Can't sell house due to neighbours tree!

csgohan4

I would walk, having a neighbour who is not reasonable is not worth it tbh, who knows what other disputes you may have in the future. I had a tree too, but I removed it as soon as I moved in, knowing long term it could cause damage

Davesnave

ilikewatch wrote: »

You need to find out how to incentivise her to remove the tree - she will have a price.

This is the key point.

There may well be considerable costs involved in removing the tree, not all of them monetary.

For example, it may be providing useful shade or privacy. Having tree surgeons stomping about over one's garden in high summer is also unpleasant to contemplate, especially if they are going to return several times in the future.

The neighbour will need to be adequately compensated before they agree to a planned reduction, followed by removal. As this is what's being proposed, there is the possibility of heave, so the process cannot be a quick one.

If the OP got a sale, they would be well away from their house and the neighbour would still have the removal process going on.

There will have to be more negotiation, I think.

moneyistooshorttomention

OP said the neighbour is refusing to kill the tree in a phased way in their original post.

We don't know whether OP offered to cover the neighbours costs for her (ie it is the neighbours bill - as its their tree). I guess we can assume OP has been generous and offered to cover it for this neighbour though.

So it sounds as if OP has shown the neighbour these reports - so the neighbour knows "Hello - this is objective fact - and not just OP's personal opinion".

Back to OP - and maybe we can see some way forward here if we know more clearly what you said to the neighbour:

- confirmation you did show her the reports
- whether you offered to cover the cost of her bill for her
- DaveNave's point about whether this tree is fulfilling some purpose to the neighbour (eg privacy) and what other options there might be for the neighbour to keep that "desired thing" (eg privacy) with the removal of the tree

Of course - this is all assuming that relations between the two were good to neutral before the tree issue cropped up. It may be that relations between them were poor anyway?

Car1980

You can do what you like to parts of the tree that are on your land. So digging a trench on your side, sawing off the roots and installing piles should be an option. If the solution would make the tree unstable or cause it's death I suspect you'd have to go legal though.

ProDave

So the house has been oficcially valued at £0?

Here's a deal you can't resist. I will buy if for £100 That's infinitely more than it's worth. Oh and I can pay in cash once the paperwork is signed.

hazyjo

The key is to make her aware that it's making her own house unmortgageable too. She might think she'll deal with it when the time comes, but point out that would be at her expense (not yours - presuming you're offering to pay) and it will have got worse by that time.


Jx

PasturesNew

The simple answer is in your original post.

You have a house to sell - it'll be difficult with that tree there.....

Dig the channels as suggested and fill them with concrete. Job done. The cost of that will be less than the reduction in price you'd need to make to find a buyer.

Davesnave

hazyjo wrote: »

The key is to make her aware that it's making her own house unmortgageable too.

We don't know how close to the neighbour's house it is.

However, if it is close, then your point stands and removal might be more attractive than the alternative of digging a barrier trench and filling it with concrete.

The cost of the barrier will be decided largely by the feasibility of getting a digger in......and that's something else we don't know here!

sheramber

Is this an old established tree? Is there a preservation order on it?

We had an oak tree which was over 100 years old in one of our gardens ( it was there when the houses were built) but there was a preservation order 'on all trees in the local authority area'. Permission was needed to fell it when it became dangerous due to dropping large branches.

hazyjo

Davesnave wrote: »

We don't know how close to the neighbour's house it is.

She did say 'next door's tree' so I presumed the tree must be closer to next door's house than the OP's.


(Unless the garden goes diagonally and it's nearer the OP's, or the OP's house is at an opposite end to where the next door neighbour's house is - anyway, I suppose you're right but I took the logical guess that it's nearer the NDN's house.)