Garden trees too big? neighbour complaint
Discussion
We have been in this house for 4 years and have not been too bothered about gardening, I mow the lawn and try and keep the place tidy but that's about it. We have 2 trees in the back garden that are certainly not the biggest in the street but they are about 15M tall and the neighbour has complained about the size of them.
I received a polite but quite formal letter from my neighbour informing me that the trees are obscuring some of their light and they also deposit leaves in their garden that they don't want to have to tidy up.
Legally where do I stand here? I would like to get someone in to give them a trim (is that possible?) but I dread the cost of someone having to get specialist equipment in to get that high. What kind of cost are we looking at here? thousands? would I have to get it trimmed every year?
I received a polite but quite formal letter from my neighbour informing me that the trees are obscuring some of their light and they also deposit leaves in their garden that they don't want to have to tidy up.
Legally where do I stand here? I would like to get someone in to give them a trim (is that possible?) but I dread the cost of someone having to get specialist equipment in to get that high. What kind of cost are we looking at here? thousands? would I have to get it trimmed every year?
TPO'd?
See the thing is I want to do the right thing. The neighbour is old and lives alone and I think their garden is a source of joy and I don't want to spoil this for them. It's just that it is near to Christmas and I have a few big bills already to sort out before the wallet emptying season begins.
The trees certainly aren't big or strong enough to climb. One is like a cherry blossom tree although I am assured it is not actually a cherry blossom!
If it will only be a few hundred then I will be ecstatic but I live in Surrey and it costs a grand to get someone to replace a roof tile.
See the thing is I want to do the right thing. The neighbour is old and lives alone and I think their garden is a source of joy and I don't want to spoil this for them. It's just that it is near to Christmas and I have a few big bills already to sort out before the wallet emptying season begins.
The trees certainly aren't big or strong enough to climb. One is like a cherry blossom tree although I am assured it is not actually a cherry blossom!
If it will only be a few hundred then I will be ecstatic but I live in Surrey and it costs a grand to get someone to replace a roof tile.
mikeiow said:
This!
The neighbour is old & lives alone: go & chat with them! You can see it from their side of the fence, you can decide it it makes sense to help by trimming, hacking or indeed just agreeing to go round once a month to help in the garden!
You can also have a conversation that might demonstrate if they can afford to help pay (elderly in Surrey suggests they can, but who knows!), go halves or whether you will have to do it all.
Regardless, they will be grateful for a polite conversation over a cuppa, I bet.
Its hard to explain but the neighbour keeps to themselves, I think there is some social anxiety there which is why this was done by letter I guess. Attempts to instigate some conversation in the past have been quite difficult.The neighbour is old & lives alone: go & chat with them! You can see it from their side of the fence, you can decide it it makes sense to help by trimming, hacking or indeed just agreeing to go round once a month to help in the garden!
You can also have a conversation that might demonstrate if they can afford to help pay (elderly in Surrey suggests they can, but who knows!), go halves or whether you will have to do it all.
Regardless, they will be grateful for a polite conversation over a cuppa, I bet.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff