Neighbours trees

Finchy2018

Hi all
Getting my garden redone next week and the gardener has suggested cutting back the neighbours huge overgrown trees that are essentially touching the roof of my house. I will pop a note round the let them know he has suggested this but are there any issues with cutting trees not your own? 
I am happy to pay i don't want financial contribution more don't want to !!!!!! the neighbours off!  

sgun

There is no issue with cutting back branches to the boundary but you have to offer them to your neighbour before you dispose of them - you can check when you knock that they don't want them. You cannot cut back so much that it would damage the tree so that it dies back or even dies altogether. The usual amount would be no more than a third of the tree per year.

twopenny

The trees if they are touching your roof will eventually cause damage.

You can be nice in your note, but do say there's potential for damage to your roof and why and that you are having them trimmed back to their boundary. You believe that you need to offer them the trimmings but if they don't want them you will happily dispose of them at your own expense.

But yes, shouldn't cut back too far so it would depend on where the tree trunks are. However they still shouldn't be over your boundary to the point of the roof.

Finchy2018

Thank you both!  I'm sure they won't want the bits of tree but I shall offer them just incase (and also the entire tree that fell into the garden if they wish too!l 

twopenny

Oh heck!
They should definitely deal with that. My neighbour wanted the cheap broken fence panels that they put up illegally and did nothing to help remove when they fell on my newly planted garden.
 You never can tell.

gwynlas

There might be a TPO in place in which case you would need council permission to touch the trees. 

Waterlily24

Six of our neighbours trees fell into our garden in the bad winds a while ago.  Ruined our pond and all the fish were dead.  He wouldn't do anything about it so they are still lying there.  Unfortunately he died  a couple of weeks ago (only in his 50s) so it looks like we are stuck with them.

We did get a  solicitor to do a letter but we couldn't take it any further due to cost.

Finchy2018

Thanks all neighbours were fine with cutting back. Next is asking them to top them. Is this possible? I get no sun in my garden because the trees are taller than my house totally blocking out the light.. 

Davesnave

Finchy2018 said:

Thanks all neighbours were fine with cutting back. Next is asking them to top them. Is this possible? I get no sun in my garden because the trees are taller than my house totally blocking out the light.. 

It's possible to ask, but unlikely that the neighbours would accede to your request, unless they are also inconvenienced by the shade the trees cast and/or you are prepared to meet the cost. Branches overhanging your land's air space may be removed, but the parts of the trees entirely above the neighbour's land are not within your control. The only exception to this is where two or more evergreen trees form a very high hedge, and  there is a specific mediation procedure to follow involving a fee and the local council.

Tall trees can pose a real problem in an urban environment due to the shade they may cast, but they also give privacy, clean polluted air and provide habitats for animals, so there's a balance to be struck. I've rejected perfectly good properties offered for sale, having once moved rather than see my garden's sunshine gradually disappear. It may be that you either learn to garden with shade in mind, or if that doesn't appeal, do as I did. Moving costs about £10k on average, so bear this in mind when offering incentives!

Apodemus

Also depends what species of tree we are talking about!  Sadly, not all trees are amenable to topping.

Farway

Finchy2018 said:

Thanks all neighbours were fine with cutting back. Next is asking them to top them. Is this possible? I get no sun in my garden because the trees are taller than my house totally blocking out the light.. 

As Dave says, you can but ask, but be careful what you wish for

My neighbour spent years moaning about tall trees, some sort of manky conifers, adjacent to the bottom of her garden, blocking the morning sun etc

The tree neighbour returned from abroad and topped them by yards, lopping off sides as well as tops

Those trees are now dead and my neighbour now complains about the dead trees at the bottom of her garden , these dead trees are invisible to their owner because he used his newly found space to build a huge office "shed" at the bottom of his garden

My adjacent neighbour is now looking for a rambling rose to hide the dead trees & huge wooden shed