Buying house with tree in garden

hot-doc

We have just seen a house that seems to be just right for us -location, space, garden etc. In the garden, only about 6-7 metres from the house is a (approx) 10 m tall oak tree.

Would you buy a house with an oak tree so close?

I am worried about the nuisance from leaves, acorns etc (but could live with that)

More seriously worried about branches etc falling off, tree falling, and subsidence.
Also, how easy will it be to get home insurance?

Advice please...

daveyjp

6-7m to edge of crown or to the centre of the trunk?

the_matrix

Oak tress are amazing and well sought after. I would not be too worried about it myself.

IMHO it adds value to the house.

hot-doc

Sorry... about 2 m to the edge of foliage, 7m to edge of trunk.

Procrastinator333

We just bought a house with a tree close to it. One thing to keep in mind is there are not many insurers who like that sort of thing. Our insurance wasn't too much of a premium, but it took a while to find one happy with it.

But our plan was to have the surveys done before buying - which we did, no problems identified, then get the tree cut down after moving in -being done in next couple of weeks. As long as it hasn't yet caused any problems, just move in and cut it down, £500 to get rid of it, not a lot when purchasing a house.

But that is me. Good luck!

AdrianC

A mature oak is very likely to have a TPO on it, so it won't just be a case of "move in then chop down".

I really wouldn't worry about it - but, then, for me it'd be a plus.

bouicca21

Which is older - the tree or the house?

hot-doc

Not sure what's older. There is no TPO... I asked the vendors (and checked on the council's website)

MysteryMe

Nuisance from leaves and acorns? Quite depressing reading things like that when the benefits of a tree attracting wildlife and even providing shade in a garden far outweigh a bit of clearing up once a year.

jjlandlord

If there is no TPO, I would ignore the tree when deciding whether to buy the house because it does not matter.
A mature tree takes decades to grow so I would carefully consider before chopping it off, but you will be able to do that if you do not want it.

It won't make getting insurance too difficult (or go through a broker). If they ask about trees, the premium may be a bit higher.

Green3

The roots of an oak tree are said to spread as much as the crown. And these roots can cause damage to the foundation of the house if they are close. Oak trees take 100 years to mature and continue growing. So even if you cut the tree, the roots will remain. You can consult a tree specialist (approx £320+VAT) to get proper advice after they inspect it.