Huge willow….neighbour concerns….am I liable

twopenny

Seems unlikely if it's 15-20ft away.
Even if the tree was putting out roots for water (unlikely in summer) they would not be strong enough to do serious sudden damage. 

I lived for years with 2 huge conifers just 8ft from the house and in the 90yrs they did no damage to house foundations or drains right there.
But maybe they built tougher houses in the 1920s.

I think this is more hope and hearsay on the part of your neighbours.
We've had a dry winter followed by a dry summer. If the house is built on clay and fairly new it's possible that there has been some slight movement. It could be superficial cracks to the house just from the intensity of the heat.

Are these cracks starting at the base of their walls?

daveyjp

twopenny said:

Seems unlikely if it's 15-20ft away.
Even if the tree was putting out roots for water (unlikely in summer) they would not be strong enough to do serious sudden damage. 

I lived for years with 2 huge conifers just 8ft from the house and in the 90yrs they did no damage to house foundations or drains right there.
But maybe they built tougher houses in the 1920s.

I think this is more hope and hearsay on the part of your neighbours.
We've had a dry winter followed by a dry summer. If the house is built on clay and fairly new it's possible that there has been some slight movement. It could be superficial cracks to the house just from the intensity of the heat.

Are these cracks starting at the base of their walls?

A willow isn't a conifer, conifers need very little water, willows (both weeping and crack willows) need huge amounts which is why if you ever see one it is a good indication of there being a watercourse nearby, or underground.

They are also one of the last trees to lose leaves in winter and one of the first to have new growth in spring.  All those leaves are constantly losing water which needs replacing.  Its the ground drying which causes problems, not the roots.

stuart45

Some conifers are classed as high water demand on the NHBC foundation depth calculator, and the willow is one of the worst of the broad leaf trees.
The drains on houses built in the 1920's were much more susceptible to invasion from the roots of a tree like a willow, as they were short lengths of salt glazed pipes with mortar joints which when cracked would allow the roots in. Modern drainage systems don't have this problem.
Foundations are much deeper nowadays, especially in shrinkable clay.

kdotdotdotdot

Even given the high intake of water that a willow has, I would say that 15 to 20 feet away is far enough away not to be causing the cracks, although it will certainly be contributing to the general dryness of the soil around it.  Given that the tree was there first: if the house builders didn't consider it an issue, then there's no reason why you should.

Unfortunately for your neighbours, it's something they'll probably have to take up with their insurance, not yours.  

You can be very sympathetic with them, but I'd be very wary of even coming close to accepting any kind of responsibility.  To be honest, unless you're a surveyor, what is the point of your going over to look at their cracks?  

The best you can do is be a good neighbour; be friendly, be sympathetic but also be clear with them that it's not the willow causing the cracks.  Most likely it's the very dry clay soil shrinking as it's been an incredibly dry year.  Then tell them that if they still believe it's the willow's fault, they need to take it up with the builders who built the house there. 

Devongardener

Weeping Willow roots can and do spread far from the tree.  Just one extract from a quick Google:

”How far will weeping willow roots travel?

Weeping willows typically produce foliage that is between 45 and 70 feet wide at maturity with roots that can spread approximately 100 feet from the center of the trunk of large tree”.  

They also do spread to seek water.

We had ours removed for this reason

koalakoala

I have to agree with Devongardener. And the longer they are there the further they spread.
Some insurance companies ask about proximity of trees