To think neighbour should shift tree asap?

[Moveyourbloodytree]

Enormous conifer tree of neighbours came down in the storm on Friday. It didn't look unstable or unhealthy to be fair.

It was planted very close to the boundary between our gardens and it has fallen straight across our garden horizontally. Luckily not much damage caused apart from an old piece of play equipment that’s no longer used. It is however completely blocking access to half of our garden and our shed.

Neighbour was out at the time so popped a polite note through the door with our numbers so they could arrange access and whatnot. We’re on polite terms with them but don’t see much of them really.

Transpires his grand plan to get this 40+ foot tree out of our garden is for him and DH to chainsaw it themselves and use our green bin and his to remove it. Pointed out that we couldn’t even get to our shed to access our chainsaw and even if we could there’s not a cats chance in hell the blade would go through the trunk. He just shrugged nonchalantly and said it would get sorted.

AIBU to be annoyed that his tree falling in our garden somehow means we’ve got to pitch in sorting it and if I’m NBU how do I politely tell him he’s crackers if he thinks there’s any solution bar him putting his hand in his pocket and paying for a company to come deal with it?

They should claim on their house insurance to get it removed.

YANBU but tbh I'd let him try and he'll learn! It'll be hard to get anyone yet anyway so no point rushing him just yet. We lost a couple of roof tiles and everyone is very much in demand as you'd expect!

It's doubtful he'll get anyone to sort it this early on after the storm, as they're all busy and charging extortionate money.

But yes, he does need to sort it without your husband's help.

It fell 2 days ago give him a chance ffs

Maybe he’s panicking money wise or just doesn’t realise

Could you ask them for details of their house insurance so you can contact the insurer about the tree surgeons and access ?

Suspect your DH won't want to fall out with the neighbour but you need to explain to the neighbour that unless the tree is moved quickly the insurance claim will increase in amount as the lawn and plants will suffer further damage. You may also want to point out your DH isn't insured to sort the problem out.

I would take pictures in case he decides to come round and attempt things himself and it goes wrong

@BarbaraHoward @PizzaPunk we very much stressed the fact that we’re not expecting it to be gone immediately and that these things take time but it’s the fact that he wouldn’t at all entertain the notion it’s gonna need professional help. We’re not in a part of the country that was badly hit thankfully so I don’t think it would be too tricky to get a company out maybe by the end of next week.

Generally, home insurance doesn't cover that unless the tree has caused damage to a building.

Good luck OP. A neighbour had a similar situation, including broken fence panels. Owner of the tree did bugger all. Neighbour arranged removal of the part of tree in their garden. Tree owner has done nothing about the rest of the tree in their own garden.

We lost a large tree last year. Fortunately it fell into our garden rather than the neighbours but it took lifted one of their fence panels and a fancy border.

It took a cou9le of weeks to get the tree surgeon in to remove and there was stumping out to do, then another 10 days for the fencer.

It cost £1500 and we couldn't claim because our excess is £1000 and fences aren't covered.

I helped my neighbours when their fence panels all blew down and damaged my property, we sorted it out and between us made it safe until they could repair a couple of weeks later. It wouldn’t cross my mind not to help out. I presume you don’t get on?

Find out when someone could come out and how much it will cost and then speak to him again? Not that I think you should have to, but if he's clueless and it's affecting your garden, it might be faster to get the ball rolling yourself.

There are various rules about chainsaws and I suggest it would be worth looking them up.

But it looks like its your neighbours responsibility

https://www.justanswer.co.uk/law/oau6y-anyone-help-me-tree-neighbour-s-garden.html

I don't necessarily think your husband should be expected to help with removing the tree, but it's only Sunday, and you said the tree fell down on Friday, so the neighbour hasn't exactly had very long to sort it out yet!

If it was something we could actually do then of course we would help out but this is something only a professional would be able to handle. It’s a 40+ foot tall tree that is approximately about 10 foot high laid on its side as it is now.

We barely see them but we’ve never had an issue and have a little ‘lovely weather isn’t it’ type chat occasionally.

We have had a couple of 40 odd foot conifers professionally taken down, there is an awful lot of wood and branch to move.
Without the proper heavy duty tools I think it would be difficult, and it'll need a lot more than a couple of green bins to move the debris.

There is no way to fit a 40ft tree into a green bin even over a month of Sundays. There are probably areas of the trunk that are wider than the bin, so it would all need to be split as well as bucked. It needs to be professionally bucked, the branches chipped and turned into mulch and the logs removed by someone with a truck and a few strong men or a grabber thingy

Why would he put it in the green bin (not that it would ever fit)? Fallen trees are worth money, he can just sell the wood.

Two green bins aren't even going to take the greenery, even if you keep the rest for firewood. Maybe he is getting some help with it, I'd give him some time to sort it out. I'd keep it for logs, and have a bonfire for the rest.

This was my first thought too. We had over a foot of snow a few years ago and 1 of our neighbours conifers (they had 7, each towered over our houses) collapsed into our garden under the weight.
We never bothered them about it and my children had toasted marshmallows in the summer once the wood had dried out.

There are plenty of people with chain saws who can deal with this. A conifer is softwood so relatively easy to cut up.

The tree is already on the ground so as long as he's used a chainsaw before, and knows his basic safety drill, it shouldn't be a problem.

My barber nipped out and chopped up a tree for me last weekend. I stacked the branches to burn while he dealt with the trunk. Mucking in gets it done quicker in between downpours. It cost me the price of a new chain

Booking a tree surgeon could take weeks and is very expensive.

YANBU. Helping out is if some fence panels fall on your side. The size of the tree and amount of work is too much for non-professionals to do. Plus conifers have all those horrid dead bits that will need clearing up.

It is expensive. The last one cost me £350, we had quotes up to £700.
But that was to fell it, cut it, move it, and grind the stump down flat.
Even a fallen conifer needs pros to cut it up and remove it imo.

Have a look on facebook and see if there is anybody who does logs locally. They may come and cut it up and take it away for free.

That's not covered

Tell him you’ll contact your insurers and they’ll be in touch with his insurers.
Ask for his insurance details, and give him the number of a tree surgeon if he wants to avoid insurers’ involvement.
Tell him he has 5 days to sort it out, or you will.