Neighbours tree blocking light

Rotor

OP - I don't know why some posters  have got on your back about this; I mean - he may be angry because everyone's out to get him , hmmm - maybe But , to me, Occam's Razor shouts that someone who has argued with 2 seperate neighbours so abusively that they've both called the police is ,in fact, a cantankerous unhelpful and unreasonable old man.

For the sake of a box of chocs and a 'didn't mean to upset you' note it's worth trying  but I think the most likely response will be a metaphorical chocolate faced old man will throw the wrappers in your face.

I think the landlord is your best bet. Is the tree the recommended distance from the house  ? any small crack in the wall of either house , a wall or fence near it that's moving or will likely be damaged in the foreseeable future.( If you can get a tree surgeon or builder to state it is , or might be , or will in the future cause damage) landlord could be responsible for that. Sycamore aphids drop copious honeydew onto your things below the tree drop? That's nuisance
And here's you offering to pay to remove the tree for free and take away all those potential problems for the landlord

Davesnave

Rotor said:

OP - I don't know why some posters  have got on your back about this; I mean - he may be angry because everyone's out to get him , hmmm - maybe But , to me, Occam's Razor shouts that someone who has argued with 2 seperate neighbours so abusively that they've both called the police is ,in fact, a cantankerous unhelpful and unreasonable old man.

No one here has suggested the old guy is a saint. He could be everything you say, and more, but at that age there may be reasons for his behaviour that are medical, rather than ones of innate evilness. In any event, those who are grumpy and abusive continue to have the same rights under the law as anyone else.

And are you seriously suggesting a builder has the same skill set as a tree surgeon, or that the neighbour or his landlord could be taken to court for committing a nuisance via a colony of aphids? I think there are probably a few councils that one could get in front of a magistrate for that....before he/she threw the case out!

One point of this forum( actually this would be better in the more legally orientated House Buying/Selling/Renting Forum) is to allow contributors to play devil's advocate and test ideas/notions others have.  I agree with you that the landlord is probably the best person to work on here, but maybe pressurising him/her via veiled threats isn't the best way.

Rotor

Davesnave said:

Rotor said:

OP - I don't know why some posters  have got on your back about this; I mean - he may be angry because everyone's out to get him , hmmm - maybe But , to me, Occam's Razor shouts that someone who has argued with 2 seperate neighbours so abusively that they've both called the police is ,in fact, a cantankerous unhelpful and unreasonable old man.

No one here has suggested the old guy is a saint. He could be everything you say, and more, but at that age there may be reasons for his behaviour that are medical, rather than ones of innate evilness. In any event, those who are grumpy and abusive continue to have the same rights under the law as anyone else.

And are you seriously suggesting a builder has the same skill set as a tree surgeon, or that the neighbour or his landlord could be taken to court for committing a nuisance via a colony of aphids? I think there are probably a few councils that one could get in front of a magistrate for that....before he/she threw the case out!

One point of this forum( actually this would be better in the more legally orientated House Buying/Selling/Renting Forum) is to allow contributors to play devil's advocate and test ideas/notions others have.  I agree with you that the landlord is probably the best person to work on here, but maybe pressurising him/her via veiled threats isn't the best way.

Of course it 'could' be medical ; it 'could' be a lot of things but not the most likely. It 'could' be that his mental health has  degraded enough to not be in control of his emotions but not so impaired that he can't live alone - it certainly can't be ruled out but most likely?
And who have you found here who has suggested that rights be taken away from them?

A builder may very well have informed opinion about any cracks or bulges in walls near the tree ( if there are any) and certainly may have dealt similar problems elsewhere.
Putting some doubt into the landlords mind and offering a free and simple solution is EXACTLY what OP should be doing

Davesnave

I will leave it here, but a tenant has what's known as 'the right of quiet enjoyment of the property,' which has nothing to do with noise.

Mistral001

wksd said:

-taff said:

Your entire first post is all about how much your house is worth, how little the property next door is as if you paying full price for a house entitles you to doing what you like. Your neighbour doesn't want to chop the trees down, he's told you that. Short of sneaking in there at the dead of night and doing it yourself, you don't have any option where you get to do what you want to do.

If, as you allude to, you had made friends with him, why didn't you just ask him? I'd have been annoyed that a new neighbour, after having chatted, was too spineless to come and ask me about the trees and sent a note instead.

And I would have said no too, just because....It doesn't matter if he verbally abuses you, who cares? It doesn't matter if he verbally abuses his neighbours, you have no idea what they do to him. Maybe they jump and down on the ceiling, maybe they annoy him, it's nothing to do with you. Sticks and stones. If he physically abuses you, then you have a right to be affronted

We wrote a note because 1) it is the council guideline on dealing with neighbour's trees and 2) CORONAVIRUS????

1)  Then council's guidelines were misguided.  Writing notes, no matter how politely written, can be seen as "meaning business" and strike fear into some people.   2)  Good reason for writing a note, but did you mention in the note that was your reason for writing instead of talking?  

theonlywayisup

It's a long thread so apologies if this is mentioned, but has the OP actually asked the owner of the house if the tree can be felled?

abankerbutnotafatcat

You can tell if a tree is covered by a TPO by checking your council's website. If you're in a conservation area I think they're all covered. Not that it matters if he won't trim it/let you trim it anyway.
Can I ask a potentially stupid question - Do trees have a peak sun-blocking height and if they grow taller then the sun can pass under their branches? Obviously it varies through the year. 

DCFC79

theonlywayisup said:

It's a long thread so apologies if this is mentioned, but has the OP actually asked the owner of the house if the tree can be felled?

Didn't actually ask but a note was given to the neighbour.

theonlywayisup

DCFC79 said:

theonlywayisup said:

It's a long thread so apologies if this is mentioned, but has the OP actually asked the owner of the house if the tree can be felled?

Didn't actually ask but a note was given to the neighbour.

I thought I read the note was given to the tenant, not the owner?

chrisw

theonlywayisup said:

DCFC79 said:

theonlywayisup said:

It's a long thread so apologies if this is mentioned, but has the OP actually asked the owner of the house if the tree can be felled?

Didn't actually ask but a note was given to the neighbour.

I thought I read the note was given to the tenant, not the owner?

I was thinking the same thing. Protected tenant or not, surely the decision over the tree is up to the landlord.

 If the landlord doesn't want to upset the tenant, that's fine, But if they agree to you paying to have the tree trimmed I don't see the tenant has a say in it. He either keeps his protected status with a reduced tree or moves.