Tree Dispute

mechy

My inlaws ( who are oap's) are haveing a problem with a nieghbours tree. Over the years this Willow has grown huge! They cannot now recieve Sky TV because of the obstruction. When asked (the nieghbour) if would arrange to get the tree trimmed, she replied that it would cost up to £400 to get the job done, and she wants the 2 nieghbours who are haveing the problem to go shares to have the job done.
The tree is in her garden, & I presume her responsiblity. Can she ask for other persons to contribute to the price of haveing it cut. I am contacting the area council on Monday. Any thoughts please!

tealady

Hi
Re trees there is no such thing as a "right to light"
If the tree has a tree preservation order on it (unlikely) then the owner will need permission to pune it.
If it hasn't got a tree preservation order on it then anything that overhangs your garden can be cut off WiTHOUT needing the owners permission, however you must offer the owner the cuttings back.
IMO the neighbour is being reasonable in asking for a share of the cost, after all it is not for their benefit and they don't have to prune it if they don't want to.

ormus

as above.
you have no absolute "right" to a tv transmitter signal.

get a taller aerial.

ERICS_MUM

I think it would be reasonable to offer a reasonable amount towards the cost - say £80 each for your parents and the other neighbour.

I'm lucky with my neighbours as we help each other with the costs of replacing fences, bearing in mind that we all have plants close to the fences which eventually damage them so they need replacing.

mechy

Thanks for all your thoughts. Any more, will be appreciated:beer:

1984ReturnsForReal_2

No offence to you.


Personally I think the people who have the problem should pay & they should feel grateful that they have a good enough neighbour who is willing to let it get cut back for them.


You might want to ask the lady if you can get your own quotes to see if it can get done cheaper.

I have met plenty of people in my life that wouldn't give a toss about someone losing a TV signal or much else for that matter unless they could be held liable for.

Becles

My neighbours cherry tree is massive now - much taller than the house and about a 6 metre spread on it. The gardens are north facing and after about 3pm our whole garden is in shade. This is frustrating as I work mornings, and it would be nice to sit in the sun when the children come in from school and have BBQ's and stuff like we used to.

My neighbour died last year of a long fight against terminal cancer so I didn't really like to mention the tree as he had other things on his mind. He never did much with the garden and I had permission to hack as much off as I liked to stop the tree and his bushes damaging the fence (I paid for the fence).

I'm not really sure who owns the house now. It's empty and various people keep coming and going as they're doing it up. If I can find out the new owner, I'm going to ask if they have plans for the garden and offer to pay either some or all of the costs of having the tree either cut down or cut back to a sensible size. It's for my benefit more than theirs and I feel I should contribute towards the costs.

pimento

Willows are the worse kind of tree for roots and subsidence. How far is it from the house? I'd be far more worried about that than not being able to get Sky telly.

Google willow trees and subsidence. Then tell your neighbours that any damage to your house and your insurance will claim on their insurance.

tsb

Can anyone tell me where I stand legally, concerning my problem with a tree on my boundary. The tree was planted on the boundary line many years ago and now stands approx 8m. I know I can chop overhanging branches off and return them to the owner but the trunk is now so wide that it has grown over the boundary line by a good foot. Its now become an issue as I want to erect some fencing, so where do I stand with the trunk encroaching onto my land

pimento

tsb wrote: »

Can anyone tell me where I stand legally, concerning my problem with a tree on my boundary. The tree was planted on the boundary line many years ago and now stands approx 8m. I know I can chop overhanging branches off and return them to the owner but the trunk is now so wide that it has grown over the boundary line by a good foot. Its now become an issue as I want to erect some fencing, so where do I stand with the trunk encroaching onto my land

Have you asked your neighbour what s/he thinks?

You could offer to pay half for the removal and to replace it with a similar sapling (to be planted a couple of feet onto your neighbour's land.

tsb

I haven't spoken to the neighbour yet. Was just wondering what my rights were (if any) first.

Other neighbours have had issues with the height of their trees that are on their boundaries previously so I am predicting some reluctance to discussing the matter with me.