To think you can’t just cut someone’s bushes down?

[FenceFiasco2000]

We’ve been out this morning and come home to all the greenary that made the back of our house private gone and the fence hanging off.

Weve been round the back and there is a wall sperating the two properties so even if it was growing onto their fence there is no need to have touched our part. No one has been round to speak to us.

Picture one is our view before. Picture two now and the others is the mess in our graden plus the space around the back.

Where we stand with this and what would you expect them to do.

If it’s relevant, ours is private, the house at the back is housing association and empty.

If the roots aren't in your garden, it's not your plant and you have no say if it gets cut down or not.

Either plant something yourself or get a full height fence

If they are your plants growing on your property then you write to the housing association, include photos and say that this was done without your consent, it's reduced your privacy and you tell them what you'd like them to do to make it right.

If the plants are not yours, are not growing from your property then all you can do is complain about the damage done to your fencing when they cut the plants back. Again, include photos and tell them they need to repair the damage they've caused.

You can’t cut someone else’s bushes down but you can cut your own down. So, @FenceFiasco2000 are you going to tell us whose they are?

To be completely honest. I don’t know for sure either way. They have always been there as long as we have. We always assumed they were ours but based on what everyone is saying maybe not.

Did they trim your bush or their own?

Well if you don't have the roots then I'm not sure how you thought they were yours.
Some would say the neighbour were very considerate to cut back something that was overcrowding your side so much. Many people dislike ivy etc overgrowing

According to everyone on here, seems they cut their own bush or Ivy or whatever it is!

Can you see the roots going into the ground on your side of the fence?
If not - they aren't your bushes!!

Can you see where they come out of the ground?
Are they growing out of the ground on your property and up the fence? If so, they are yours. If they are coming out of the ground on the outside of your fence and growing over and down your fence they aren't yours.
Unless your fence is inside your property boundary and the land on the other side of your fence is also yours

So as you can probably tell, we’re not into gardening!

We never particularly liked the ivy but it does provide privacy, we’ve always kept it trimmed at our side.

Now they have done what ever they have done, we’ve been left with a mess to clear up in our garden, a trellis that needs replacing and lack of privacy.

Things need replacing over time, especially if riddled with ivy.

Are the roots what you can see on the left?

To find the roots follow the stems down into the ground.
Housing associations are a law unto themselves unfortunately so even if it turns up they were wrong they may as well be right.

Now they have done what ever they have done, we’ve been left with a mess to clear up in our garden, a trellis that needs replacing and lack of privacy.

Whatever they've done? All they've done is tidy up their garden and remove a plant that many consider a nusiance.

Removing the Ivy may have created a mess and I understand that's frustrating, but I don't see why the trellis needs replacing. It looks ok from the photos you've shared. As for the privacy there are plenty of other plants that will help screen your garden, the majority of which are more pleasing to the eye than ivy, and much less destructive.

It's hard to tell but it looks like they may be growing in the gap between the two fences. You'd need to get down to ground level to properly tell.

Start by looking on the ground round there. It looks like that area might be where they are growing from.

Just plant something on your side that grows fast, but is nice

From the first pic it looks like ivy growing from their side over your fence. Do they are perfectly allowed to trim it back. Was the ivy supporting fence? It looks fairly similar condition top to bottom.
That you have less privacy is irrelevant if it was their plants providing that privacy.

Looks like it’s their own plant or plant on waste land they have removed.

The fact it gave you privacy means nothing into the fact it didn’t belong to you.

Certainly looks to me that the roots are at the neighbours side.

If you want a good screen bamboo in large pots would be good - but be warned, there are 2 types of bamboo, one is invasive and will spread everywhere (so be safe and grow in pots)

Plus it grows fast, and when it's too tall you can sell the cut bamboo to gardeners.

You can get expandable trellis with fake plants for instant privacy. Whether a permanent or temporary measure.

There is ivy in the very bottom left though, you can see where they cut back to, the roots are at the bottom of that and it’s grown up and then over op’s trellis over on the right.

If that’s correct, then it’s ours, our fence is to the right of the wall. Theirs is to the left.

If it was yours it would be obvious as it would be growing in your garden.

You'd need to look for the roots and check.
It looks like they're growing from that end because my ivy is thicker and taller the closer it is to the roots. It spreads out getting more and more sparse iyswim.
But it looks like the roots are in the space between the two fences/walls. Is that your land?