Neighbour has cut my tree...a lot!

[NeighbourCutMyTree]

How much is usual? I know they can trim overhanging branches, they've gone right to the top of the tree. I'll see if I can add a photo.

Exactly, funny how the OP has suddenly become interested in their tree to whinge about it after the neighbour has had to pay to have their side trimmed. Why didn't the OP maintain their tree in the first place?

As for all those ploughing in to say "talk to your neighbour", how about the tree owners themselves talking to their neighbours to ask if their tree is a nuisance to their neighbours??

*Exactly, funny how the OP has suddenly become interested in their tree to whinge about it after the neighbour has had to pay to have their side trimmed. Why didn't the OP maintain their tree in the first place?

As for all those ploughing in to say "talk to your neighbour", how about the tree owners themselves talking to their neighbours to ask if their tree is a nuisance to their neighbours??*

What the neighbour's paid money to have that done????

It gives new meaning to the term "hatchet job". I especially like that lone branch they've left sticking out perpendicular to the ground!

They haven't done anything wrong.

In fact they could have cut a bit more higher up if they'd chosen.

I was going to say the same! One of my friends ripped out every tree, shrub and plant from her garden, hard landscaped the lot and put in fake grass and a couple of sad, solitary pots with (now dead) lavender bushes in. Now THAT'S 'selfish'.

We have a tree in our garden,.previous owners had it butchered by someone who can't possibly have been a qualified tree surgeon and it looks bloody awful from the back. Apparently it was overhanging next door which is why it was done. It looks fine from our side but couple of neighbour have commented how awful it looks from theirs but I don't think there anything we can do to fix other than time. We've been here 5 years though and it still looks terrible. Only solution would be to chop it down but doesn't feel right doing that either.

@NeighbourCutMyTree this happened in our village at the beginning of the year and when the high winds came, every single butchered tree fell, causing significant damage to property and buildings on the owners side of the fence.

The tree surgeon who attended to help make safe any remaining trees and remove the fallen ones, said the neighbours should never have done that as it completely de-stabilised the trees making them unsafe.

There is now a legal claim against said neighbours.

OP states she had to obscure “surrounding houses” in her photo.
that demonstrates the tree in question is near houses.

i have six trees and another four saplings in my small garden. None of them are allowed to get too tall, because it’s antisocial.

Very funny to see a thread asking if a tree owner has to pay towards upkeep of their OWN tree overhanging neighbours garden.

Trees = Good
Knobhead neighbours = Bad

How very odd indeed. Are you sure it’s not against the tree owners for failing to maintain their trees and causing a hazard, this would be the norm.

Not really. I like the way my neighbours' trees overhang our boundaries, creating a much more natural and pleasant environment.

But not all trees are the same. We have 3 overhanging trees from neighbours and no issues with them. There is one that constantly drops apples when the season is right and flattens nearly all plants on one side of my garden if left alone. I get a tree surgeon to cut it right back to the fence.

Imagine how crap it looks from the neighbour's garden.

The rule about cutting overhanging branches does have some restrictions on it, and I suspect that the neighbours have fallen foul of them.

You are not supposed to cut a tree in any way that would destabilise it.
There is also something in the law about the overall shape etc of the tree.

It is not quite as simple as 'you can cut all overhanging branches off'

stupid people plant trees on boundary right against the fence or whatever. Some even more stupid people plant trees within 5m of a building. These cause issues. Damage to building foundations and unwanted overhang into neighbours gardens. Some stupid people have the excuse that the tree was planted

There's also some stupid people who build extensions right up to a beautiful tree and then cause issues because they want the tree cut down. No I won't be doing that.

As regards conversations and 'maintaining' the tree - why would the onus be on the OP to start the dialogue if they are happy with the tree.? If you have a problem with one of my trees then come to me and talk about it. Otherwise how am I to know it's a problem? As I said above, I like my neighbours' overhanging trees and presumably they like mine too as we're on good terms and talk to each other about other boundary/access issues.

OP's neighbour should have had the decency to explain what they wanted and give OP an opportunity to do it themselves. OP is under no obligation to perform any maintenance on the tree unless it could cause a hazard.

We have the stupid developers to blame for planting trees right on the boundary followed by the council for putting TPOs on them. Not ours to maintain but multiple neighbours who've allowed them to get huge. We had them cut back last year as they were coming right over boundary line and hitting our house.

Our estate was built on piling because of the existing trees. One house decided to put up an extension without piling and now its subsiding because of this. This house has been sold and the survey did not pick up this and they are trying to get the existing trees cut down, which we will think will cause more problems . They need to sue the surveyor and take out the extension instead

We couldn't put an extension on, even with piling due to the tree roots. No way do we want them removed as they do provide good shade in the summer and the damage to the house would be far far worse. We don't have any subsidence issues as it is.

There's no requirement to leave the tree in a particular shape.

As long as you don't cut anything that's not on your side of the boundary it's ok.

Sutton council dont agree with you@SofiaSoFar

also from RHS

"Am I liable if I cause damage to a neighbour’s tree as a result?
Yes. In law you would be considered negligent. Sometimes branch removal can lead to tree failure due to disease, a change in the balance of the tree, or different wind loading that causes the tree to blow over. For these reasons it is important to employ a competent tree surgeon or arboriculturist who could minimise risk and would take on the liability for the work (check they have public liability insurance prior to engagement of services)"

Jeez the ignorance & inability to research & read on this thread is mind blowing

Its why people who have trees which encroach on others properties should maintain them and keep them at a decent height and well kept
We need trees but keeping them maintained in built up areas is the right and safest thing to do

Just because YOU like it doesn't mean everyone does. Good neighbours with huge trees would at least have a discussion with their neighbours.

@oviraptor21

why would the onus be on the OP to start the dialogue if they are happy with the tree.

Because it's clearly causing problems for their neighbour, who obviously they don't give a shit about. It's pretty entitled behaviour to have a huge tree overhanding someone else's property and not even give a thought as to whether it may be a problem for them or not!

Good neighbours with huge trees would at least have a discussion with their neighbours.

I think that works all ways. 😁