To ask neighbours to cut Ivy growing up our wall from their garden?

[Lunificent]

One wall of our house faces into our neighbour’s garden. We have a bathroom window in that wall.
Since new neighbours came, Ivy has grown up all over the wall and is growing up over our bathroom window. I’ve asked twice for them to cut it back as it’s covering the window and leaving black marks on it. They’ve been very nice about it but not done it.
My questions are?
Whose responsibility is it to remove the Ivy? Theirs because it grows in their garden, or ours because it covers the wall of our house?
Will the ivy damage our wall?
If it’s their responsibility, can we ask them to remove it, or not because it’s not growing in our garden?

Can you access the wall or can you only get to it from their garden?

You should just cut it off your wall. Can you get to it?

Actually, I would ask them if I can cut it about a foot into their side, so it doesn’t quite reach my wall. They might say yes.

You can’t get to it from our garden. Only they can access it.
To stop it covering our bathroom window we’ve been taking the ladder up to the bathroom and trying to reach down and cut what covers the window with shears. It’s hard to do that though as the window only opens at the top.

You can remove anything your side of the boundary. I think there is some silly law that says you have to give the cuttings back but I don’t know why anyone would want them.

Are they not approachable? A quick chat would be easiest, as they might be able to curtail it their side.

To add, they have 2 other walls in their garden with no Ivy on them. It’s only on the wall of our house.

I have asked twice. I’d just like to know officially what you do in a situation where you have no access to your own wall.

Cut it where it enters your property from theirs and the bit on your side will die off and be easy to remove after a while.

I have a similar issue with my neighbours, and Mr NDN is a misogynist nutjob with whom I have never had a civilised conversation. I just cut it back to the boundary whenever it encroaches.

It will fuck up your stone, brickwork etc.

I'd have them removing it asap.

I would not patter about this politely, it needs to go.

And it encourages spiders! But the damage it causes is the real problem.

Ivy can cause damage, it can pull plaster, mortar, paint etc from the wall. Is there anything in your title deeds about maintenance, would that be the right place to look, if the neighbours aren't bothering to sort it?

Honestly since they won’t cut it back I’d spray it with weed killer.

It needs to be cut down at its roots and peeled off the wall, its a bugger to remove as it self clings. Was it there before new ndn moved in or did they plant it. Is there easy access to your wall from their side.

Speak to them again and point out that it is damaging your property and you will hold them liable for any damage. Maybe even offer to help remove it?

If that doesn’t work, Roundup!

Thank you for advice so far.
Re: cutting it from where we can reach. We can’t. There is no access as the whole wall faces into their garden.
Re: responsibility. I don’t want to ask again for them then to tell me it’s our responsibility. Is it definitely their responsibility?

I’ve missed out a vital word! It’s the ‘party’ wall.

It’s your responsibility but your neighbour should give you access to maintain your wall

I would spray what you can get to with weed killer!

Yes - ivy will damage your wall. I mean it will destroy your wall if left for long enough.

There is a specific ivy killer you can get from garden centres (or robert dyas or whatever). Spray all the ivy that is affecting your wall and window.

I've tried weed killer on ivy and it doesn't work. I think you have to get something injected into the trunk to kill the roots.

Ivy is a climber so if it were me I'd nip round with a saw one night and cut it off as close to the ground as possible. It'll take a month or so to go brown and die. I'd make sure I made a bad job of it so I could pretend a rabid fox did it if quizzed

Legal route - You really need to check your deeds as already advised to see what it says about access to your wall for maintenance purposes. There must be something - say for example you had to replace the window from the outside or need to access the roof above.
You may find your neighbour is contravening the law by allowing plants to attach to your property and if they don't deal with it or let you deal with it, you will need a solicitor involved.
You need to kill the ivy completely as it will continue to grow back no matter how much it is cut.

Unreasonable route - you could pour a glyphosate based weedkiller it out of your bathroom window all over the ivy. Make sure there are no people or animals nearby when you do this. You might have to do it more than once and it might not kill the ivy but it will kill any other plants in the vicinity.

Sensible route - It may well be their responsibility but it's your house it is potentially damaging so if it were me I would tell them - don't ask them - that you (or someone employed by you) will be going round to their garden and cutting the ivy off near the base (leaving some leaves if glyphosate based weedkiller is to be used or down to stumps for SBK Brushwood) and removing and disposing of all the ivy from the wall.

You cannot make them do anything if they are not inclined to do so unless it is stated clearly in the deeds and even then you might need to take legal action to force them to do so.

It does work but needs extreme patience. You use resolva, wait until the ivy is actually growing (new shoots) choos a dry still day, sprayvgenerously and then you wait...sometimes as long as 2 to three months. Don't cut it, don't treat it again just wait. The first thing you will see is that it will begin to grow like crazy then it will start to flop then shrivel and die. At this point DO NOTHING. Once the whole growth is brown dry snd crispy you can remove it. i am surrounded by brambles and ivy where I live and it does invade from other gardens but the treat and wait method has never failed me. The reason it fails is that people lose patience. If you cut off tge top before the root is dead, youbwill save the root and it will regrow. If you re treat then the top will die too quickly again saving the root again which will re grow

It will only ‘damage’ your wall if there is already loose/weak pointing. It won’t damage otherwise sound pointing or brickwork, but it can be difficult to remove fully.

You are within your rights to cut it at your boundary. They don’t have to remove or cut it, I’m afraid.

Thank you so much. That’s very helpful.
We have no idea where our deeds are. I’ll needto find out how we could get a copy.

It’s your wall, technically they’re not supposed to grow anything up it without your consent but clearly people generally do.

Id tell them it needs to be removed completely from your wall if they can’t keep it under control.