Overhagging Trees

boogiesherbs

Hi all,

Does anyone know the situation with overhanging trees?

At the bottom of our garden behind the fence are 3 large trees, we have lived here about 5 years now, and the trees have grown higher and hung further into our garden (approx 30ft high and overhang about 10ft into our garden)

The shedding of dead leaves covers the bottom of the garden and recently we got a fallen nest of dead birds..!

Any help would be very welcome :money:

-taff

You can cut off any overhanging branches but you should throw them back over the fence.

It would be better though to tell your neighbour you're going to do this and ask them if they want the branches or should you just dispose of them...it'll keep relations more friendly.

Pont

Hi boogie,

I'd like to know the best approach to this too. I'm aware that you can cut back the overhanging branches and return them to the 'owner'. However, probably like you, I really don't want to scale 30ft high trees to cut back the overhanging branches - I'd probably break my neck!

At the bottom of my garden there is a huge, overhanging apple tree and a nut tree that has totally taken over. The bottom of my garden is covered in rotten apples (and no...I don't want them!) and nuts everywhere!

Adding insult to injury there is a 4 ft wide walkway at the bottom of my garden (belonging to me) for them to gain access to their trees/hedges. They've never used in once in the 4 years I've lived here.

I'm about to contact the house concerned and ask them politely to cut back their trees. If they don't ...well...we'll see ;-)

nickj_2

the people who live behind me have leylandii at the bottom of my garden, the guy who lived there originally came round once a year to trim them , when he moved the new guy left them for 2 years so i went and asked him if he would mind cutting them back , as they stretch along the back of 4 houses it took him and his mate 3 days to do and they filled 25 of the 1 ton sacks that builders have sand delivered in , so now he knows that it has to be done every year .
diplomacy if the key thing ,

Pont

Leylandi - spawn of the devil!

olibrofiz

At my last house the people who lived behind me had a massive Ash tree at the end of the garden it was about 30m high and was 70% leaning over into my back garden.

Went round and had a chat with them, said I was concerned that as it was leaning so much, if it fell it would take down x no of fence panels, a wall & shed, and did their insurance cover that because mine didn't. Theirs didn't either. So they got quotes to cut it down and I agreed to pay 1/3 of the cost.

Not really money saving, but everyone happy all round. Neighbourly relations retained The Garden Law forum is informative, and an interesting read of when things go bad!

mary4kids

Lol taff you made me laugh. Throw branches over fence ha ha lol. We have the same problem but its not tree its hedge that grown into a tree that is covering my path. I contacted their housing association to cut them back as they have access with a little gate on the side. They said no the tenants wants to close the gate and we have to cut them. We had fight with them once when we were getting rid of our about 10 leylandii trees with tree surgeons doing the job lol. They argued they were protected which tree surgeon replied they checked before they came out. Bloody women wouldn't touch any tree or hedge to cut them down in her garden, they moved last year and previous tenant used to trim them regularly. Well I said I am not touching her hedge as she is mad :rotfl: Somebody supposed to come and have a look from housing association. We own our house by the way and no way I am paying a tree surgeon for her bloody hedge

southcoastrgi

mary4kids wrote: »

Lol taff you made me laugh. Throw branches over fence ha ha lol.

not really sure why you find it funny ? because from a legal standpoint that's exactly what you should do, the trees & branches belong to whosever land they are on, so the overhanging branches belong to them too, so unless you both agree that you get rid of them, you put the cut branches back on their land

forgotmyname

Collect the apples and give them away or sell them.

I asked my neighbour before planting an apple tree near our boundary line. No problem with it overhanging as long as they can pick what they can reach.

I was happy with that. Apples were vanishing so i thought they were picking them, I leaned over the fence the other day and there is a huge pile of rotting apples.

What a waste. I will have offer to send the kids round to tidy them, Or give them a bag to collect them so i can compost them.

Its been there for a few years now and i dont fancy moving it. Fruits nicely.

Ralph-y

advice , where do you live , how big are the trees , are they under a conservation order , are you in a conservation area, and much more .....

you may be lucky and be able to follow the layman advice from humble forum members ...

I wish I could , but if I did then I would be subject to fines up to (or even more than) £40,000 per tree

Quote " how close can I plant a sycamore tree to my house? " answer " 1 mile, or may be 5 miles if you want to be safe "

Ralph:cool:

cyclonebri1

southcoastrgi wrote: »

not really sure why you find it funny ? because from a legal standpoint that's exactly what you should do, the trees & branches belong to whosever land they are on, so the overhanging branches belong to them too, so unless you both agree that you get rid of them, you put the cut branches back on their land

You know I'm unsure of this?

Isn't the legal standpoint that you must offer the removed material back to the next doors, but they don't have to accept it.

This of course gives you another problem.

Can anyone clarify the difference in these 2 interpretation of the law, or maybe we are both saying exactly the same SGI?