spoken to them about it and they tell me they can't afford to get anyone in to either bring them down in height or take them down totally.

So either we pay I guess to have them lopped, or put up with It

We also have a field on the other side and there is one tree a lot taller than the rest of the trees in the 'hedge', when the sun starts to going down it is hidden behind this tree, therefore after about 4pm we have no sun in our garden.. I've spoken and emailed the landowner, and he really wasn't interested,I've no idea to be honest where to go from here.

newnortherner111 · 05/08/2021 17:18

So they drive whilst under the influence of drugs then? Seems a larger problem to me, much as I think they are unreasonable or lazy about the trees.

Woodmarsh · 05/08/2021 18:13

To those saying they are allowed a hedge wrist this is true there are laws regarding the height of a hedge, anything over 2m and the council will get involved if asked to. You do have to demonstrate attempts at communication first though

Chipsahoy · 05/08/2021 18:33

Definitely ask.
We have a wild rose. Goes nuts over the fence this time of year. If my neighbours asked me to trim it more often, I absolutely would. My neighbour have said they like it though..

bluebeck · 05/08/2021 19:08

Why did you buy/rent the house? I wouldn't have done if it had a bloody huge leylandai next door Confused

insancerre · 05/08/2021 19:14

Did they grow massively in the couple of months since you moved in?
Seems unlikely

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