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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To cut down nextdoor's tree

77 replies

FrogsGoRibbit · 27/05/2025 11:01

Our previous neighbour died a few years ago. The house has just been sold and is very slowly being redecorated. We haven't seen the owners yet but every couple of weeks for a day there's a different company going in and refitting carpets, etc. Most of the time the house is empty.

The garden has been left to grow, it's not been touched since it was sold. There is a tree that's started to grow a few inches away from our fence on their side, about 1ft away from our wall. It's about 7ft tall now. As we don't know when/if the owners are going to come in and get the garden fixed up, WIBU to go and cut it down before it causes any damage to our property?

OP posts:
wordywitch · 27/05/2025 11:02

Of course it would BU, not to mention completely illegal.

verycloakanddaggers · 27/05/2025 11:02

Yes unreasonable and illegal.

Find the owners and communicate.

MindatWork · 27/05/2025 11:05

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

AnSolas · 27/05/2025 11:05

You know you cant do that.
Why not deliver a letter to the house someone must be checking the work.

Ohrainyrainy · 27/05/2025 11:28

There seems to be quite a trend these days for people, and businesses, going round and indiscriminately destroying healthy trees, either just for the fun of it or because they perceive them to be a nuisance or inconvenience.
It's a horrible attitude. And also generally illegal.

Pollqueen · 27/05/2025 11:29

You must know you can't do this

Purplebunnie · 27/05/2025 11:31

Can I come round and cut down your trees and shrubs? I think you know the answer

KurtansCurtain · 27/05/2025 11:32

You’ve got absolutely no right to go into their property to destroy the tree. Why don’t you post a letter through the door asking the owner to contact you, ask a workman who the owner is, or wait until they move in and politely knock on their door. You could even contact the estate agent to see if they’ll pass a message to the buyer. Most trees grow very slowly. It can wait.

id be raging if a neighbour thought they could chop at my garden just because I hadn’t moved in yet

Azandme · 27/05/2025 11:35

Is it your tree?

No.

Then no, you can't. Obviously.

MissMoneyFairy · 27/05/2025 11:36

You mean is it ok for me to trespass on their private property and cause wilful damage to their tree that may also have birds nesting in it, don't become that neighbour before they've even moved in

vivainsomnia · 27/05/2025 11:36

What? It belongs to their property! What can possibly make you think you could do that?

Cherrysoup · 27/05/2025 11:38

Communicate asap. Our neighbour out the back allowed an ash (wind blown seed) to grow just behind the dividing fence for years. It blocked out the sun for most of the afternoon. He says he wishes he’d never allowed it now, cost him and us (we offered to contribute, we were delighted it was going) thousands due to how huge it was. Just speak to the neighbour, drop round your email/number.

CoffeeCantata · 27/05/2025 11:39

I think you always need a very good reason to destroy a tree.

Apart from the legal/ownership aspect, why, just why?

Birds, insects etc will live in the tree. It produces oxygen to counter climate-change. It will look beautiful.

When I opened this thread I thought you were going to say it was a huge forest specimen, towering at about 70 ft. But 7 ft??? What???

I'm sorry, OP. I think you need a course of David Attenborough programmes and bit of re-education.

UtterlyOtterly · 27/05/2025 11:40

No, it's illegal.

The men who cut the Sycamore Gap tree down quiet rightly got jailed.

You are allowed to trim any branches on your side of the fence as long as that won't endanger the life of the tree.

MeganM3 · 27/05/2025 11:44

I definitely would. You won’t get caught.
And how would they prove it was you.
Do it while you have the opportunity and get rid of the remains if you can so it’s not obvious.
If it damages your brick wall that would be expensive to repair or rebuild.

MissMoneyFairy · 27/05/2025 11:52

MeganM3 · 27/05/2025 11:44

I definitely would. You won’t get caught.
And how would they prove it was you.
Do it while you have the opportunity and get rid of the remains if you can so it’s not obvious.
If it damages your brick wall that would be expensive to repair or rebuild.

No you wouldn't, it's trespass and how do you know they won't be seen by the contractors, neighbours or cctv. You'd be OK if someone did that to you when you were out?

MissMoneyFairy · 27/05/2025 11:54

Are you planning on digging up the roots as well so it doesn't grow back

KurtansCurtain · 27/05/2025 11:55

MeganM3 · 27/05/2025 11:44

I definitely would. You won’t get caught.
And how would they prove it was you.
Do it while you have the opportunity and get rid of the remains if you can so it’s not obvious.
If it damages your brick wall that would be expensive to repair or rebuild.

an unoccupied house probably has cameras up. Not to mention ring doorbells. A house near me is being renovated and a couple of nosy parkers went up to have a look in the window. They got posted on Facebook from several angles by the angry owners. It was entertaining for us, very embarrassing for the nosy people

bombastix · 27/05/2025 11:57

If the shoe were on the other foot and the neighbours came and cut down something in your garden would that be acceptable?

No. Your suggested course of action is against the law.

SparklyGlitterballs · 27/05/2025 11:59

You know damned well YABU. It would be illegal and trespass and the new owners could sue you (rightfully so IMO).

Speak to them. Via one of the contractors if necessary. Ask if they'd mind you removing the tree as it's too close to the wall. Offer to do the necessary work to remove tree and roots so it's not an extra burden for them. You could also offer to buy a replacement tree for them that they could place elsewhere in the garden when they get round to landscaping it (if you're feeling generous). Don't be surprised if they say no though, which would be their right.

Do you know what type of tree it is and how big it's likely to get?

Lmnop22 · 27/05/2025 11:59

I think you can safely assume that the tree won’t grow sufficiently over the next few weeks before your neighbours move in and you can have a normal conversation with them about their intentions with the tree to cause any damage to your property…..

bombastix · 27/05/2025 11:59

KurtansCurtain · 27/05/2025 11:55

an unoccupied house probably has cameras up. Not to mention ring doorbells. A house near me is being renovated and a couple of nosy parkers went up to have a look in the window. They got posted on Facebook from several angles by the angry owners. It was entertaining for us, very embarrassing for the nosy people

Show quote history

Good insight. That is what developers do and they monitor their investment! This also happened on a site being developed next door to me. Quite funny on the local road WhatsApp

TangerinePlate · 27/05/2025 12:03

Some trees when allowed to grow too clise beside the building can cause a lot of damage.

Damaged water/gas/sewer pipes, ground subsidence from root growth.

Sycamores grow at an alarming rate- guttering clogged up at least twice a year from flowers/leaves.
Dump issues inside the house if you suddenly discover in rainy weather that your gutters are blocked and water is flowing on the wall.

Then winds come and could break the tree damaging your roof/windows or completely wrecking the house.
Even worse if the tree is on your neighbour’s property and they refuse to do anything about it.

Speak to your neighbours asap @FrogsGoRibbit

Oh, and I love trees by the way before I get accused of hating them. Just speaking from experience.

Fairyflaps · 27/05/2025 12:07

If it's a self seeded sycamore or ash, speak to your neighbours and ask them, and hopefully they respond reasonably.

Cyclebabble · 27/05/2025 12:23

You invite them round for a glass of wine and a beer and whilst they are here you just ask if they would mind if you trim or remove the tree? Assuming it has not been planted deliberately and is simply party of an overgrown garden, they will probably say ok. If they find out you have sneaked into their garden it could set a bad tone for the relationship going forward.