Overgown hedge

pinkteapot

Only get a gardener (rather than a tree surgery company) in if they've got a chipper. Removing that lot would be a LOT of trips to the dump!

You may well find it's cheaper to remove than prune. Pruning conifers and shaping them neatly takes time. Chopping them down is probably quicker. If you get decent companies out to quote then they should be able to discuss the relative merits of different options with you.

For a rental house, I'd just remove them as they are a faff to maintain. If you were living there and liked them it'd be different, but tenants will thank you for a lower maintenance garden.

mgarl10024

Filey wrote: »

you can't drastically cut back Lleylandi as if you cut into the wood they won't regenerate, unlike hedges such as beech, hawthorne or privet.You can only trim the green part which is able to regrow.

Spot on Filey - prune or cut into it and you'll be left with unsightly brown areas which wont grow back.

I have loads in my garden and some which is going to come out soon. I was told that they have reasonably shallow roots and that removing a single one is a case of cutting all the branches off and then pulling/pushing the now striped trunk until the roots snap. I've yet to give it a try, but given mine are only 8ft tall this sounds possible - not sure what I'd do if they are 15-20ft tall.

As to the agent - it is a tricky one. It's clearly not down to the tenants ('keeping garden tidy') but then your agreement with the agent probably doesn't specify the exact state of fences etc. but you would assume they would report them if they were falling apart. It does seem like it is a bit of a maintenance issue which they have let slide (especially as you can't drastically prune to correct), but unless it was in your agreement I'm not sure how far you'll get.
Perhaps try putting in a complaint and a request for half the funds (for the removal and the cost of replacing with new Leylandi (even if you intend to put in a new fence)) and see if you get a good will payment?

carefullycautious

You will rue the day you did not keep an eye on these. The roots are a nightmare to get out.


A digger will need to be on your list.

Filey

carefullycautious wrote: »

You will rue the day you did not keep an eye on these. The roots are a nightmare to get out.


A digger will need to be on your list.

__________________________________
Hi CarefullyCautious

I employed an agent to keep an eye on the property etc as at the time i was living abroad. I thought this was what agents did. I thought the agent was standing in for, representing, acting on behalf of, the Landlord. I certainly rue the day(s) the agent didn't keep an eye on them.

Filey

Update on hedge/tree situation.

I have found a firm which will deal with the problem. Among other things they have a chipper. In order to park it in the street the Council charges the princely sum of £18. They will take down the offending Lleylandii, and also an overgrown privet on another side of the garden, and remove everything. They will put up a good quality 6/7 foot fence all round.

Not sure at the moment what all this will cost but it is likely to be in the region of 3/4 months rent. If not more! Will let youall know the quote when it comes in in case it is of interest to anyone.

But at least I am not going to have this problem ever again.

G_M

Filey wrote: »

__________________________________
Hi CarefullyCautious

I employed an agent to keep an eye on the property=.

Is that what the contract says? "keep an eye on"? Somehow I doubt it, but even if so, the contract would need to specify what it means since it is open to huge interpretation!

The agent will (or at least should) do what the contract specifies he agreed to do - no more and no less.

mgarl10024

G_M wrote: »

the contract would need to specify what it means since it is open to huge interpretation!

Just playing devil's advocate here, although I am interested in the answer.
If the roof was deteriorating, I would expect the OP to be notified by their agent, because it is a maintenance issue. The same for a leaky tap. Now, I doubt the contract specifies these things specifically, but it is commonly agreed that these are maintenance issues and maintenance issues are reported.
So, how is the leylandii any different? Isn't an overgrown leylandii a maintenance issue that should be reported? If not, without having a contract that specifies all possible maintenance issues (which would be unworkable), how do we know what is and what isn't a maintenance issue that should be reported?

G_M

mgarl10024 wrote: »

Just playing devil's advocate here, although I am interested in the answer.
If the roof was deteriorating, I would expect the OP to be notified by their agent, because it is a maintenance issue. The same for a leaky tap. Now, I doubt the contract specifies these things specifically, but it is commonly agreed that these are maintenance issues and maintenance issues are reported.
So, how is the leylandii any different? Isn't an overgrown leylandii a maintenance issue that should be reported? If not, without having a contract that specifies all possible maintenance issues (which would be unworkable), how do we know what is and what isn't a maintenance issue that should be reported?

A fair point, but as a LL, if I wanted the agent to ensure the garden as well as the house was 'kept an eye on' I would specify that.

And I would ensure the agent knew what I expected the tenants to do garden-wise (so they included it in their inspections), and what I expected the agents to arrange. Some owners, for example, might want the leylandii to grow tall and form a screen.

rpc

Filey wrote: »

There was a fashion for Lleylandii some years ago

Developers used to like them because you get fast green screening. They tended to get planted too densely to get something effective even quicker.

I have now been told the 'hedge' is about 8 feet wide as well as 15 to 20 feet high, so it is likely to be more than an afternoon's work I would think.

We got a leylandii hedge and a large conifer removed last year. Hedge was maybe 45 feet along, 6 feet deep and 15 feet high. Conifer was getting on 30 feet high and 6 feet across.

Took a couple of hours for some guys - chainsaws, big chipper (trailer on their lorry), stump grinder. It's what they did so they were very efficient.

And then the fence behind it fell down, but we expected that. It was so rotten that the Lelandii were the only thing holding it up!

Not sure at the moment what all this will cost but it is likely to be in the region of 3/4 months rent. If not more!

Tax deductible!

Hoploz

I removed a massive overgrown fir tree hedge and then found I couldn't find a fencer who would actually give me a quote - they said they couldn't tell how long it would take to put in fence posts as the earth would be too full of roots from the ex-trees! So reluctantly I ended up replacing it with new fresh little fir trees! ....which we maintained with special care to prevent it getting out of control