Deduct tree removal cost from house price?

[MintfordGreen]

So we’re about to buy a home, we’ve had the surveyor out and he’s said that a row of (very large - roof height) 6 conifers need to be removed as they’re posing a risk to the house and neighbours house. They’ve also said a new boiler is needed.

We are happy to get the new boiler but we can’t stretch to removal of the conifers. Is it reasonable to get a rough quote to have these removed and request this off of the house price?

Well it depends on the issue with the boiler. If it’s that the boiler has been regularly serviced and works fine but is getting pretty old so will probably need replacing soon, then I don’t personally think that’s an issue for the seller. Although of course, anyone is still entitled to say they won’t now pay their original offer and would like to reduce.

No. A lot ridiculous that they claim they ignored 6 massive trees right up against the house. Hopefully the seller will tell the CF to do one!

You say the trees are roof height, and 'right up against the house' so you must have been concerned about them before the surveyor mentioned it?

I agree I'd want them to come down, and would ask for a price reduction. You will need to find out how much it will cost for a tree surgeon to do the work. If the vendor refuses to drop the price, will you then walk away?

I had this with the first house I bought. The owners had the tree (just 1) cut down and then we paid the full price. It saved us the hassle and if we hadn’t have bought the house, the same problem would have been flagged for future buyers so it was in the owner’s best interest to get it done.

We need a photo of these trees. It sounds unlikely they are 1m from the house but 6m tall.

For OP, just cutting down 6 extremely tall trees close to the house on clay soil wouldn’t be advised I don’t think.

It would need to be done carefully and in stages to avoid heave.

Obviously deduct the cost of the boiler

Get a quote for the trees and make sure it includes stumping out. Could you have them removed two a year, starting with those closest to the house?

I think you will find the light enormously better and your neighbours will love you forever - there are far more attractive and manageable things than ugly conifers.

Bear in mind their very presence may be reducing the price of the house and that could be a win for you later.

Surveyors don’t really know anything about trees though. Before you make a fool of yourself, why don’t you consult an arborist, who would be in a better position to assess the actual risks both of leaving the trees where they are and removing them.

This 💯%. Surveyors aren’t infallible, they cover their backs where they can. They can also miss significant defects themselves (speaking from experience).

Removing those conifers may cause more disruption than leaving them be and keeping them trimmed.

Extra direct sunlight on a home combined with climate change causing extreme heat could cause a need for aircon….

The trees were planted for a reason, so it depends on the entire cost/benefit analysis whether no trees would increase or decrease the value of the house.
Some evergreen trees like Thuja, Juniperus, Taxus, and Pinus taeda are actually good in shrinking clay soils and prevent flood soil erosion so the arborist suggested by @NewFriendlyLadybird is a great idea

It's very stupid to plant conifers so close to a house. Even far away they pose a problem. I think it will depend on the price you've agreed on for the purchase and whether you're paying asking price or close to it. The seller needs to be realistic though, because any surveyor is going to say this needs to be done.

I would be considering walking away tbh.

If there is any risk to the property by removing them it could become really costly.
X

I would ask. Isn't it a buyer's market atm? I own my house but no plans to move, so I don't really know.

I wouldn't want 6 massive trees right next to my house tbh.

Eta: I would also be happy to walk away if needed.

The previous owners of our last - extremely rural - house had planted a Christmas tree less than two metres from the front door. I presume it was a smallish potted one at the time, planted some time after they bought in 2006 (it could be seen as a small tree in the earlier street views), but by 2018 when we purchased as a repossession, it was huge.

For nearly six years we lived with it, by which point it was almost as tall as the house, then took it down ourselves as we planned to sell.

We hadn't had our own survey at point of purchase so had no idea what a surveyor actually thought, but feared it might be an issue for a potential buyer. Coincidentally, our buyer's structural survey didn't mention the (non-clumping) bamboo even closer to the building.

In your shoes @MintfordGreen I'd honestly not expect your vendor to agree to a price reduction for the six conifers, but it's not going to hurt to ask...it's a buyer's market, after all!

I would walk away tbh, you don’t need that headache

CF 🙄