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?

Useful info.

Ultimately it is your wall and you need to request access to their garden for the sole purpose of removing the ivy from your wall. Have they actively planted ivy elsewhere or has it simply invaded from elsewhere? It's incredibly invasive as you now realise.

Some people never get round to doing things even when they promise. Hopefully the ivy is the only thing as I would not want neighbours who are unclean in their house, for example.

If you can do it, say that you will as part of weekend gardening and I'm sure it will be OK.

By law your neighbours need to allow you access for maintenance of your property. If necessary you can get a court order for this, but I would try asking if you can have access from their garden. Then cut it all right back or use weedkiller on it. People think it looks nice, but it can cause a lot of damage.

Fwiw if you get access and cut it at the base then leave it a month or so it will peel off much more easily and safely than if you try to peel it off that day. It will grow back. I love a bit of ivy but it does outgrow its welcome

This happened to us, we just went around and asked if we could have access then cut it ourselves. No drama.

Try that!

Just go round while they are out and cut an inch out of every ivy stem at ground level . That will kill the ivy on the wall, but it will take months to go brown enough for them to notice its dead. If they ever say anything (which I doubt) you just reply " Oh, we thought YOU had killed it like we asked".

I believe that if there is a structural issue to your property (which ivy will cause) you have the right to insist on access to make good. I believe that removing the ivy on your wall would lie with you though

Systemic weedkiller is your friend, spray the foliage and the whole plant will die. Out of control ivy is dreadful.

We have no idea where our deeds are. I’ll needto find out how we could get a copy.

This is the place to get copies of your deeds (don't go to any other website as they charge you far more!)

https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-property-and-land/copies-of-deeds

I agree with the PP who wrote a very helpful comment about it potentially is a legal issue and getting solicitor advice if neighbours don't wish to let you access their garden to remove the Ivy growing on your wall - you already know it is causing damage around your window and as others said it causes damage to brickwork. It's not like it's a wall it's the side of your house!

I removed Ivy from part of the front of my house over 10 years ago- the brickwork is still marked. But we don't have problems with it. It has been growing for years. I cut it at the root and dug as much of roots out as I could, and applied an ivy weed killer to the rest of the roots- (can't remember which one- I probably just read the labels !)

I meant it's not like it's a garden wall it's the side or your house wall !

If its quite bushy and dense please please don't spray it indiscriminately . Ivy provides great coverage for garden birds such as Robins and Sparrows- and they will be nesting on their second clutch at the moment. Cut it back of course but you should only take it down late autumn and winter- and then you can use it for Christmas wreathes!

We shouldn't be encouraging weedkillers anyway

Could you offer to go round and do it yourself?

I know you shouldn’t have to.

Do they rent or own? If they rent, the landlord may be more helpful?